How to Improve Your Tennis Backhand

Getting your groundstrokes down is crucial to a solid tennis game. No player can win without a proficient forehands and backhands. Many players, however, feel like their backhand is weaker than their forehand. This anxiety can lead to a lack of confidence and force you to run around many shots to hit a forehand instead. Even if you don’t believe your backhand is an issue, there are plenty of advanced tips and tricks to take your stroke to the next level. Learn more about how you can fix your backhand. 

Backhand Basics

The backhand is more unique than the forehand, in that there are different ways to hit the stroke. Perhaps if you watch tennis on TV you have seen one-handed backhands both with topspin and slice. At the beginner level, it is important to focus on a solid two-handed backhand before thinking about hitting a one-hander.

When hitting your two-handed backhand, you should have a semi-western grip. This lets you put topspin on the ball more easily. There are different grips for the backhand, but as a beginner, this grip will most likely feel the most natural.

Turn in your stance

When you see the ball coming to your backhand side, the first thing you want to do is turn to the side with your hands in position. What should your hands look like for a backhand? Your dominant hand is at the bottom of the racquet, with your non-dominant hand above. As you turn to the ball, if you’re hitting it in position and not running on the fly, focus on stepping your dominant foot (if you’re a lefty, this is your left foot at the front) into position, in front of your other foot. By stepping in with your dominant foot when you turn, you’re setting yourself up for a better stroke because your feet will be more bent and you’ll also be planted for solid contact. Here is where you start to take the backswing.

Drop racket under the ball

At the peak of your backswing, the butt cap of the racquet should be facing straight to the net. As you bring your racquet forward, be sure that the face of the racquet isn’t facing straight up or straight out–this can lead the ball to fire out and up like a trampoline. Prepare for the ball with a slight downwards tilt.

Contact and extend

The third step of a backhand is actually making contact with the ball. When you make contact with the ball, keep the slight downward tilt on the racquet so it does not balloon upwards. Then, with your wrist, flick upwards, as if the racquet was a windshield wiper. While hitting the backhand, your non-dominant hand is there for support, but your dominant hand is guiding the motion. Extend your non-dominant hand through the stroke.

Finish high over your shoulder

 As you finish your stroke, you will perform the follow-through motion. Finish with both your arms high over your shoulder. The classic way to tell whether you’re following through with your non-dominant hand is whether you’d be able to check an imaginary watch. As a beginner learning the basics, the most important thing to ensure throughout your stroke is that you feel balanced. Many players end their stroke almost hopping between both feet or feeling unbalanced. This makes hitting your next shot very difficult. Make sure that while you’re practicing your follow through and full stroke motion that your entire body is in rhythm.

How To Improve Backhand for Intermediate Players

Once you get the basics down, you’ll probably be searching for ways to elevate your backhand. Three ways that you can bring your stroke from a beginner backhand to a competition backhand is by adding spin, adjusting your stroke to the situation, and playing more offensively.

Spin

The first big tip for beginners is to add top spin. This is technically part of the backhand basics, but it’s often hard to execute at the start. In order to add topspin to your two handed backhand, be sure to drop the racquet below the incoming ball. Make sure your swing is low to high, keep your strings facing towards the net, and brush up on the ball as you follow through.

Stroke adjustments

The beginner’s backhand can result in a lot of errors because it is difficult to adjust to different types of opponent shots. At the intermediate level, you have to be prepared for balls to come out of your comfort zone, whether they be fast, slow, high, or low. In order to prepare for this, learn how to adjust your stroke. The most important adjustment to make at the intermediate level is shortening the stroke, especially when faced with a fast serve. If you know that your opponent has a fast, flat serve, the biggest tip you can take is to shorten your backswing and punch the ball back. Feed off your opponent’s pace, and focus on the other aspects of your stroke.

Footwork

Sloppy footwork can do a lot of damage to an intermediate player’s backhand. Oftentimes, this is the culprit of a backhand, or any groundstroke for that matter, breaking down. How can you fix your footwork on the backhand? Focus on the basics. Bend your knees and take small steps to find the right position. Start with tension in your back legs, and as you progress forward, add more momentum to your stroke.

Advanced Players Backhand Tips

Advanced players already know how to hit a solid backhand and how to make basic adjustments depending on the situation in the match. What advanced players may lack is a certain nuance in mobility and agility that can make a big difference.

Shoulder relaxation

At the intermediate level, players still struggle with keeping their shoulders under control during the backhand. Oftentimes, even with really solid players, you’ll see their shoulders jump or move slightly before striking the ball or during the actual process of striking the ball. That can lead to a loss of control and interrupt the flow of the stroke. For advanced players, really focus on keeping your shoulders as relaxed as possible so that your stroke is uninterrupted.

Wrist movement

Another important tip is to keep your wrist relaxed and move it precisely. If you want to change your speed, the technique, the angle, the height of the ball, all of this is in the wrist. So, don’t do a “death grip” on your racquet. Hold your racquet loosely and comfortably during the backhand, and focus on keeping your wrist relaxed and calm. This way, when you need to really snap your wrist or flick to generate speed, your wrist is in proper positioning. A relaxed wrist can also prevents pain and injuries.