How to choose between hitting a one-handed or two-handed backhand
The age old tennis question: Should I hit a one-handed or two-handed backhand? For those players who are feeling a little uncertain about what to use on their non-dominant side, editor Lizzie gives us the pros and cons of both styles…
How many of you are guilty of running around your backhand to hit a forehand instead? And no, I don’t mean those positive forehands – the aggressive, proactive inside out ones where you’re looking to take charge of the point. I mean those less so positive ones where you’re doing everything you can just to avoid hitting that shot on your weaker side.
If this sounds a little familiar, don’t worry I see it a fair bit amongst players who lack the confidence with their backhand. And to some degree, it’s to be expected - after all, the shot is generally played on your non-dominant side so it’s normal that it feels less natural than your forehand.
The problem is, the more backhands we avoid hitting the less we practice them so inevitably our forehands are going to keep improving and we’re still going to feel weak on the other side.
We can’t run around them forever, so let’s start hitting them!
But how exactly should you be doing it? And it’s a question I get asked a lot from those new to the game: “Should I hit a one or two-handed backhand?”
To help with your decision I’ve put together the advantages and disadvantages of the two styles so you can learn a little bit more about both…
The one-handed backhand
ADVANTAGES
It’s naturally a more attacking shot
The one-handed backhand is generally more attacking than the double-handed because the style encourages you to hit the ball more in front of you enabling your body weight to transfer all the way through. There is a faster swing and rotation and ultimately more fluidity to the shot that is so much more free flowing than the two-hander, so when executed well, players are able to get more from the shot and be more attacking.
You can get more reach
When you only have one hand on the racket you’re naturally able to have much more of a reach when stretching to the ball – in comparison when you add the second hand, that extension out from your body is more limited. As a one-hander this is great because it means you don’t always need the larger number of steps to be able to meet the ball, and over time on the court, whether it’s practice or a match, that saved energy really does add up.
Helpful when developing volleys
Backhand volleys are generally hit using one hand, so you will certainly feel stronger and more confident being at the net when you’ve had a lot of practice hitting one-handed backhands. Your technique, control and feel of the ball using only one hand should brilliantly transition to those backhand volleys, making them feel much more natural. This of course is hugely beneficial when it comes to being confident and successful at the net.
Great for helping improve the slice
The slice is such a useful shot for adding variety to your game; high defensive lobs, little dropshots or simply to just throw in a change of pace for your opponent - they can open up a whole new and fun way to play. And more often than not, they are hit using one hand. So much like developing those backhand volleys we mentioned above, your strength and control using your one hand on the racket will be greatly improved, so it’s inevitable that your slice will also reap the benefits of this too.
DISADVANTAGES
Hard to gain the strength and control
Hitting a powerful one-handed backhand is right up there with one of the most beautiful shots in the game (let’s take a moment to think about Federer), but you need to be pretty strong to do be able to do it well. And the control of that strength using only one hand is very hard to master – particularly when you’re new to the game or are relatively young without that strength yet. The majority of players who end up hitting their backhand with one hand first started to develop the shot using two hands until they feel strong enough and competent enough to switch to one. By then however, you have invested so much time and effort into your two-hander that a lot of players don’t feel they want to make the change and have to relearn the shot.
Your timing and positioning need to be pretty perfect
Getting your timing on point for a one-handed backhand takes a lot of practice. The shot demands a bigger backswing than the double-handed (due to the faster swing and rotation required, you need to wind up more), so that extra time needed for the added movement means there is more to do before you hit the ball.
The style also demands much more precision with your feet being in the correct position behind the ball, so quickly having to adapt to dodgy bounces or feeling off balance upon contact, is much tougher to handle than for those players who use two hands where the take back is much smaller and they can get away with their feet being in different positions. More on that to come…
The double-handed (two-handed) backhand
ADVANTAGES
You have more control and stability
When you’re new to the game, it certainly isn’t easy to have the co-ordination or strength to hit a ball well on your non-dominant side. That’s where one of the most significant advantages of using two hands comes in; together they provide more stability and more control when hitting the shot.
The technique also requires a smaller back swing with a potentially slightly later contact point too, so there is less demand needed to get into a perfect position, yet you are still able to strike the ball well.
You can generate power more easily
Those using a single hander are stretching across their body with their preferred hand and this means it is much harder to generate power. However having a second hand on the racket means you can achieve that power much more easily using the extra support.
Also absorbing pace and sending it back to your opponent is much easier. Think of the return of serve for example, with the naturally smaller back swing, stability of the shot and scope to hit slightly later on contact, a blocked return on a fierce serve is much easier to deal with.
Higher balls are easier to handle
We’d all like to trade our groundstrokes at an ideal waist height, but sometimes the ball just isn’t in that perfect spot. An advantage of the double-handed backhand is the ability to hit balls that are above the optimal height because of the added support with the second hand. The control reaching up and striking balls from a higher point will be more comfortable and can eliminate a common (and successful) tactic used against single handers of hitting loopy to their backhand!
DISADVANTAGES
Lack of leverage
With a second hand on the racket, your reach out on your non-dominant side is going to be shorter than if you were stretching with just one hand. This means a few extra steps are needed when chasing down balls – over a whole match those little extra steps soon add up!
You potentially have less flair
As we mentioned earlier, players with one-handed backhands can reap the rewards when it comes to developing other shots such as their slice and backhand volley -adding a lot of skilled variety and flair to their game. Those who play with double-handed backhands tend to find that these shots are comparatively weak because they simply haven’t developed their strength and control as much using just one hand.
So there are pros and cons to both styles, and in truth, there is no definite answer I can give you as to which style is best for you. Every player is different and my suggestion would be to do what feels the most comfortable and perhaps what works the best, because then you are much more likely to spend the time practicing and developing it. I also would recommend asking a coach at your club to give you even more suitable advice to help you with your decision. But whichever backhand style you choose to adopt, make sure you stop running around those forehands and start hitting them!
See also:
Rallying: 3 top tips every beginner should know
How to stop worrying about your serve
Mastering the contact point: How to read the ball and get in the perfect position to hit it
Lizzie Flint is a writer and a practicing level 3 LTA professional tennis coach.
She has been in love with the game since picking up a racquet at the age of four – and she has seen it from every possible angle: playing, analysing and reporting on tennis all over the world. Read more about Lizzie here.