One Handed Backhand Technique - How To Develop The Perfect Swing

The best way to develop and discover the perfect one handed backhand is to listen to your body and find your natural swing. Swinging something heavier than a tennis racket is a great method for understanding how to move the racket in the smoothest and most efficient way possible.
Bending the arm at the finish of the stroke is a method that i've found helps players to maneuver the racket effortlessly, which allows players to accelerate through the contact. Roger Federer, Richard Gasquet and Tommy Haas are all great examples of players using this technique.
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[@TomAllsopp]

Just to be clear, there wasn’t a golf analogy in this video, I just used a golf club haha. You could use anything, even wedging a ball in the throat if the racket would help you to feel the weight as you swing. Give Hektor a thumbs up for that awesome backhand.

[@tennisproslav1237]

Cutting it close though. If there is a golf prop or analogy in the next video, I’m unsubscribing 😆. I kid.

[@TomAllsopp]

@@tennisproslav1237 understandable

[@gregoryphillips3969]

Great video. I find that with beginners the wrist has to be a little bit firmer on impact otherwise balls will be flying everywhere. Now once a person gains confidence then the wrist can loosen up in the way you are describing. To ask a beginner to move their wrist in the way Gasquet and Federer do is a bit much at first. Great video though thanks.

[@BigBlackBe4r]

The expression that use often to guide or realign myself is : USE THE WEIGHT OF THE RACQUET ! ! !

[@julianpenfold1638]

@@BigBlackBe4r My dad used to watch me puffing away trying to "muscle" cutting a piece of wood and say "let the saw do the work"

[@nanal2931]

Really good, makes a lot easier for us to understand one hand backhand better! Thank you for sharing this, loved it!!

[@mdougf]

Yes--fantastic. I love your style of teaching. It's definitely the style that I align with most. More-so focusing on the feel, the purity of contact, being loose/heavy and natural in your swings. Look forward to checking out more of your videos

[@stuartallsopp5979]

Excellent points! By far the best tennis content around. Also can’t believe how much more sustainable the kids backhand looked at the end.

[@mgfliby]

Excellent video! Thank you. Also, the video students third video is stellar. You can tell the difference in power and consistency in ball striking. Well done

[@rucas10]

Great and beautiful ! I completely agree with the way you teach tennis. Nothing too rigid and everything very natural and uncomplicated. It was watching your videos about the forehand that I managed to overcome and succeed in a shot that for a long time was a real problem for me. I think it's a matter of listening to our body more and letting it flow naturally. I love it ! Thank you Coach

[@DEForce-fm8rt]

Fine job. Keeping it simple, and the visual easily demonstrates what you are trying to convey.

[@indoorgardeningguy1668]

I love you no nonsense approach. I just switched to the single hand backhand a month ago. I am making big strides and thanks for this!

[@yakzivz1104]

Yes you are so right!!! I will also work on bending my arm a little after contact as well. No doubt that Gasquet has the absolute best 1hbh!!! This little boy's technique is so sharp!

[@SolowSports]

Well said about "positions". Many people feel they can take one small component/position and simply just add it to their stroke regardless of compatibility. Great video!

[@modestlim324]

You talked about the racket not being too heavy so that you could swing the racket on your backhand is spot on. Maneuverability on the backhand is a subject not many talk about. Thanks for the vid. Good tip on the bended elbow after swing, it is so natural.

[@miguelbarahona6636]

You should use the heaviest racket you can swing comfortably. There´s an inmense diference with a heavier racket. Shots are more powerful, have more depth, it´s easy to deflect heavy shots from your opponent, etc...

[@aapopispa6810]

Your golf analogies are spot on. I have been wondering why my tennis strokes are not as fluid as my golf swing. I am now getting a hang of it both on forehand and backhand side - thanks Tom!

[@nitzanricklis6488]

Always gotta bring golf into this And that progress is incredible!

[@SB-yq8uo]

Great simple explanation. Especially the finish part which I have never seen demonstrated this clearly. Thanks

[@robertoperez7395]

Hi Tom, I am really enjoying your videos. This one is great. Find the natural swing, move your hand through contact to accelerate, good stuff. Nadal is also a very accomplished golf player. You two would have a fantastic time together!!!!!!!!. Thanks for your efforts, it is much appreciated.

[@Friedihelm]

This tip is very helpful. I tried this today and it worked great. Thanks very much.

[@m.d.mishari667]

Great short video man thank you

[@mayabergom]

Tremendous progress, Hector! I will try to do the same.

[@laurencecorray]

Wow….boy’s backhand. Great insights Tom! Will use it today and see how it goes.

[@chrisjohnwebster1]

Great advice, I'll try it out!

