TennisOne Lessons

The Delayed Backswing

Doug King

Have you ever noticed how top players always seem to have plenty of time to produce their strokes? Contrary to what we have always heard about getting the racquet back, it appears they do just the opposite. They run to the ball then seem to take the racquet back at the final moment.

Steffi Graf's delayed backswing helped move the game into the modern era.

The first, and perhaps most notorious, culprit of the non-backswing was Steffi Graf. She would get behind the ball and then at the last possible moment rip off a forehand laser, leaving opponents, fans, and commentators dumbfounded. Coaches and commentators could only mutter “do not try this at home” as Graf collected the winner’s purse.

Well, you don’t hear TV analysts talking about how fast a player gets the racquet back anymore, that is not the way the game is played at the pro level. Yet when club players try this delayed backswing they often run into timing difficulties.

In tennis, not only do you have to time your stroke to the ball but you also have to time the various elements of the stroke (racquet, arm, and body) to one another. You want the arm action, the racquet swing, and the body weight shift to be properly coordinated so you meet the ball as a solid unit. The way you produce your “backswing” is critical in determining whether or not this actually happens.

Although our advice on the backswing usually consists of generalities and catch-phrases, in reality there is tremendous shape and timing to the backswing. It is the most subtle part of the stroke, the most confusing, and the most misunderstood. The truth is that each backswing should be measured and modified to fit each oncoming ball, adjusting to variations in speed, trajectory, spin, and location as well as taking into account the desired return. We will look at the myths that dominate our interpretation of the backswing. We will also look at more modern approaches to the backswing and why they might work for you. I will also include a practice drill to help you get there.

Backswing Basics

Note: Most of the illustrations are forehand related. This is because most backswing problems are forehand related. This is due to the position of the body and arm which allows for much more extension and separation between arm and body on the forehand backswing, however, all the same principles apply for the backhand

Keep it Continuous

A top level stroke is characterized by great timing, rhythm, and fluidity. Perhaps the most important aspect of this is an understanding of momentum. The stroke must be continuous in order to maintain momentum. A good stroke will start slowly and develop speed as it goes. Now the body must get oriented to the ball – that is, get sufficiently behind the ball and turned to the net – and this must be done quickly in many cases but this is not part of the backswing yet. This is still the positioning phase of the stroke. Often people confuse getting into position with making the backswing and try to do both at the same time.

There are a couple of problems caused by getting the racquet back too quickly. One is that we encounter a delay that erodes momentum and rhythm. If the racquet goes back and stops, it then requires extra force to get the racquet to start forward again. Inevitably, the thing that gets the racquet to start forward after it has stopped is the body shifting. The problem with this is that the weight shift is used at the wrong time and for the wrong reason.

Dmitry Tursunov’s potent forehand is a compact yet continuous motion, driven with the entire body (legs, shoulders, and arm). He turns first and then starts his swing.

The weight should shift after the arm and racquet have gotten in front of the driving hip (right hip for right-hander – left hip for two-handed backhand) so that the weight shift is used to power the ball instead of pulling the racquet forward.

The way to get the arm and racquet to flow out into the driving position in front of the hip (the “slot”) is to utilize gravity and momentum. It is critical to keep the stroke continuous to maintain rhythm and to use the weight shift for maximum efficiency.

Manage Your Momentum

An important key to timing and controlling a continuous swing is the management of momentum or energy. A good example of what this means is to take your racquet with the tip pointing to the ground, grip the handle very firmly, and then push the handle back and forth in a punching motion. Now hold the handle lightly between your thumb and forefinger and let the tip of the racquet swing like a pendulum back and forth. You have changed the location of the fulcrum, or the hinge of the swing, and by doing so you have changed the flow of energy.

When we think of getting the racquet back we tend to let the energy flow out to the tip of the racquet. This gives us a definite “feel” of the racquet getting back just as we feel the racquet more when we let it swing like a pendulum. The problem is it takes longer to let the energy extend all the way out to the tip of the racquet and this is what causes timing and rhythm breakdowns.

Instead of feeling the “swing” in your racquet you should feel the swing more in your body. You should feel the swing in the push of the feet off the ground, the turn of the shoulders, the drive of the hip, and the extension of the arm. Going back and forward in your stroke, least of all should you feel the momentum in your racquet.

So in our efforts to “feel” the racquet back and our urge to do this quickly we end up making a very pronounced take back movement that shifts the momentum and energy out of the body and puts it into the racquet. This action will result in more stiffness in the body and a loss of momentum, rhythm, and time. The body will be forced to shift forward to reinitiate momentum, causing the body to be off balance and in the way of the arm (getting jammed up) and causing the wrist to snap the racquet forward to compensate for being late.

