KEYS TO THE TWO-HANDED BACKHAND

This article aims to provide you with 5 ingredients to help simplify the two-hander and give you more control and versatility. 

    1. THE BOTTOM HAND

The bottom hand on the grip controls the length of your contact zone. The further on top the knuckles of the bottom hand are positioned, the longer your contact zone.

The further around to the front of the grip the knuckles of the bottom hand are positioned, the shorter the contact zone will be.

The Djokovic bottom hand is positioned almost on 

top of the handle. This would indicate that he intends

 to hit down the line. 

Positioning the knuckles of your bottom hand on top of the handle makes it a lot easier to hit your down-the-line shots, while placing the bottom hand in the front of the handle makes it easier to hit extreme cross-court angles.

You need to play your backhand in various grip positions on the handle. The important thing is not the position of your hands on the handle (grips); it's having complete control of the racquet-face angles and contact zone. The grips you use should serve as the racquet head's servant, not vice versa.

Any backhand coaching lesson that begins by teaching fixed-grip positions will limit the player's progress later when they play competition. Every grip position has its own benefits and limitations. Players should be taught a variety of grips for each stroke so that they can cope with anything their opponent brings to the match. 

Shift your focus from the grip. Instead, focus on where the racquet face is positioned. Avoid adopting a fixed grip for all backhands.

2. THE TOP HAND

The first function of the top hand is to elevate the arms and the racquet to the height of where you expect to strike the ball. This is particularly helpful on high bouncing balls and on the Return of Serve because it assists you with keeping the racquet solid and stable.

Next, the top hand helps you set the desired angle of the racquet face before you start the swing. The top hand acts as a rudder on the racquet face. In a past article, I set out how this process occurs in more detail. Setting the appropriate angles for the racquet head with the top hand means you are making decisions for every ball as to the amount of height you want the ball to cross over the net.

As you begin setting the racquet head with your top hand, you should also relax the bottom hand slightly and allow it to find a new position (grip) on the handle. Allowing the bottom hand to relax and become dominated by the top hand achieves two essential functions during the stroke preparation. 

(1) it has allowed the top hand to complete the racquet head angle setting phase without contamination (2) it has automatically changed the grip of your bottom hand into its ideal position.

The top hand is the dominant hand on a two-handed backhand. 

It will elevate the arms and the racquet to the height of the contact set the 

racquet head to the desired angle and allow a change of grips. 

The top hand is also responsible for generating the swing to the ball. Try to dominate the swing with your top hand to achieve a smoother, more versatile, and more powerful swing.

3. THE SOURCE OF POWER & TIMING

You need to interact with the ground through the Contact Foot to add power to your two-handed backhand. The ground is your source of energy.

Learn to create a Contact Foot on deep and short balls, on wide balls and balls tight into the body, on high and low balls, and off either the left or the right foot. You need to be proficient in linking the ground on all types of balls. Versatility in this regard is the foundation of a great backhand.

Roddick is using his right toe to draw energy
and timing from the ground

The ground is also the source of timing for your stroke. All timing will come from the foot you use as your contact foot.

By focusing all your awareness on the on-coming ball (the depth of the ball and the amount of time you will have to play the stroke), you will be able to judge your interaction with the ground accordingly.

     4. ADDING SPIN

Avoid spinning the contact. The problem with spinning the ball within the contact zone is that you lose your feel for the height of your stroke, and you lose penetration after the bounce at your opponent's end. Sure, it's safer initially to put lots of spin on the ball, but long term, it holds your game back.

This is often called the low-to-high method and occurs when players try to "brush" the ball. Coaches encourage it, and players constantly try to improve their racquet head speed to increase the amount of spin they can put on the ball.

If you watch Nadal hitting topspin carefully, you'll see that it's not much of a low-to-high swing but more of a contact-to-high swing path. The most significant difference occurs when you compare the speed of the ball between the two techniques. Using the contact-to-high technique retains the speed of the ball, giving your ball more penetration. 

Hitting topspin using the contact-to-high method allows you tohit the ball without reducing the amount of penetration and topspin. 

Therefore, finish with your hands high after contact to add topspin to the ball. This will maintain a clean ball strike and improve your awareness of your heights.

The height of your finish will determine 

how much topspin you apply to the ball. 

The higher the finish, the more spin you create.

You should adopt a single-hand underspin backhand technique to add underspin to the ball.

Hit your single-hander with your elbow extending through the contact and with a locked wrist.

When you hit any underpin, remember that it's a slower swing than topspin, so take it calmly and avoid rushing. The goal is to keep the bounce low at the other side of the net and control the placement.

   5. CHANGING DIRECTION

Two things affect your contact point: the position of your hands (your grip) and your feet when you hit the ball. The easiest way to alter the direction of your ball is to change the position of your contact point by timing the ball earlier or later within the contact zone.

You can direct the ball crosscourt by contacting the ball slightly earlier in the contact zone.

If you contact the ball earlier in the contact zone, you
automatically "point" the strings of the racquet crosscourt. 

To hit the ball down the line or inside out, hit the ball later within the contact zone.

The amount of inside-out angle you want to create will
dictate how late your contact point will be

Hitting the ball in the middle of the contact zone,
not too early nor late, will direct the ball straight. 

Changing direction in this way makes it easier for the player to remember and easier for them to achieve success under all conditions, particularly under pressure. 

These 5 key elements will help you develop a solid yet highly effective two-handed backhand.