The one-handed backhand: Tennis Masterclass, Episode 5

[@lordbyron3603]

“ the One-hand Backhand, the most beautiful shot in tennis ! …. “ 100% agree !!

[@patriciaprieur9054]

Moi aussi ! 👍

[@leotka]

And most difficult shot. Requires very early preparations and accurate execution. But also most effective. Opponent may only guess is this wide, straight or slice or drop shot. Opponent is always under pressure to predict where ball goes.

[@EugeneK]

@@leotka i would still rate as most difficult the high forehand volley. My intuitive success rate for the shot is fifty fifty. Even for pro players. The next goes the serve - 60-70% at best.

[@leotka]

@EugeneK If you have problems with high forehand, you need to switch your grip to western or semi-western. Just try and you will see improvement. For me high backhand is a problem. And I use high slice. Reverse backhand doesn't work well with spinny balls.

[@lordbyron3603]

@ I don’t have any problems with my forehand because I don’t have a lag ! As the ball is coming towards me ,, I “ meet it “ with my arm instead of taking the racquet back striking it like every one else does. I “open up” my hitting arm and rotate my body slowly as the ball is coming over the net and bounces and meet the incoming ball straight away ! And thrust the shoulder forward along with the elbow . I eliminate the lag by not bring the racquet behind me ! As for the Backhand, I “meet” the ball as well - with my wrist initially. I coax ( pull) the incoming ball with my wrist ,, then transfer the pulling to my elbow then whip it out when the ball is in my strike zone! For high balls ,, I swing upward with the racquet handle ! For regular shoulder height balls ,, I use the back of my knuckles to whip the racquet ! Try it out and see what happens ! “Meet “ the ball ! Cheers !

[@rosemont5339]

Beauty is the eye of the beholder of course. To me roger Federer backhand is the most beautiful shot in all of tennis.

[@trapkat8213]

Gaudio!

[@StephaneVilasco]

I agree. RF has the most beautiful one-handed backhand.

[@ashupashu5559]

Wawrinka

[@Trancescient]

Richard Gasquet!

[@toptenguy1]

Shapovalov has a great one too. Just a great snap to it. (I'm Canadian, so i might be biased. haha)

[@stingray-j2597]

Justine Henin; one of my favourites exponents of it, how she deployed it considering her height was amazing to behold

[@EugeneK]

I have witnessed 11 years old Shapo hit almost as hard as he did at 18. His 18-year old shots were not harder, but just havier. So it's not about size. It's about optimal biomechanics.

[@EugeneK]

And yes, Justine has ideal backhand mechanics in every versatility department: depth, angles , spin, flatness , you name it. Even lobs !

[@daytradingnl4734]

Federer 2017 after his injury. For several months his backhand was amazing. Also wawrinka is one of my favorites.

[@AlbertTong]

He also switched racquet sizes too that gave him more margin for error which is how he dominated Nadal since then. It neutralized the high balls hit to his backhand.

[@apoetsbrain6794]

Wawrinka one hand is a total weapon!!!! The speed of it shocks me sometimes. It is in no way weaker than two hand.

[@efcleve]

Some tennis videos from other channels may only be 5 mins long but most often they seem like 1/2 an hour (as they drone on and on with repetitive verbiage) but with Patrick a 14 min video (such as this one) only seems like 5 mins as he always gets to the essential information with a great and brief demonstration. Really appreciated...!

[@shubhodeepmitra5505]

not to me it didnt, seemed more like 20 mins. didnt make it past the half way mark

[@evertvdb000]

true (or in French: c'est vrai)

[@bassmaster1953]

As a 70 y.o. who has rediscovered my topspin one-handed backhand, your instruction is spot on. I'm right-eye dominant which naturally allowed me to step in on my right foot. The use of the nondominant hand is key to balance and consistency. Thanks, Patrick..

[@RobManser77]

Congratulations on nailing it again! I've just returned after 30 years years away from tennis, and what used to be my best shot, a one-handed topspin backhand, is now nowhere! I'll keep trying 🙂

[@macropod77]

Eventually, I found the reason why my backhand slice was always stronger than the top spin one. I bent an elbow hitting slice, but barely bent it while executing topspin or flat. Now, by bending the elbow 90deg and releasing the forearm naturally, I achieved smooth, effortless power on the topspin. Thanks a lot, Patrick for the tip. Great video!

[@russellramesh3223]

Edberg’s one-hander was top tier, the best of his era.

[@DP-eo5xd]

It was ok but he never stayed at the baseline too long.

[@itaycohen4525]

Finally!! One hand backhand video!

[@arunraju9705]

Going by this video, Federer is the great of all time!

