Technique: Classic and Modern One Handed Backhand Part 2 Modern

With a good understanding of the classic one handed backhand (part 1) we can now delve into the changes that were made to make the more modern backhand.

The Modern One Handed Backhand

Players that hit it: Stanislas Wawrinka, Justine Henin, Amelie Muresmo, Ivan Ljubicic,

For a frame of reference, here is the classic:


With the more modern one handed backhand (OHBH) the player twists back a little more and the swings around.  This opens up his shoulder slightly.  So instead of the followthrough going up or forward, it goes across their chest.  This means they get a little more use of the core.  This is more power, less spin.  The trick is in the timing because you are rotating your shoulders and trying to turn your wrist for the spin.  Otherwise you will flatten it out too much or maybe even slice it.





The bonus of course is the power from the baseline.  If you happen to be standing still when you hit this OHBH then you can make your opponent pay.



But the weakness occurs when the opponent makes you move laterally or reach forward.  The further you have to reach from your core the less power you have.  On top of that, the nature of the shot makes you lean back a bit which makes it hard to hit a backhand if you are coming to the net.  If someone hits a ball shorter than you thought or runs you from side to side, you slice.  Simply put, instead of the opponent pounding your weak classic OHBH, they do the opposite.  They run the you to diffuse the more modern shot.



The bottom line: This OHBH is for the baseliners with excellent timing.  The better you hit this shot, the more of them they will be forced to send back to you.  But if you are off balance for any reason, you have to slice the ball or hit a weak classic backhand.  So get really good at timing this one or else you will not get many chances to use it.