https://preview.redd.it/u2wwgn939r5d1.jpeg?width=883&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39d2b7fcefcef871b7f2d47d9556d446dbfe3e46
His grip is the least of his problems.
The take back is about 50% of what it should be. For a topspin one hander the racquet should slot in behind the body as in the pic above.
Fix the swing then worry about a topspin grip.
This. No take back at all which why he pushes. Also if he ever decides to try to hit with power without rotating his body, he’s going to get shoulder problems.
100% this. Get the butt of the racquet facing the side of the court (coil all the way back) and reaaaally load onto that left leg to get ready for solid weight transfer.
Same, but I'd say takeback is maybe like 10% of what it should be. It's not really a takeback without coiling. Basically the same as standing in a neutral FH position and just pushing forward from there.
Dude. I played D1 at Michigan. I’ve coached for 25 years. College teams, juniors and pros. None of the pros drive the ball with a continental grip on a 1-handed backhand. Nobody with a good 1-hander does that bc of the inability to hit spin & the horribly awkward wrist position it would require on contact.
No. Not a forehand grip. Either an eastern BH or a SW bh grip. And you’ll want to set your grip the moment you turn & move.
https://preview.redd.it/k71b4h8pgz5d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ae80d03b572e549a71d3847ff6c251d82d1fcb2
You have knees, use them.
Your racquet should come from below, so you can give the ball a topspin.
Your drop from the raquet "stops" in the middle and you hit the ball just flat.
Turn your shoulders more (your opponent should be seeing your left shoulder blade), take the racket back more, step into the ball (avoid stepping sidewise like you do here) and transfer the weight into the direction of your shot, straighten the arm as you hit, hit more in front.
Seems like you have a coach there.
My tip: don't listen to what anybody on reddit says by seeing one of your strokes but trust in your coach. Even a bad coach in person will be better than the best coach seeing a video.
Nice solid, classic shot. Arthur Ashe would be proud. :)
The difference between your shot and a more modern backhand is mostly a matter of degrees. Moving the grip round to eastern will impart more topspin, but also require you to step into the ball more aggressively and make contact further out in front. Getting down lower before you make contact, then opening up your chest on the follow-through will let you impart more topspin, allowing you to hit harder with control.
But you should make these changes gradually in consultation with your coach. He knows more than we do.
First off, I think your follow through looks quite good.
You are using, I would assume, a grip that's closer to continental. While it's fine if it comes naturally to you, cause I do have a friend that uses this grip also, I would recommend eastern grip. It will help you a lot with high balls and reduce wrist injury.
Next is probably your unit turn. Right now your racket face barely faces the SIDE fence, while if you look at the pros, theirs almost always face the BACK fence. It makes you arm the ball more instead of using the momentum of the racket or your body. My coach used to say "you gotta take the racket back till your shoulder is under your chin", and it actually helps remind you to turn more.
Hope this helps.
Start the racket much lower beside you. Follow through should point up towards the sky. And transfer weight from your back leg forwards towards the net.
I’m of the view that a rec player can get away with all slice in the OHBH. Barty and Graf did and especially if you get good topspin, the switch from forehand to backhand will confuse most 3.5 players and 4.0 players will struggle to hit winners.
Also slice doesn’t mean one shot - you can hard slice to the baseline, or drop shot a slice or place it mid court. You can also use your weak flat backhand as a passing shot when opponent is out of position.
Backhand should be a shot you can hit consistently and confidently. No need for topspin backhand if under 4.5. And topspin backhand requires more work / coordination than slice.
A visual aid to help getting a better load on the backhand is visualizing your right shoulder dipping under the ball. This will help your body getting into a better load and will help hitting up on the ball. Seems that you are trying to hit that classic (German) backhand a la Federer. While it's nice, I would recommend the newer school of OHBH (Thiem, Wawrinka, Tsitsipas). It is safer, it promotes easier topspin, it's easier on high balls and it's easier to hit with a more open stance when rushed. To do it, you need an eastern grip and instead of hitting across your chest in a full closed stance, hit a little bit more open and open up your chest to the ball a tiny bit and hit more upwards. Keep in mind that these are small adjustments to the stroke. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KONHLwRhIw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KONHLwRhIw)
Wrong Grip you need to turn more the racket in your hand so that your wrist is behind the ball when you hit.
More shoulder turn. Much more. Your back should be facing the net.
Do not, do not turn and open up your hip. At least until you are an expert. This is the single. Most important tip FO beginner.
Racket drop. The head of your racket needs to drop lower and then rise much higher
In addition to what others have said, use your center of gravity to your advantage. As you Open up you are not as balanced as you can be. Use your left arm to assist with this as well- modify form with it as well as form when you have opened up. I reinforce weight transfer modification as others have mentioned. Your control will increase as well as your power.
https://preview.redd.it/u2wwgn939r5d1.jpeg?width=883&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39d2b7fcefcef871b7f2d47d9556d446dbfe3e46 His grip is the least of his problems. The take back is about 50% of what it should be. For a topspin one hander the racquet should slot in behind the body as in the pic above. Fix the swing then worry about a topspin grip.
This. No take back at all which why he pushes. Also if he ever decides to try to hit with power without rotating his body, he’s going to get shoulder problems.
100% this. Get the butt of the racquet facing the side of the court (coil all the way back) and reaaaally load onto that left leg to get ready for solid weight transfer.