[@arasuppiah2085]

Thank you for this fabulous lesson. The role of the non hitting arm to prevent the body spinning out was such a game changer! 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@Lucian86]

It improved my backhand significantly after taking care of it. And it looks so much better too

[@alvaromena7548]

Fanstastic video of modern one-handed backhand

[@jamesliu2661]

Patrick, thank you for breaking down the key mechanics of the one handed backhand!

[@mkim64]

Never thought about eye dominance before. I'm a right-hander but left-eye dominant - this footwork tip is massive!

[@Nierez]

Thank you, I've been looking for this video. Just started playing 3 years ago always two-handed backhand. The other day I returned a serve cross court; the ball was too far away so I attempted a one-handed backhand. The pace on the ball was so incredible that I decided to look into this one-hander stuff.

[@quentincrisp6933]

👍Great video! Not only did Fed take the ball on the rise off the BH he did it with a 97 frame which helped him tremendously !

[@BashanRagavan]

Definitely the best video that I've ever seen on the one-handed backhand! Can't wait to try this!🔥🔥🔥

[@julianrossx14]

Fantastic lesson. Thanx a lot Master. Im a one-handed backhand player and I found this video so useful and extremely clear. Superb!

[@17dhey36]

Hi Patrick - you are an incredible coach, your breakdown of the one-handed backhand is so finely detailed, professional, and encouraging to watch. Thank you for making this available here.

[@YiiMobile]

👍😘

[@mrnobody3403]

YOU ARE THE BEST ,THANK YOU ALL THE WAY FROM SWEDEN I´ve seen you in Båstad with Serina.

[@amormagisterestoptimus]

​@@YiiMobile🤭

[@mozartiano123]

This video has so much content that will take me years to process it. Good job

[@marktynan1472]

I respect what Patrick has to say, as he has helped top players get even better which is some achievement. I think, however, that the greater number of double-handers in professional tennis is because it is easier to teach, not because there is an inherent advantage. It becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[@apoetsbrain6794]

I agree

[@AndrieSurya]

Thank you Patrick, one-handed backhand still the most graceful tennis move... your lessons are valuable for us beginners.

[@MochiNPRA]

As someone who played golf before tennis, the trick that really leveled up my one-hander is the bent elbow. I intuitively straighten my elbow for a swing which you recommend to bend, and its really helped with my one-hand. Thanks for the tips.

[@TrangTennisFever]

As always such great and accurate advice. The main reason I love the one-handed backhand is what you called out the slice. I use the slice in so many different ways from deep slice to drop slice. Its such an important part of how I strategically play my tennis game. With that said the weak points are with hard fast serves or returns, and high balls, I do struggle with as you call out so its trying to figure out a balance. Some good call outs for me to practice more on is rotate the shoulder, use more of my left arm, relax the wrist, and earlier preparation. Thanks again for these advice Patrick!

[@kevinpeasetennisprofession4905]

This is not only a historical reference of the shot but a holistic presentation of how to manage the shot in battle conditions. Thank you for producing this video. I use this information to coach my students and help me with my one handed backhand.

[@pierread1011]

Thanks for this video, crystal-clear as always. And it's always great to see some love for this beautifiul shot. I was taught the 2-handed backhand as a child, but not happy with it even after years and years of play, and only admiring 1-handed backhand players along the years (Sampras, Federer, Dimitrov, Tsitsipas, Shapo, etc)... I switched to the 1-hander about 4 years ago. A few months to adapt, and my backhand is now better than he ever was.... and I'm super glad I now play this beautiful shot.

[@tonyantonuccio4748]

Patrick, back in the 70s, a friend pointed out a kinesiology theory that a one handed backhand could be as powerful as any forehand. That removed my fears of learning it. Today, I'll sometimes run-around my forehand to hit a backhand. I'm also left-eye dominant and greatly appreciate your insights on the subject.

[@communication.skills.matter]

Hi, Tony. That's one of the biggest advantage the one-handed backhand has compared to the two-handed.

[@denisfogel286]

2hbh offence 3/5, deffence 3/5. 1hbh offence 5/5, deffence 1/5

[@atrem7942]

​@denisfogel286 that very debatable because even the two handers use the one handed slice backhand as their defensive shot.

[@Better_Call_Raul]

I agree that a one-handed backhand can be almost as powerful as a forehand. That said, I would *never* run around a forehand to hit a backhand. And I have never seen a high level player do it. Federer has one of the greatest backhands and forehands ever. We see that the forehand is slightly more powerful. The fastest forehand recorded by Roger Federer was 125 miles per hour during the 2011 US Open. The fastest recorded backhand by Roger Federer was100 miles per hour during the 2007 Australian Open.

