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TennisOne Lessons 
Hitting the High BackhandDavid W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne Two shots often considered the most difficult to execute well and with effectiveness are the high backhand volley and the high backhand topspin groundstroke. I mention both shots here because the concepts related to one are often the same for the other. Understanding one shot helps players learn to develop the other. In the modern game, we often see players resorting to a swinging topspin volley when facing a midcourt, high-floating ball to the backhand side. The stroke mechanics of this shot are nearly identical to that of a more conventional groundstroke that bounces high on the backhand side. Choices For recreational and club players, the reason they are faced with a high backhand are usually different than those situations that professionals find themselves in. Most professionals and highly advanced players quickly recognize balls that would end up being a high shot to the backhand and either back up and let the ball come down into the optimal strike zone, or, move in quickly and take the ball early, before it bounces up out of the strike zone. Thus, we don’t see professionals having to resort to hitting these balls that often. Yet, from time to time pros are forced to hit such a shot and they can and do so effectively. Recreational players can learn to hit this shot with better success also by understanding a few related issues. One other option in the actual shot’s execution is whether to hit the ball with topspin or to hit it with slice or on a flatter plane. I’ll talk about the slice and flat shot in a moment. First, let’s address the basic topspin shot.
One or Two Hands Obviously, we have players who hit one-handed backhands and those who hit with two. While some of the elements differ between both types of backhands, the concepts of the shot are not that different. I will talk about these differences in a moment. But first, let’s identify elements that are the same between both backhands. Keep the Plane the Same I’ve used this phrase in many situations discussing more advanced, skilled play. It has even greater emphasis in hitting the high bouncing, topspin one or two-handed topspin backhand. The reason it is so important to understand this is because the high backhand naturally causes players to hit in a way that is counter to this phrase. A high backhand creates what I call a “Reverse Pendulum.” This idea is that unlike a regular pendulum which swings from a fixed or anchored point that is above the swinging “bob” or weight (racquet), a reverse pendulum features the “bob” or the end of the racquet moving over the anchor point. (Shoulder). Because of this relationship and the fact that players feel very weak when trying this shot, players often swing the racquet in a “flipping” manner. This creates a racquet face (plane) that is constantly changing within the swing path and especially within the contact zone. The most prevalent errors I see among club players attempting this shot are either hitting it way long or down into the bottom of the net. This is usually due to an in consistent contact window. To ensure a more consistent contact window, players will want to swing the racquet in such a way that the racquet’s face stays in the same relative position throughout the stroke. (No different than what most stroke attempts in tennis should strive for!) Because the shot is higher than standard topspin backhands, players can’t often generate much topspin. While this is a relative correct statement, players who brush across the ball while keeping the plane the same can still hit with topspin. However, hitting topspin may not be the optimal choice in this shot. Here’s why: Because the high backhand topspin is contacted with the ball usually up around shoulder or head height, the ball is already above the net. Thus, we don’t need to hit the ball in such a way that the ball needs to go up before going down. (As in more conventional shots hit at knee or waist level…which usually require the ball to go up to clear the net; even more up if we want to have good clearance over the net.) The fact that the ball is above the net actually encourages players to feel like they have to hit down, that is, more on top of the ball. Yet, this is not the case and explains why so many people tend to hit this shot into the bottom of the net. Sideways Position Another factor in hitting this shot is the body alignment. Many players feel, because this is such a weak shot, they have to incorporate the entire body in hitting the ball. While leaning into the shot can help, many players will swing with their entire body rotating with the racquet. Like most shots, this action actually decreases the potential racquet head speed. With one-handed backhands especially, players will want to stay sideways with the off-arm shooting back for balance just as we see skilled players do on a conventional backhand volley or slice approach shot. Two-handers will want to try and keep their hips from opening up. Because with two hands, the upper body obviously will rotate with the swing, the player will want to keep the foundation of their lower body in line with the target. Slice or Flat? Hitting a high backhand with slice is sometimes a bit dangerous for most players. Because the ball is already high, the tendency is to slice too much under the ball, effectively popping the ball up high and soft. If one is to slice the high backhand, the player must be conscious of slicing through the back of the ball, again, keeping the plane the same as mentioned before. I like to teach players to attack the high backhand with a fairly flat stroke…probably the only time I recommend a player intentionally try to hit a flatter stroke. The reason to hit flat is that it keeps the player from flipping or rolling the racquet over the ball as we see so many do when hitting topspin. Also, because the ball is struck up above the net height, a flat ball can be hit with consistency with good net clearance. Gravity and the angle of trajectory are on your side, so to speak. Two-handed Drive For those who hit with a two-handed backhand, there are a couple things that must be understood for this shot to be executed well. First, because the non-dominant hand can 'turn over' the dominant hand, this action must be limited or prohibited. If, for example, the left hand of a right-handed player turned over the right hand in any backhand, the racquet face goes from open to closed within the contact zone. This obviously goes against my earlier advice of "keeping the plane the same"...and, as a result, will produce very inaccurate and basically very wild results. Instead, the two-hander will want to keep both hands working together with both arms driving the shot. (Although, most two-handers will usually feel the non-dominant hand and arm being more controlling or aggressive ...which is okay, as long as this hand and arm doesn't change the racquet's orientation within the contact zone as just mentioned.) The two-hander has the added support to maintain the integrity of the racquet with the added hand. I recommend the player pull the non-dominant hand up, (not over!) the dominant hand, basically, pulling the racquet up as if you were pulling the racquet from the dominant hand. One other bit of advice with two hands: keep the non-dominant elbow high through the contact zone. If the elbow drops before contact, then rises up at contact, this action will cause the racquet to open up then close just as I mentioned before in turning the racquet over. The dominant elbow can stay closer to the body or it can move away within the stroke. As long as the racquet face moves through the stroke in the optimal fashion I've mentioned, both patterns work. Two-Handed Comparison Let’s compare two players hitting two higher two-handed backhands and look for these component parts of a successful execution of the shot.
