How To Hit A Backhand In Tennis Video

Tennis is a great summer sport, and a great backhand is essential to being a good tennis player. Learn how to improve your backhand swing in this video tennis lesson.

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Prepare with proper grip
Practice a two handed backhand return
Make split step bunny hop
Make a quick shot
Hit majority of returns cross court

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Jeff is a certified USPTA Professional and Tennis Director at Heathrow Country Club in Florida. Prior to that he has been a tennis director at numerous Country Clubs. He has been a reigning champion in USPTA National 40's singles and doubles for two years.

JEFF COHEN: Hi, I am Jeff Cohen. In today's segment, we are going to talk about the backhand. So the first backhand we are going to talk about is the two-handed backhand. For all you righties out there, the non-dominant hand is your right hand, the bottom hand, and the top hand is the dominant hand, the left hand. So when you hit the two-handed backhand, obviously, you want to get your racket back in a good shoulder turn so you can load for the shot. But the swinging part of the shot is really the top hand or your left arm. That is the side that you are going to hit the ball with. The bottom hand, the right hand, controls the face of the racket. So remember, prepare early, get your racket back with a good shoulder turn and you really want to drive the racket through with the top hand, the left side. That is the shot. That is how you want to hit the two-handed backhand. For the one-handed backhand, remember, the most important thing is you want to set up to the shot. First, you start with a good shoulder turn. So that will help you get your racket back. Number two, you want to start with the right grip. So the most common grip on the backhand, especially the one-handed backhand, is the eastern backhand grip. Third, you want to make sure that you keep the path of the racket moving towards your target or swing through the ball, swing through the hitting zone, keeping the racket moving towards your intended target. You also want to make sure that your point of contact is out in front, out in front of your body. And last, you want to make sure that you finish out and up, out and up with the followthrough.

How to Hit a Backhand in Tennis Video

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