[@randrothify]

It’s physics and biomechanics. With a 1hbh you have a bigger swing arc and that makes the lever-effect more pronounced at producing velocity so long as you are early and can hit the ball out in front to provide stability. This is the ideal. The 2hbh does not allow for this extension because the left arm constricts full extension. However, what the 2hbh lacks in potential power is made up for in more average realized power because it is generally more of a stable hitting position for most people given the second arm for support, the faster setup, and the lack of the need for optimal timing and footwork.

[@samirpsu]

‘Throw like a frisbee’ - appreciate associating mechanics with other sports. Makes Building new muscle memories a lot easier!

[@chrisrobson2890]

Thanks

[@pedrohero7]

Patrick est un coach incroyable, ses conseils sont précieux.

[@daisy_oe]

💯

[@jozsefnagy8220]

Köszönjük!

[@Cubodira]

Thank you. The most informative video I have seen on the one handed backhand. I really appreciate your taking the time to explain it. And wonderful to see how “beautiful “ you make it look

[@gekasaurus]

That´s definitely going to help my game, thank you most kindly! Going to use it during my next team match tomorrow :) Wish me luck ^^

[@SMathai]

First time ever I got the concept of eye dominance for tennis, and I've been playing for 25 years. I switched to a single handed 10 years ago after failing to master the double hander, and I'm now loving hitting backhands. I'm left eye dominant and I think it explains a lot on how I deal with my backhand. Now I'll have a conscious way of moving for the backhand.

[@gbenatar11]

Great video Patrick, thank you very much. I had never heard about left or right eye dominance before this episode. I'm going to try it.

[@harryedwards9318]

Please keep them coming Patrick this is a Masterclass , thank you so much 😊

[@iarapiffer2689]

I use a one-hand backhand and I learned a lot watching this great video. Thanks a lot!

[@kgkaran]

Patrick, as a 3.0 player playing casually , but always looking to improve technique, this is the most practical and useful video I have ever seen. I can't wait to hit the court and try all this... Learnt something about myself - am a right handed player and cross dominant so need to make some adjustments :). Very very helpful instructions !!

[@hectorayub2594]

Totally agree its a very elegant the one hand back hand, like the MASTER RF!

[@nikossahpazis9722]

Thank you Patrick. Every video of yours makes me want to go and play. You are such an inspiration

[@qsoftwebsoftwaresolutions]

Awesome video explaining all the aspects of 1HBH. This tips were never given before as I have seen many videos on 1 HBH.

[@MWUSheeter1]

Great video Patrick, I am a one hander for years and tempted to move to two hander because of my lack of confidence. I will try your tips but the most important tip is the eye dominance especially for my forehand. My teacher always forced me to to get aligned feet so I was always late on ball. I think it might be a good video to explain the different grip between forehand and back hand

[@denisfogel286]

If you are cross hand-eye dominant, then definitely move to 2 hbh. Patrick mentioned in other video that its extrimely hard to have 1 hbh for cross dominant people

[@danielmltu]

@@denisfogel286 Fed is left eye dominant no?

[@MWUSheeter1]

@@danielmltu no I am right eye dominant

[@artemtsenev]

Awesome. Never heard about some moments of this lesson. Thank you Patrick.

[@enrimaritain2641]

Thank you Patrick, another wonderfull lesson! I'm right handed and not cross-dominant. And now I understand how do i hit ... and why are you number one! 😀I'm 53 and I started playing 7 years ago. I've read your book. It's the first tennis book I've ever bought.

[@anskey]

Thank you Patrick for explaining this so well.

[@frankie5085]

My favourite is the "dominant eye". I learned it from You. Thank You! :)

[@frankie5085]

Excellent! Thank You, Master! Frank (Tennis lover and instructor from Budapest, Hungary). :)

[@pelton1]

I played tennis in the 80' as a kid. Back then it was taught one hand backhand and naturally I learned it. I didn't play for 30 years until I resumed 5 years ago and all the skills I learned was there dormanted (included the vices). The point is some younger players found curious the 1HB. On the other had I had difficulties to learn hitting with top spin. I don't recall any mention to that back then, I just learned hitting flat.

[@aldoliberatoscioli3686]

Grazie per aver chiarito in modo molto semplice molti dubbi che avevo su come eseguire un corretto rovescio ad una mano. Grazie grazie😊

[@meilstone]

As a left-eye-dominant right hander playing the single-handed backhand, I find that final step ahead before hitting the ball essential to generating enough power. You just have to put some body weight into the shot. It's virtually impossible for me to hit a backhand in an open stance... thanks for this video!