[@carloscruz9966]

Great video and tip, bending the elbow at the end of the swing

[@ccmitch85]

Great tip

[@miguelandava]

great progress from the kid. nice backhand

[@Somone_final_final_v2]

Tennis is such a humbling sport. I only got into it mid-late 20s and it amazes me what the kids can do.

[@jeroenmolenaar8832]

Great info😎🙏🙏🙏✌️

[@glennwilliams4441]

Fantastic work Tom. The swing and follow through tips are on point.

[@TomAllsopp]

Thanks mate

[@meditationman415]

Fabulous 🙏

[@tennisproslav1237]

i’m a big fan of not locking. also… unbelievable progress at the end.

[@TomAllsopp]

Exactly. Players like Federer and Tsitsipas aren’t locking, even when their arm might look like it straightens on some shots. But it’s hard for players to have a straight none locked arm, so emphasizing bend works great

[@cracacola]

Great video as soon as the wind dies down in taking a putter to the court! I feel like my backhand has reverted a bit and im not accelerating through contact. This video and seeing the kids progress has me excited to refocus a bit on my backhand! Cheers Tom and thank you. Cris

[@TomAllsopp]

Thanks mate. I should probably take my putter to the practice green instead haha. Let me know how the backhand goes.

[@alexdaudsyah4981]

Tom, you clarified the follow through and grip. Can you describe the proper footwork for the back-hand? Why do people who hit one-hand backhand use a closed stance?

[@aymanzein7]

Thanks ! very informative Ayman ( Mr.) Sudan- East Africa

[@pradanakusuma]

0:47 i like how you give me tips bout sport that i love using reference from my other fave sport 😂

[@josch5736]

Awesome video, hope, this can help me. Thanks

[@TomAllsopp]

Let me know!

[@linajamil4086]

LOVELY

[@1114gabby]

I like that idea (bent elbow-makes sense). Couple thoughts...in the early 80's I was able to get some coaching from the great Hank Jungle who owned the club I where i played, and he had me starting with my racket essentially at shoulder height. Now player's have a higher take back...and also seem to keep the racket further away from the body. So it seems like the technique taught is changing... but is it worth trying to take it back higher?? I would also love to hear you thought on footwork and weight transfer. Much more critical on the one hander because you cannot muscle it. I really like your videos btw. Great.

[@counsela9240]

Nice

[@nodeachunter]

You need to start a new KZbin channel where you provide instruction to golfers using tennis analogies (and racquets)! P.S. This is a good video - appreciate the one-handed backhand advice!

[@TomAllsopp]

Haha thanks! Not sure I'm qualified to give golf advice yet.

[@meditationman415]

Can you discuss 'rolling the wrist' that you briefly mentioned in this video? Thanks

[@PeterFreemantennis]

Great job coach

[@TomAllsopp]

Thanks mate!

[@yukuhana]

Great tips! Though I'm not sure why the video quality feels dated.

[@joaomartins2180]

hello congratulations for your videos. The golf club analogy is perfect. However, I don't follow what the bat said... note that in the hypothetical moment of contact with the ball, the tip of the club is lower than your hand And it is exactly this detail that makes the difference and makes the left powerful and consistent. the contact will be with the lateral rim of the racket at hand level by the way, as does Gasquet and the young man who presents please try it hug from lisbon

[@jayrussell26]

Congrats Hektor - you make it look easy - well done on the hard work to engrain this new idea into your stroke - looks like it was there all along. Tom - nice new idea today (w same old golf prop haha) on controlling momentum and listening to your body. The what not to do moves looked pretty painful. Can this concept be applied to the serve ?

[@TomAllsopp]

There’s lots of wrong ways to move your body on all shots. But if you have the ability to listen to it there’s only a few ways it will want you to move the racket on all of your shots.

[@jayrussell26]

@@TomAllsopp cool - well said ! maybe using a heavier object in shadow swinging like you do here will give instant and louder feedback on controlling momentum vs muscling it. I guess we see this in a few of your videos w tennis tubes and large bent pieces of metal (=golf training tool)

[@TomAllsopp]

@@jayrussell26 yes there’s a few good gadgets like that for the serve. Like balls in a long sock

[@randominternetuser2]

man that kid’s backhand is so swaggy looking. he is pimpin the hell outta that.

[@mvmcali6900]

Should hitting drop so much? Or is more the racket head that drops?

[@harryherman5371]

Backhand footwork video please.

[@ramyg5037]

5:19 - The boy is playing well...good strokes

[@gregoryphillips3969]

Wrist should be relaxed on contact but yet just firm enough so the meat of the hand is meeting the ball without breaking the wrist. Unless someone is a genius like llie Nastase it will take an incredible amount of time to master that type of one handed backhand where the wrist basically flicks at the ball.

