What's wrong with my 1h backhand?

Question

I'm trying to learn the one handed backhand (my 2h backhand is pretty good) but for some reason the ball keeps going downward and into the net...

i try to go under the ball and brush up but the ball goes down and into the net. i'm wondering if perhaps it's because my racket is facing downward too much? i dont want to keep my racket face up because then it will sail out of the court... tips?

Answer 1

keeping the racket face verticle and putting enough top spin on the ball will prevent the rocket balls.  if its going down..there is too much top spin..or the angle is to low.

Answer 2

Go on YouTube.

They have some great slow-motion videos of top players strokes. Watch Federer's backhand in slo-mo for starters. Henin also has one of the best 1 handers in the game. Blake too.

I perfected my 1 hander by watching videos of Sampras and Edberg. Video is a great learning tool. Much better than talk......lol. You actually see it being done right.!

Answer 3

One common mistake people who are trying to switch from a 2h to 1h backhand have is they rotate their shoulders thru the shot as if they're hitting a 2h BH.  Try keeping your shoulders perpendicular to the direction of the shot as you hit the shot, extending your non-hitting arm the opposite direction as the hitting arm for balance. This will help keep your head down, and keep the timing right on your shot.  

Here is a drill you could try: While someone is feeding balls to your BH, assuming you're right-handed, hold a ball hopper in your left hand as you hit your BH, this will force you to keep your non-hitting shoulder back instead of rotating thru like a 2H BH.

Answer 4

Just lay your racket face vertical & parallel with the net then upon hitting the ball, brush up with a follow thru, & imagining your ball to pass just above the net.

Or, use the same method of racket positioning as when you hit a 2h  backhand.

Answer 5

You need to turn the racket face as though it is facing the sky more so that you have the neccessary lift for the ball to go over the net. The misconception witht the 1h backhand is to underhit but if you watch federer he flicks it really hard. Try getting them in the court before you try adding too much top spin.

Answer 6

Hitting a one-hander with topspin is difficult because it forces your arm into an unnatural position which can lead to you closing the face of the racquet.  The slice is much more natural for the one handed backhand.  In addition, combining a one-handed slice backhand, a two-handed topspin backhand, and a heavy topspin forehand mixes things up nicely and changes the pace for your opponent.  It will drive him crazy. Try hitting a nice flat one-hander, and the motion of your arm should naturally impart some sidespin.  As that becomes more natural, add a little more sideways motion to enhance the spin. Give it a try and see if it doesn't improve your game.

Answer 7

Seeing as you are already proficient in a two handed backhand, I really see no point in learning to master the one-handed way.  

Anyways, I naturally tend to go for one-handed backhands as I find two-handed tends to be awkward. I don't exactly brush up into the ball to put spin. Instead, my racket face hits the ball from the side, I angle during the hit to put a sufficient amount of spin