TennisOne — The One-Handed Versus the Two-Handed Backhand -- Part III

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The One-Handed Versus the Two-Handed Backhand — Part III

Daryl Fisher

This is the third article on the topic of the one-handed versus the two-handed backhand in tennis. This article will consider whether one-handed or two-handed strokes have an advantage over the other when it comes to hitting hard.

As a quick review, in the first part of this article, I made clear the fundamental differences between the one-handed and two-handed strokes, namely reach and ease to achieve stability (The One-handed Versus the Two-handed Backhand). In the second part of this article, I stepped through some of the considerations that both beginners and experienced players should make when trying to decide between whether to use a one-handed or two-handed stroke (The One-handed Versus the Two-handed Backhand, Part II).

The Question

Are one-handed or two-handed strokes better for hitting powerfully?

On the men's professional tennis tour, one-handed backhands are regularly hit as hard as or harder than two-handed backhands. For example, at Wimbledon in 2014, Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov were ranked one and two respectively for ball speed on the backhand side, and both use one-handed backhands.

Click photo: Stan Wawrinka has the biggest backhand in the game, but if he hit with two hands, he might still hit the hardest.

In fairness, just because one type of backhand tops the list for ball speed does not conclusively determine if one is better for hitting powerfully. Perhaps Wawrinka and Dimitrov would have hit the hardest backhands if they had two-handed strokes. There are a number of variables that contribute to a player's average speed for a stroke, including, but not limited to, fitness, height, technique, equipment, and playing style.

To say that there are too many variables is not the end of the conversation, however. At least we can consider which of one-handed or two-handed strokes could be hit harder theoretically, assuming all other variables are the same.

A theoretical comparison of one-handed and two-handed strokes would lead us to borrow from the science of physics and to compare such things as the torque of each type of stroke. Torque has two variables. It equals force multiplied by a radius.

Radius

The distance from where the force begins to where it is applied is the radius. In the case of the backhand, the radius is the reach. And the reach of one-handed strokes is greater than the reach of two-handed strokes.

Click photo: A few inches may not seem like a lot, but Michael Chang increased his serve speed by seven miles per hour just by adding one inch to the length of his racquet.

Depending on the individual, the amount of reach gained from a one-handed stroke in contrast to a two-handed stroke is generally "only" about a few inches. To any experienced tennis player, a few inches clearly means a lot in terms of the ability to get to a ball, but perhaps it also means something in terms of extra power. If so, how much?

Another way to increase the distance between the place from which the momentum begins to where it is applied is to use a longer racquet. Marion Bartoli, Michael Chang, Tomas Muster, and Andy Roddick are examples of players that have used extended racquets on the pro tour.

Regarding how much an inch matters, then, it certainly makes a difference for serves. Chang said that his serve speed went up by five to seven miles per hour when he added an inch to his racquet.

Borrowing from the mathematician Jacobi's maxim to "invert, always invert," you could also consider what it would mean to use a shorter racquet. A shorter racquet, even shorter by an inch, will certainly negatively affect how much ball speed you can generate.

As an aside, the topic of additional reach raises the question of why more of us do not use longer racquets for hitting harder. The answer is that adding length to a racquet makes it less maneuverable, and for many of us the trade-off is not worth it.

Force

Can a one-handed or a two-handed stroke theoretically generate more force? Or are they about the same?

I have heard it said that a two-handed backhand player can generate more force, and the person that said this used the example of moving a heavy object with one versus two hands. This person, however, was targeting the fact that there are some objects that are so heavy that they require two-hands just to be lifted in the first place, in which case, yes, two hands would be better.

In contrast, a tennis racquet typically weighs less than a pound, and can be lifted just as easily with one hand as with two hands.

Imagine a motion that resembles a one-handed backhand, and another motion that resembles a two-handed backhand. With which motion could you heave or throw a very heavy object the farthest? With which motion could you heave or throw the farthest an object that is closer in weight to a tennis racquet?

Perhaps the two-handed motion would be better for throwing something very heavy, like a bale of hay. But which motion would be best for throwing your cell phone? (Admit it, you have thought about it.) Or a can of soup? Or an actual tennis racquet? Do you know anyone that throws a frisbee with two hands? Throwing a frisbee and hitting a backhand are not perfectly parallel, but they are sufficiently analogous to argue that the one-handed motion in each case could generate at least as much force.

Click photo: Throwing a frisbee and hitting a backhand are not perfectly parallel, but they are sufficiently analogous to argue that the one-handed motion in each case could generate at least as much force as
using two-hands.

Confusion

I would like to digress to note that it has been fascinating to me to talk with people about where they think force comes from for the one-handed and two-handed backhands. On a related note, a substantial number of people have no idea what the hands and arms should be doing during either the one-handed or two-handed backhands. In sum, not everyone knows what good technique entails.

Whether we are talking about the force generated by someone with good technique or not makes a difference. With poor technique, it is harder to say whether one-handed or two-handed strokes can generate more force. Poor technique regularly requires too much use of the arms, and is thereby inefficient.

With good technique, however, the whole body makes a tennis stroke. The best players repeatedly show that the arms should barely do anything. The arms should generally go for the ride that the rest of the body provides.

Click photo:	Click photo:
Though Andy Murray (left) and Grigor Dimitrov are both very physically strong, their arms are not the source for much of the force on their backhands. In each case, their arms usually just go for the ride that the rest of their bodies provide.

If you think that two arms would do more for you on your backhand than just one arm, that perspective might be why your backhand is not getting better. Hardly any force should be originating from the arm for any backhand.

For some additional information on related and interconnected topics, see the following articles: Relaxed Hands and Good Technique, and The Arms and Legs Connection.

The Winner

In my previous two articles on the topic of the one-handed versus the two-handed backhand, the primary distinction was between reach and the ease to achieve stability, but what has just been added is that reach can mean more than just getting to the ball, it can mean hitting at least a little harder too. For a theoretical comparison of the one-handed and two-handed backhands in which all variables other than the number of hands used are kept the same, and assuming good technique, the one-handed backhand can be struck at least slightly harder than the two-handed backhand.