The Two-Handed Topspin Backhand: Parameters of Technique

CSU Bakersfield Head Coach Dan McCain

As a player who uses a two-handed topspin backhand, and a coach who has taught it to thousands of students, I have seen many idiosyncratic styles flash before my eyes. Some are impressive, complementary to the foundation of a solid two-hander, and others have components that do not contribute or are so flawed that the player has to use almost bizarre movements just to get the ball over the net. But what I want you to take from this article are two simple things: There really is nothing wrong with having your own personal style seep or evolve into your execution of any shot – including your two-handed backhand. Yet, while most of the great two-handers on the pro tour have a series of elements–or ‘personal embellishments–that make their two-handed backhands unique, they also have key foundation elements in their technique that are virtually identical.

By identifying these common “key” elements, we can then begin to look for them in our own execution. And, as we begin to reproduce these facets of the stroke that are common in skilled stroke execution, we can begin to hit our backhands with exponentially more effect and confidence.

While many of the top pros have different ways of achieving these technical check points, the commonality is that they all find a way to consistently execute these elements.

The chart outlines what I consider to be key elements that are common among every great two-handed backhand we see on the pro tour today. The grip, how players use the legs to get into position and generate proper weight transfer and balance, the use of the top, non-dominant hand, and the unit turn all are necessary parts to a technically sound two-hander.

Grip

By using an eastern grip with the top hand (or close to it) and a continental grip with the bottom hand (or close to it), with the hands held together, touching (not overlapping and not spaced apart), a player has the ability to hit relatively flat or with heavy topspin without making additional grip changes. If either hand moves too far away from these parameters, a player may become less versatile, and may limit the ability to either drive through the ball or create spin, or both.

Loop

Many pros have different types of backswings, but all great two-handers on the pro tour have a loop at some point in their backswing. Some players have a very small loop, others much more extreme. Also, a loop swing can be created by the arms in a longer, more full loop, and it can be created by the wrists, where the racquet head is tilted up high above the forearms, and then tilted down prior to contact. Any loop swing is a circular motion that begins with racquet head above the hand, and usually well above the contact point. From this initial starting point the racquet then creates a “C” shape, where the hands and arms bring the racquet down usually below the contact point, right before swinging up and forward toward the ball. Pros create this loop in a variety of ways.

The circular motion of the loop is better for players who are seeking more power, because it provides a constant motion of racquet head movement before the strings strike the ball, providing an increasing momentum of racquet speed before impact. Andre Agassi’s two-handed topspin backhand illustrates the type of elements in a loop that any player can watch and learn from.

In addition to the loop swing, a second option is to Take the Racquet Straight Back, almost on a horizontal swing path. The best backhands by pros who take the racquet straight back also tend to keep their arms relatively still as they turn their hips and shoulders. Russian Davis Cup hero and ATP top-20 ranked player Dmitry Tursunov executes a great two-hander, and he takes the racquet straight back. However, like another Russian before him, Marat Safin, Tursunov usually cocks the racquet up as he reaches his sideways posture, with the butt of the racquet facing the ground at this point. As mentioned above in creating a loop with the wrist, his first move is also to set the left wrist. By dropping the tip of his racquet head a little bit, pointing the butt cap of the racquet now at his belly, he avoids having as big of a loop on his backhand as that we see others who use the arms to create the loop swing path. He then reaches behind his hip as he drops his racquet head before propelling his racquet forward toward the ball for impact.

A third option is to Take the Racquet Down and Back. This option is exemplified by Lleyton Hewitt, who drops his racquet head, pointing the topmost tip of the racquet head toward the ground as he reaches back and turns his shoulders. Hewitt also sets his left wrist, just as Agassi and Tursunov do, but in a slightly different manner. Dropping the tip of the racquet, he then cocks his racquet slightly upward, with the butt of the racquet facing slightly downward before reaching behind his hip as he drops his racquet head in anticipation of swinging forward to reach his contact point. Hewitt’s method of taking the racquet back is not better or worse than Agassi’s, or any other specific player on tour today. He just has some different applications, but still well within the common foundation within the contact phase that all good two-handers use.

So what is the best way to take your racquet back? Different players and coaches will give you different answers, but the real answer is simple: it doesn’t really matter, as long as you do it the same way all the time, and as long as you allow your left hand to lead the following: set your left wrist, cock the racquet up where the butt of the racquet faces the ground when you reach your sideways posture, and reach behind your hip as you drop your racquet head – pointing the butt of the racquet toward the sky before you swinging forward to the ball.

Top Hand Creates Racquet Head Acceleration

A basic concept that any two-handed player must realize is simple: the two-handed topspin backhand is basically a left-handed forehand for a right-handed player. In many top backhands, the left hand is totally in charge of the stroke, and the right hand rests on the handle with a continental grip as a passive partner to the left hand. In other words, the left hand does everything, and the right hand is just along for the ride. Understanding this idea makes everything else easier to execute, and all of the other technical elements we will discuss in this article are elements that follow this notion.

However, understand too, as players begin to master the two-handed backhand, the role of each hand can be different for each player. While some will continue to have a completely passive dominant hand, others will use the dominant hand more on the backswing and then transfer dominance of the swing to the non-dominant hand through the contact phase. Many pros and top players will actually hit forehands with this non-dominant hand to train this hand to be more commanding and comfortable in its role on the two-handed backhand.