[@pedropaivalemos]

Good... Now the boy can focus on Left arm too, going nore behind him at same time that right go to the ball...

[@Bacat4321]

Omg!

[@DanTuber]

Do you suggest 1 or 2hb for someone totally new to the game?

[@TomAllsopp]

Probably two, unless it feels more natural to do one.

[@jollyjoe9281]

This has to be the only tennis court in the world that doesn't have a fence behind it...

[@TomAllsopp]

Also known as a practice wall

[@TheDrakulie]

can you show us how to hit the High one handed backhand with power ?

[@TomAllsopp]

I’ll try

[@vincentbendera6780]

Great content But DAMNÉD i m struggling with this shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-((

[@TS-er2jc]

This transformation is day and night. It's more noticeable than a 300 pound man loosing 150 lbs.

[@ericabustos2698]

The boy's backhand now looks better than yours!

[@TomAllsopp]

Nomsayin!

[@tennisproslav1237]

the student has already surpassed the master. that didn’t take long 😂😂😂

[@ale03000]

Dam it the kid hits 1 handed backhand better than me, just started learning this as beginner 🤣

[@foxyonthrottle690]

when i teached using the wrist 30 years ago everybody said i was crazy

[@madhumeetable]

I think bending arm at the end is not a great option, it has to be a straight arm finish , Richard gasquet is an exception, he uses a lot of his strong forearm for that kind of backhand and he it comes very natural to him , if u see before 2017 when rf was loosing a lot to rafa , he had that bent arm problem in his backhand which was not giving him lot of power and stability, after when he revamped it with lubicic, he came with his neo backhand, u could see the change right away and the effectiveness of it when he finished the backhand with a straight arm!

[@TomAllsopp]

Most of the players finish with a bent arm. Not just Gasquet. Fed also decided to tighten up his backhand to take the ball early, most noticeably in the Oz open final. His decision to play like that dictated the swing. He didn’t change technique, he changed strategy. He still has the same technique if he’s hitting heavier rally balls from further back.

[@halbrody4513]

Wish my 1 hander was as god as this 10 year old’s.

[@sarkology]

Your 1 hander looks more natural than your 2H . Time to switch? Haha

[@smashthestateX]

ok, i might need to retire when a little boi has better power than me

[@frankfurter7260]

Can they put down some sod ! It looks like you’re playing in a garbage dump.

[@progressivedemagogue8480]

The bent arm finish on the one hand is just plain wrong. 100% bollocks.

[@TomAllsopp]

Not for the kid at the end…

[@progressivedemagogue8480]

@@TomAllsopp He’s got a great backhand but due to great mechanics UNTIL the bent arm. Show the butt cap to the opponent, not the sky. This will hinder his progression as he plays with faster opponents.

[@progressivedemagogue8480]

Relaxed arm should be the instruction

[@TomAllsopp]

@@progressivedemagogue8480 he definitely wasn’t struggling to have a relaxed arm. I’ll pass on this advice. Thanks though

[@progressivedemagogue8480]

@@TomAllsopp He wasn't struggling no, its a good backhand. The bent arm is superfluous though.

[@PeterPlan10]

I'm sorry, but telling people to bend your arm in the end is just wrong. If you tell that to people they start to go up after the hitting point instead of going through the ball. Infact the boy you are showing in this video doesn't bend his arm at all in the end and no professional player does it as well. The time that you can start to bend your arm is after the swing when you get the racket back to ready position. I know a little bit of what im talking about because im coaching for nearly 20 years now. Im not trying to hate i just wanted to share what im expieriencing every day on the court.

[@TomAllsopp]

Well I’ve told it to the boy and transformed his swing. And hundreds of others. This has nothing to do do with going through the ball or not. It’s at the end of the stroke. And most pros do it. For great reasons, but not for ready position.

[@PeterPlan10]

@@TomAllsopp show me a video of federer where he constantly ends like u show in the video

[@TomAllsopp]

@@PeterPlan10 why Federer, and why every shot? It’s not how this works

[@PeterPlan10]

@@TomAllsopp because somewhere down in the comments u used him as an example but i doesn't matter. Nobody finishes like u showed it. Nobody has a 90 degree angle and his arm straight up to the sky after the swing. I mean im open to learn but there is just no evidence to what u are saying. But its ok i wont rant about it anymore

[@TomAllsopp]

@PeterPlan10 it’s more of a problem to keep the arm locked than it is to develop the natural coordination demonstrated in this video.

[@vladimirvidov6202]

🎾🕺🎾🕺🇷🇺💃🕺