Out of a prone position, first lift your arms slightly off the floor. Then, lift your upper body off the floor in a controlled manner, which specifically targets shoulder stability, thoracic spine mobility, and core control.
The coach sets up the mini net in the forecourt, parallel to the net. The player practices the disguised (feinted) forehand drop shot
More and more players are using an open stance to hit the ball. What used to be an exclusivity of the forehand is now more and more common on the backhand side, especially for players with a two-handed backhand.
Two-handed backhand with an open stance (Back view) Read More »
In this demonstration, our player hits a one-handed topspin backhand, approaching the net. In order to hit this shot effectively the player has to hit the ball with heavy topspin to make it dip over the net and move fluidly through the shot. In order to do this, he has to remain sideways as he swings and use good forearm rotation (supination) to accelerate the racquet head.
One-handed Backhand Approach Read More »
The player hits a one-handed slice approach. From the front view you can clearly see how he uses the cross-over step (carioca step) to force the body to remain sideways as he transitions forwards towards the net. Observe also how the racquet swings around the body from high to low and then comes up again at the end of the swing.
One-handed Backhand Slice Approach with a Closed Stance (Front view) Read More »
In this video we can observe a player hitting a low one-handed backhand slice from the back. In order to hit this shot effectively the player has to take a big step towards the ball to help him lower his center of gravity. In addition he has to open the racquet head more and hit the ball a bit farther in front.
One-handed Backhand Slice, Low with a Closed Stance (Back view) Read More »
In this demonstration, we force our player to hit a low topspin backhand. In order to do this effectively, our player will have to lower his center of gravity by taking a large step to the ball and sinking. This not only, requires more leg strength but dramatically increases the demand for whole body stability and balance. In addition, the player has to learn to recover from the shot fluidly by lifting up and stepping around with his left leg after the shot in order to move effectively to the next shot.
Low One-handed Backhand with a Closed Stance (Back View) Read More »
From this side view we get a close look at the racquet path and racquet-head position throughout the swing on this one handed slice backhand. Especially noteworthy is the arm and racquet position at contact. The contact point is slightly in front of the front foot. The player’s torso is sideways and at contact his right shoulder is aligned with the arm and the racquet head. In addition the racquet head is slightly higher than the wrist.
One-handed Backhand Slice with a Closed Stance (Side view) Read More »
The front view of this one handed backhand slice allows us to see how the body stays sideways through the shot and how the arms move in opposite directions to stabilize the body and prevent it from rotating too early. In addition it presents a great image of the racquet head above the hand at contact.
One-handed Backhand Slice with a Closed Stance (Frontview) Read More »
A common misconception about the slice is that the racquet cuts under the ball. As you will see in this analysis, at contact the strings are almost parallel to the net. This back view shows us a clearly the path of the racquet, starting above the ball, swinging down on the ball and then moving up ant to the right again. Let’s take a look at the key aspects of the one handed backhand slice.
One-handed Backhand Slice with a Closed Stance (Backview) Read More »
If you are looking to imitate a one-handed backhand, Dominik Thiem is the perfect model. Here are a few things to observe.
Thiem Ripping a One-Handed Backhand Read More »
Former ATP-Pro Bjoern Phau shows here in this backhand on the run the demands placed on the feet of a player.
High Performance Movement: Sliding on clay – Maintaining center of gravity Read More »