Notice first that both players actually move in for their high backhand. This is usually done to decrease the time the opponent has to react to the next ball. Moving back from well behind the baseline to try and let this shot drop down into the “strike zone” would give opponents more time to recover and possibly attach the ball. Thus, both players move in rather than back up. Both players look nearly identical hitting this shot almost from start to finish. As they bring the racquet forward towards the contact zone, their non-dominant elbows are held very high and maintained well through the contact zone and beyond. In both examples, the players keep their dominant elbows down and close to their sides allowing the non-dominant left hand to drive through the shot. Watch too how long the racquet face (plane) is maintained within the hitting zone with both players not allowing their wrist/racquet orientation to break within this zone. (You will notice Azarenka relaxing the wrist on the dominant hand more than Bartoli who keeps the relationship of the wrist, hand, racquet and forearm more congruent longer.) Look, too, that the driving non-dominant hand and wrist are kept solid and without significant flex or release. This is the secret to creating consistency in this shot for two-handed players. Notice that both players end up with a very closed stance through the contact phase and finish the stroke with a significant kick back of the left leg, a move that is critical in helping the player keep from over rotating at the hips. One-handed Comparison Now, let’s also take a closer comparative study of two one-handers hitting a high backhand topspin stroke.
The set up for the one-hander is dynamic for most skilled players. Note first, the stroke footwork is clearly a closed-stance pattern. The right leg drives forward, transferring weight onto this foot. The player then plants the foot and drives upward while keeping the back leg not only back, but actually kicking back slightly as the player makes contact. Similar to the two-handed players above, this move is to keep the body from opening up prematurely. One main difference between the two-handed stroke is seen clearly in the dominant arm’s position. With one-handers, the arm will be strong and locked straight, eliminating any elbow extension. When recreational players bend the elbow before contact, this usually results in the player trying to straighten the elbow during the contact phase, placing a great deal of stress to the elbow tendons…a cause for tennis elbow to develop. Note the quality of the racquet plane (racquet face) being maintained all the way through the contact phase and beyond. While Tommy Haas opens up his shoulder plane earlier than Francesca Schiavone (either because he is hitting crosscourt or as an earlier relaxation phase of his swing), both players use their non-dominant hands and arms to pull back during the contact phase in order to help retain the integrity of the shoulder plane. Notice that both players are still adding significant topspin to these high backhands, as witnessed by the higher-than-contact finish of their contact phases (with Haas hitting a more aggressive topspin element).
Aggression? You won’t see too many pros trying to hit a high backhand for a winner, especially from the back part of the court. (The obvious exception is the swinging topspin volley or when taking a ball much closer to the net.) Thus, recreational and club players should know that the shot has limitations even for the best in the game. Don’t try to hit this shot with anything other than placement in mind. You won’t be able to generate tremendous racquet head speed and it is hard to accentuate a great deal of topspin on the shot. So, it won’t be a devastating shot even if hit well. Work instead on keeping the shot deep, giving yourself into better position for the next ball or the one after that. Conclusion Basically, players need to hit through the ball on this shot. Whether you add some topspin or some slice or hit the ball fairly flat, the concept is to drive through the ball keeping the integrity of the racquet face intact within the hitting zone of the shot. I’ve found when working with players or hitting this shot myself, hitting from a more relaxed position, rather than trying to muscle the shot, produces a cleaner, more effective outcome.
Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .
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David has taught over 3000 players including many top national and world ranked players. He can be reached at acrpres1@email.msn.com. |
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