Follow the Bouncing Ball (Protect Your Weaker Backhand)

OK, so in the last blog we covered how to attack the weaker side. In this one we cover how to DEFEND the weaker side. The strategy is different for both wings. So I will split it up.

Defend the Backhand

The usual defense for protecting the backhand is to run around it and hit a forehand. But every bad backhand needs to be consistent eventually.

Beginner: Cheat. Just stand way over to your backhand side. Your opponents will not be so good at aiming so the chances are that they will probably make the errors trying to find your backhand or trying to exploit all the space you left open on your forehand side. When they DO find the backhand, just float it back. Try to hit it to their weaker side.

Intermediate: Cheat less. Opponents will aim a little better so start working on improving your footwork. Once you improve that, you won't have to cheat as much. Some stuff to consider in your practice sessions:

• Learn to hit a forehand from corner to corner from anywhere on the court. There might be situations in which you run around your backhand so much you end up way on the backhand corner. So learn how to be comfortable.
• Learn a consistent slice crosscourt (from your backhand to his backhand assuming your a both right handed).
• Learn how to serve well enough so you only have to hit forehands on your serving points. Learning a slice serve out wide will help get more balls to your forehand.
  

Advanced: At the advanced level you have to do one of two things: 1. Learn how to move so well that you pretty much ONLY hit forehands OR 2. Use the slice open up opportunities for your forehand. I suggest the latter. You can really tire yourself out jumping all over the court. You will also start to prefer clay over hard simply because you have more time to run around your backhand. There is no real practice for that. You just always hit a forehand.

The slice that you learned as an intermediate is very important. It's great for defense and doesn't require great footwork to hit. If you keep the slice LOW, it is hard to attack. Your opponent will have to pick it up off the ground and hit a topspin shot to do it. He will also have to hit the ball over the low part of the net or risk hitting a topspin shot over the high part which will give you enough time to get your forehand into play. Here is how you use that to your advantage:

1. Mix it up - Roger Federer mixes up the topspin backhand with the backhand slices. Since he has a one handed backhand, it is fairly easy for him to disguise which one he is using. At Some point he will use this sharp low slice that causes the opponent to leave the baseline uncomfortably. The reply leaves the person off balance and hitting the ball either in the middle of the court cross court again. Either way Federer has just opened up the court for an easy winner. He is being proactive. Examples in the video are at 4:20 and 4:49.
   

Federer's backhand preparation. Topspin on the left, slice on the right.

2. Wait for the opening - Fernando Gonzalez simply just hits crosscourt slices until the other guy messes up. His forehand is BIG. Plus he knows that most people are going to his forehand when they hit a shot coming to the net. So he takes off running a second early. Examples of this are at 0:26, 3:03 and 3:40