Hands Align the Racquet

Although the hands should not feel a swinging of the racquet at the ball they do perform extremely important roles. One is that they align the racquet through the backswing. They do this through grip change and wrist angling. Secondly they keep the racquet from flying back (exactly what we are often told to do) in order to keep the momentum of the swing properly contained in the core of the body until it is ready to be passed into the arm.

Federer keeps his wrist “neutral” through much of the backswing and then fluidly lays the wrist back as he approaches contact (negative swing) while the hips and shoulders turn and the arm extends through the hit.

If you watch a player like Federer you can see him change grips in mid stroke to adjust to different conditions. In the same way he lets his wrist adjust fluidly to the contact point.

Watch the clip of Federer and you will see that he draws the shoulder up and back along with the elbow while the racquet is held in both hands and the wrist stays quite neutral. There is no action in the hands so that the momentum is held in the body and does not escape through abrupt racquet movement. Once he lets go he continues back with his shoulder and elbow still careful not to swing back the hand.

As he drops and moves into the hit his wrist actually lays back in a relaxed way to achieve proper alignment to the ball and target through contact. Contrary to what we perceive happening as a wristy slap, what actually occurs is a wristy fold back. Through this loosening technique, the wrist actually becomes very stable in this position since it can’t go back any further.

Don’t Commit Early

Flexibility is critical to maintaining consistency in tennis. Adjusting the backswing can be as important as adjusting your feet. Don’t rush to get your racquet prepared. First see what type of backswing fits the situation – big or small shoulder turn, longer or shorter arm extension - depending upon available time, power requirements, and shot selection.

Roddick stops at halfway point in his normal backswing and with less grip change produces an underspin drop shot.

This includes spin options. For example, underspin is hit by stopping the topspin backswing half way through and using a minimal grip change (more Continental). If you commit too quickly to a specific backswing you limit your options and force yourself to make stroke decisions before you have a chance to assess the situation.

The Billiard Stroke Mode

A good way to think of the backswing action is to imagine a billiard stroke. When you shoot pool the energy of the stroke is always contained in the body. Usually the power actions are done primarily in the shoulder and elbow while the hand makes the fine tuning adjustments for control. Occasionally the legs get more involved, like on a break shot. This is very much how the tennis stroke is produced. In tennis we add turn of the trunk for more power but the power movements should be relegated to the large muscle groups and the hand should do the delicate control adjustments of grip and wrist alignment.

The backswing in tennis is actually very much like the way you draw back a pool cue, or a bow and arrow for that matter. Additionally, the pool cue can represent the “stroke path.” Ideally the sweet spot of the racquet moves through the tennis ball just like the tip of the pool cue moves through the cue ball. With proper grips and wrist position we can produce a stroke on a very similar path that is relatively close to the body and linear in nature just like the pool stroke.

The more we are able to align the racquet at a 90 degree angle to the forearm the closer we can approach this compact, linear stroke path. This is a position that utilizes great support from the body and speed due to compaction. It is similar to the effectiveness of a strong, compact knockout punch versus a wild roundhouse swing.

The Pro Backswing

The pros do almost the opposite of what we are often told and what our natural inclination is – that is, to swing the racquet back. Instead they hold the racquet forward using the free hand.

As the body turns, it will naturally create momentum going back and this momentum will swing the arm and racquet back if you don’t prevent it. This is what the left (free) hand does. It keeps the energy from flowing into the arm and racquet until it is time to start the arm action. In the same way the free hand often joins back on to the racquet quite soon after contact in order to minimize wrist action and to recover energy back to the core.

The “Slotting” Backswing

Actually, most pro players don’t get the racquet back until the elbow is pulled forward into the body as the arm goes out to meet the ball. This is due to the grip position (semi-western) that forces the forearm to rotate in order to get the racquet face squared into a contact position. Therefore, the racquet goes back simultaneously with the arm being slotted forward into the hit.

Again the “racquet back” action is delayed and controlled by the elbow and shoulder rather than by energy swinging the tip of the racquet back early. The hand rotates as the elbow rotates into the body giving the hand a feeling of “shaping” the ball rather than swinging at the ball.

Agassi shortens his backswing to maintain consistent point of contact on the return of serve. On the slower ball, he waits and times the backswing to keep the stroke continuous. Keeping the hands together holds energy in the core of the body, enhancing balance. There is very little racquet “swing” in the hands but a smooth wrist layback into the ball combined with a well timed, powerful weight shift and arm drive.

In a real sense, the racquet is doing exactly the opposite of the body through most of the swing. When the body winds up the free hand holds the racquet forward. While the body drives out the free hand holds the racquet from swinging too far forward. This is the means by which the body and the racquet stay as a solid unit through contact.