In helping players adapt, the left hand on the two-hander can have a few assignments for every stroke to produce a technically sound backhand. The first move, while a player rests in ready position, is to set and lock the left wrist (by laying the wrist back to create a U-shape or a V-shape with the forearm, wrist and up to the knuckles). Once the left wrist is set, it should stay set – and locked – until after the player brushes up and through the ball on contact and begins the follow-through over the shoulder. By meeting the ball on contact with a set and locked wrist, the player meets the ball in a position of strength. The complete follow through thereafter is one where the butt of the racquet either can face the opponent or near the sky at the end of the follow-through, depending on the length of the follow-through and the amount of wrist relaxation.

Shoulder and Hip Rotation

The concept of shoulder and hip rotation has already been hinted at, but let’s get specific about what any two-hander wants on all of his two-handed backhand shots. The good news is that if you have a good understanding of forehand shoulder and hip rotation, then you already have a good understanding of two-handed backhand topspin shoulder and hip rotation. So let’s describe what a player wants to do with both.

As the racquet is taken back, the player wants to establish a sideways posture, with his or her chest facing perpendicular to the shot target. And then as the player swings forward to strike the ball, the player opens up his/her hips, literally facing where they plan to hit their shot, pointing the belly button at the target.

One problem many beginners have is they try to use the hips and trunk to pull the racquet around. This causes the hands to lead too early and the racquet to fail to catch up within the hitting window. (This is one of the big causes of tennis elbow.) The hips and trunk follow the release of the racquet through the contact phase. Otherwise, if the hips over-rotate, or rotate too early, the player will have to literally try to catch up by muscling the racquet through the contact point. An easy way to tell if you are rotating correctly is to notice if you are having to force the racquet through the shot or if it is a smooth acceleration with minimal force at contact.

Upon following through over the shoulder (with the racquet), the player continues the rotation, thus completing a 180 degree shoulder turn. Because the right hand rests gently on the grip during a two-handed topspin backhand, most players have greater flexibility regarding hip and shoulder rotation on their forehands than they do their backhands. But of course the amount of shoulder/hip rotation and the timing of when a player turns should remain a constant goal for each forehand and two-handed topspin backhand.

Described in the examples above, both Tursunov and Agassi, even though they have different backswings, have the same shoulder and hip rotation as they use their left hand to dominate the stroke. Both players turn into their contact points, opening up their hips upon impacting the ball. Guillermo Coria showed great rotation and usage of his left hand as well, and he was a great example of how these two key backhand concepts can provide a player – even without great size – a wealth of power and accuracy.

Footwork Stance

A player can put himself in the best possible position to hit the two-hander by planting the feet into a solid open, neutral, or closed stance. The closed stance is hit most often, while open stance is used for more defensive positions, like when a player is pushed wide or very deep in the court.

The closed or square stance is executed by stepping forward toward the ball with the dominant foot before striking the shot, and usually dragging the back foot forward after striking the shot. Players who fail to hit a good two-handed backhand often allow the back leg to swing around with the stroke. Similar to opening up the hips too early, players who bring their leg around like this will have to decelerate the racquet or lay it back since they will be too open before contact. Both feet have the toes facing the sideline, and the most efficient closed stances contain loading with the legs and weight transfer.

The open stance is performed by stepping out with the outside foot, (left foot for a right-handed player), with the toes parallel to the baseline, while the dominant foot drags behind the torso during the backswing. A good open stance calls for a player to load with the outside leg, and transfer the body weight to the dominant foot on follow-through.

Follow-Through

Just as the top hand generates the acceleration through the ball on contact, the top hand usually guides the follow-through over the shoulder as well. By finishing the follow-through over the shoulder, a player completes a range of motion throughout the shot that completes a long, fluid, effortless swing that enhances power and racquet head speed. At the end of the follow-through over the shoulder, the butt cap of the racquet should be pointing towards the opponent (or where the ball is heading), or more up towards the sky. When we relax the finish, the frame of the racquet should be able to scratch a player’s back or back shoulder.

The two-handed backhand, because both hands are on the racquet, and because the stroke is best hit with a substantial shoulder and hip rotation, can be a very strong shot when hit with correct technique.

Regardless of how one chooses to take the racquet back, there are still important check-points that a two-handed player wants to execute. Setting the left wrist and keeping it locked until impacting the ball is a cornerstone of two-handed topspin backhand technique, just as it is an essential part of forehand technique with the right wrist.

Shoulder and hip rotation on the two-hander is identical to that of the forehand, and as long as the left hand is used to dominate the stroke, with the right hand held on the grip gently, as a passive partner along for the ride, the two-handed topspin can become a reliable shot for anyone who chooses to use it.

Because the two-hander is essentially a left-handed forehand, technique on both sides of the body for forehand and backhand are strikingly similar. The chief difference is fundamental technique between the two shots is actually in the footwork, where the forehand calls for the open stance on a far more frequent basis. The backhand, on the other hand, calls for the closed stance far more. Pros on the ATP Tour typically will hit open stance on the forehand unless the ball bounces short in the court, and closed stance on the backhand unless they are pushed wide or very deep in the court.

Other than this small difference in the footwork between the forehand and backhand, both shots have room in the technical execution of the stroke for a player’s own idiosyncratic style to emerge. And of course, shot selection choices during points garner even more room for personal taste and specific styles of play, so any player should feel a great deal of freedom with their strokes given a knowledge of the fundamentals discussed above.