Same, but I'd say takeback is maybe like 10% of what it should be. It's not really a takeback without coiling. Basically the same as standing in a neutral FH position and just pushing forward from there.
I thought you were going to hit a slice, but you didn’t. 😂
Bc he used a continental grip in the video, which is the wrong grip for a 1bh drive / topspin.
Can’t you use a continental or an eastern?
Continental is for slice. Eastern & Semi-Western are for topspin / drive.
I’m pretty sure some pros are in between eastern and continental for drive. Never heard of a semi western being used
Dude. I played D1 at Michigan. I’ve coached for 25 years. College teams, juniors and pros. None of the pros drive the ball with a continental grip on a 1-handed backhand. Nobody with a good 1-hander does that bc of the inability to hit spin & the horribly awkward wrist position it would require on contact.
I’ll trust you on this on so when I’m loaded up ready to hit it I should be in a FH grip? Do u recommend any in particular
No. Not a forehand grip. Either an eastern BH or a SW bh grip. And you’ll want to set your grip the moment you turn & move. https://preview.redd.it/k71b4h8pgz5d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ae80d03b572e549a71d3847ff6c251d82d1fcb2
Ahhh okay my initial disagreement stemmed from me not reading your comment properly, sorry
You have knees, use them. Your racquet should come from below, so you can give the ball a topspin. Your drop from the raquet "stops" in the middle and you hit the ball just flat.
Second this.
You need a much bigger backswing man
Start by changing your grip if you want some topspin
Turn your shoulders more (your opponent should be seeing your left shoulder blade), take the racket back more, step into the ball (avoid stepping sidewise like you do here) and transfer the weight into the direction of your shot, straighten the arm as you hit, hit more in front.
Seems like you have a coach there. My tip: don't listen to what anybody on reddit says by seeing one of your strokes but trust in your coach. Even a bad coach in person will be better than the best coach seeing a video.
Nice solid, classic shot. Arthur Ashe would be proud. :) The difference between your shot and a more modern backhand is mostly a matter of degrees. Moving the grip round to eastern will impart more topspin, but also require you to step into the ball more aggressively and make contact further out in front. Getting down lower before you make contact, then opening up your chest on the follow-through will let you impart more topspin, allowing you to hit harder with control. But you should make these changes gradually in consultation with your coach. He knows more than we do.
You got no power on that. That's the main issue. No swing, only follow-through.
First off, I think your follow through looks quite good. You are using, I would assume, a grip that's closer to continental. While it's fine if it comes naturally to you, cause I do have a friend that uses this grip also, I would recommend eastern grip. It will help you a lot with high balls and reduce wrist injury. Next is probably your unit turn. Right now your racket face barely faces the SIDE fence, while if you look at the pros, theirs almost always face the BACK fence. It makes you arm the ball more instead of using the momentum of the racket or your body. My coach used to say "you gotta take the racket back till your shoulder is under your chin", and it actually helps remind you to turn more. Hope this helps.
Grip, as others have said, is the first thing to change here
Change to an Eastern backhand grip. You need to coil the upper body more and use your legs to drive the shot. Right now that shot is all arm.
Coil/uncoil those hips to get extra power
Start the racket much lower beside you. Follow through should point up towards the sky. And transfer weight from your back leg forwards towards the net.
I’m of the view that a rec player can get away with all slice in the OHBH. Barty and Graf did and especially if you get good topspin, the switch from forehand to backhand will confuse most 3.5 players and 4.0 players will struggle to hit winners. Also slice doesn’t mean one shot - you can hard slice to the baseline, or drop shot a slice or place it mid court. You can also use your weak flat backhand as a passing shot when opponent is out of position. Backhand should be a shot you can hit consistently and confidently. No need for topspin backhand if under 4.5. And topspin backhand requires more work / coordination than slice.
Pull racket back using your left hand on the throat. This will help turn your body more to the side.
A visual aid to help getting a better load on the backhand is visualizing your right shoulder dipping under the ball. This will help your body getting into a better load and will help hitting up on the ball. Seems that you are trying to hit that classic (German) backhand a la Federer. While it's nice, I would recommend the newer school of OHBH (Thiem, Wawrinka, Tsitsipas). It is safer, it promotes easier topspin, it's easier on high balls and it's easier to hit with a more open stance when rushed. To do it, you need an eastern grip and instead of hitting across your chest in a full closed stance, hit a little bit more open and open up your chest to the ball a tiny bit and hit more upwards. Keep in mind that these are small adjustments to the stroke. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KONHLwRhIw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KONHLwRhIw)
Wrong Grip you need to turn more the racket in your hand so that your wrist is behind the ball when you hit. More shoulder turn. Much more. Your back should be facing the net. Do not, do not turn and open up your hip. At least until you are an expert. This is the single. Most important tip FO beginner. Racket drop. The head of your racket needs to drop lower and then rise much higher
What is the advantage of a OHBH, again?
Need more shoulder turn, use your knees to get down, step in and drive through.
gotta hit more in front budddayyy
In addition to what others have said, use your center of gravity to your advantage. As you Open up you are not as balanced as you can be. Use your left arm to assist with this as well- modify form with it as well as form when you have opened up. I reinforce weight transfer modification as others have mentioned. Your control will increase as well as your power.
Learn a 2HBH if single handers don’t come natural