July 22, 2006
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TennisOne Community, The TennisOne staff will be hitting the road to cover the professional tournament circuit over the next few weeks, so look for cutting edge instruction and news on TennisOne on a daily (or near) basis. Kim Shanley, Publisher
Higher Prep = More Power Heath Waters
There are many different variations during the preparation phase of the one-handed backhand among tour players. These variations usually involve the height of the racquet hand on the take back. The height can range from around chest to ear height. However, all too often, many novice players take the racquet back much lower. This is often reinforced by teaching pros in the mistaken belief that a straight back/straight forward” approach to the one-hander will simplify the stroke. However, if the high preparation is taught correctly, the advantages far out weigh the disadvantages of the more simplistic approach especially if one desires a backhand weapon rather than just a “get the ball back in play type backhand.” The advantage one gains with higher preparation is added power, spin, and fluidity. With the high preparation technique, one only has to use half the effort to produce the same power and racquet speed one achieves with a down low, straight take back. So bottom line, why not attempt to acquire a world-class weapon rather than just settle for a mediocre straight back, down low take back style backhand? Let’s take a look at some examples and point out the differences.
In the video above, you will see the straight down low take back that is very common among novice and club players and in the videos of the pro players below that, the hand height of the racquet hand is higher than the shoulders in all instances. It is not that one cannot hit a backhand with the straight, down low take back but it is much harder to generate the kind of power the pros need.
When one uses the shorter and lower back swing, the racquet will have less distance to travel to the point of impact than that of the higher preparation, and therefore, more energy and effort will be required to obtain power and racquet speed. Because of the greater distance the racquet has to travel during the high preparation, more racquet head momentum and kinetic energy is produced before impact than on a short, low take back. So this equates to effortless power compared to that of the low take back. I encourage all one-handed backhander's to go out and experiment with the high hand height preparation. I promise you will absolutely love it if you give it enough time. I myself was a converter several years ago (after first learning the straight take back). I simply mimicked the current tour players and now my favorite shot is the big bang down the line with my one-handed backhand. Give it a whirl and let us know how it goes. Until next time. As always, we would love to hear from you! Questions, comments, personal experiences all create helpful dialogue for everyone! Please click here to send us your email.
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