When we use a looser swing, what we correctly do is let the wrist lay back as we drive forward, rather than making a snapping action at the ball. This relaxation allows the wrist to fold back into a stable position without inhibiting the dynamic movement of the body driving into the ball. Keeping the wrist too fixed through the backswing can also freeze up the body. This is why we often see the wrist fold back just prior to contact.

Safin “marks” his contact point for reference.

The pros will also use the delayed backswing to “mark” their contact and “measure” their stroke. Sometimes they will actually move the racquet forward before they take it back, seemingly to establish a reference point to come back to on the contact. Both Agassi and Safin use this technique effectively (along with good grip changes) to produce two of the most potent backhands in the game.

Backswing Myths and Realities

• MYTH: Get your racquet “back.”
• REALITY: Your shoulder and elbow go back rather than the racquet.
• TIP: Use your non-hitting hand to hold the racquet from going back with the initial shoulder turn.

Watch the clip of Roddick below and notice how long the tip of the racquet points forward during the backswing. His shoulders are turned and his elbow is up and out but the racquet doesn’t go back until the final moments prior to contact. Just leading into contact there is a simultaneous folding back of the racquet and dropping (slotting) of the elbow into the ribs that connects the arm and the body into a compact unit through the contact zone. What this last moment “collapse” does is compacts the swing and forces almost all of the energy out of the racquet head and puts the energy more into the core of the body. You can see that he squares up to the ball with a core rotation rather than an independent arm or wrist action.

• MYTH: Get your racquet prepared quickly.
• REALITY: The racquet movement should stay continuous (although not the same speed).
• TIP: Keep the arm relaxed and use the wrist to “shape” the ball as it approaches.

• MYTH: Get the racquet back and step in.
• REALITY: The body turns, the shoulder and elbow produce a continuous, gravity assisted move that flows out to the front of the hip (the slot), and then the body, arm, and racquet move together against the ball. The goal is to get the arm and racquet to link up into the body as a single unit through contact.
• TIP: Feel as though you let the racquet “catch” the ball in front of the body and then shift the weight on contact.
  

• MYTH: Build up racquet speed.
• REALITY: Let the racquet “die” into the body or arm and create speed in the core and arm – not the racquet. This will keep the swing more compact and achieve synchronization between racquet and body.
• TIP: Save some wrist lay back as you approach contact and feel the handle of the racquet lead the swing while you hold the tip back. The tip of hitting through a series of balls after contact is another way of saying “negative racquet swing.”

Remember, you want the weight shift to be used against the ball – not to swing the racquet forward. The rhythm is body first – arm swing second – and then body and arm together on the hit. Most people are taught racquet first, body second, and then arm third, so that only the arm is hitting the ball.

The racquet falls back in the wrist to square up on the ball rather than snapping forward in the wrist to hit at the ball.

As the video of Roddick demonstrates, the arm swings into the body to meet the ball while the hand/racquet is timed to fall back into alignment onto the ball. This compacts the swing and concentrates the momentum into the body. It has the feeling of using the hand and racquet to gather the ball into the body while simultaneously driving it out of the arm and body.

Practice Techniques

The Spill Test

One very simple way to develop a better sense of the backswing is to go through a series of “shadow strokes” holding a cup of water in both hands and try not to spill a drop. This will force you to keep a smooth motion throughout and keep the energy of your swing contained in the body.

Start at the Finish

A good way to learn efficiency and continuity in your backswing is to have a partner toss you some balls and try to produce the shot by starting at your desired follow thorough position and holding that position until the latest possible moment (after the ball has bounced).

Try to get back to the same “finish” position that you started in using a continuous action. At first it may feel rushed but with practice you will learn to simplify and condense the swing. Keep practicing until all you feel is the shoulder and elbow swing. When you hardly feel the racquet at all you’ve got it.

Conclusion

Remember, you never want to feel fast actions at the end of the racquet whether you are swinging back or forward. Try to keep the backswing smooth and continuous rather than fast. This will allow you to make proper adjustments in your backswing as well as help you maintain balance and proper stroke timing. Keep in mind that you are swinging the racquet rather than the racquet swinging you. A good backswing is the key to keeping the racquet in line.

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Doug King's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.

Doug King studied with legendary tennis coach Tom Stow and was a former California State Men's Singles Champion and the former number one men's player of Northern California.

Doug is one of the country'sforemost tennis teaching innovators. Founder of Acceleration Tennis, a revolutionary teaching system, King is leading the way in reinterpreting the traditional tennis model.

For more information on Acceleration Tennis please email Doug Kingat dking@meadowood.com.