[@saccount8009]

Just to let you know this right eye left eye dominant thing and having to CHANGE how your footwork is and your contact point is BS. Doesn't matter what eye your dominant with, track the ball with both eyes. On one hander get the right foot across (like stan, fed) and contact out infront. Not in between your feet😂 thats almost behind you

[@BingChilling987]

@@saccount8009 you must have an IQ of 15

[@wolfgangmarkusgstrein8522]

Fortunately, I (52) play both. I started with one-handed Bh, but in some playing situations I automatically switched to th-bh. It came out of me without practicing. Moving the racket forward with my left hand to play a th-bh was also intuitive. I have shoulder problems because I didn't accelerate the racket as Patrick shows here. I was told it's just swing. I will work on it. Thank's Pat!

[@cliveburks]

Very good points I am left handed and left eye dominant so I hit the ball where a right handed right eye dominant person would. I do the hitting on the rise sometimes but also do half volleys and have even considered volleying some very loopy deep balls to avoid very high back hands. Good explanation of the non dominant hand and why it is important during and after contact. I liked the frisbee analogy as I like throwing a frisbee which I can throw a long way with a lot of spin. Good ideas for the practice court and a final coming up.

[@vijaypawar5003]

Thanks a lot for a detailed explanation covering all the fundamental aspects of mastering this classic shot. Can't wait to hit the court and practice it.

[@jonathangutierrez4733]

Thank you Patrick for finally teaching this hit

[@Tan12]

I've practiced both to an extent find that I naturally can generate way more pace and/or topspin with a one hander when the ball is at a comfortable height and not coming at me too quickly, but it's way easier to handle pace and hit over high balls with the two hander. So I mainly use the two hander, but every now and then I pull out the one hander when I need extra reach, have a hip-to-chest height ball I want to hit really hard, or want to roll a sharp angled crosscourt backhand with heavy topspin. Might be a better use of my time to just forget about it and perfect the two hander, but tennis isn't my job and I find it really fun to hit both sometimes so that's what I do.

[@koritdilivir]

you are so precious for tennis sport.. thanks for everything.. i learned a lot from you merci

[@MrRICHARDGOMEZ]

Thanks Patrick for a very detailed explanation of the OHB. .

[@kgf2012]

Great Lesson, I will be able to improve my backhand with a few of your pointers.

[@DevotionalDigest]

Excellent tutorial. Easy to follow.

[@awaisakram6458]

I love this guy. ❤... he is like the best coach for me online.

[@nandkumardoctor]

What a beautiful explanation of one handed backhand that's where the master is. Salute you Sir.

[@LeodanNevill]

笑いました、面白いです！

[@hamidrezamohammadi6816]

Incredible instruction with so many useful tips 👍🏻🙏🏻

[@rsp-te9dh]

Excellent lesson. on the role of the non-dominant hand, body position, addressing above shoulder height balls, relative benefits of double/single etc.. The only additional guidance that might be included are on the grip and angle of the wrist in the single-handed backhand (esp. as compared to the double)

[@Gianfranco509]

Excellent video thank you so much... I've been struggling with my one handed backhand... I will practice all the tipsas soon as I'm fully ricovered from my surgery...

[@viveksaraf]

Extremely well put together and so well explained. This is just what I needed. A well played single handed backhand is a thing of beauty.

[@futrpdr]

Wow, you explained so much! I had to stop earlier in the video to watch the video about the dominant eye. I’m going to have to revisit this video several times while working on my form. Btw, I agree, the one handed backhand is a lost art. I’m in my 40s, so I remember seeing it being used a lot more back in the day. Thanks for the video and taking the time to make these!

[@abdemanafbelgaumwala6695]

Sir I'm always following your tips, very much improved my tennis ,thanks big

[@apoorvamodi6830]

What a legendary coach!

[@kennethwilliams4874]

Have to say, this trope about Federer not having as much success against Nadal because of Roger's one-handed backhand is way overstated. The problem was NOT so much the one-hander as it was Roger's outdated racquet. After he switched from the 90sq. inch to the 97 sq. inch head, his record against Nadal was 7 wins and only 1 loss, the one loss being on clay.

[@mozartiano123]

Why not both reasons?

[@kennethwilliams4874]

@@mozartiano123 Because of Roger's record against Nadal after he switched to the larger racquet...night and day difference. I wish Roger would have switched 10 years earlier, even five years earlier...he would have won a lot more majors and masters tournaments.

[@vendetta1340]

This record against nadal was because of the so many injuries nadal had. Rafa completely changed his game

[@kennethwilliams4874]

@@vendetta1340 Wrong, it was because Roger's backhand improvement took away Nadal's number one strategy against Roger, hit balls high to his backhand.

[@lgeiger]

Shapovalov also has a good solution for balls over shoulder height. Back in the days Björn Phau also used to hit these jump shots from far behind the baseline. It requires a lot of balance and core strength, but I started doing it occasionally and it's a great addition when you realize you cannot hit the ball on the rise and have no time to step back.

[@thefixerman1]

Superb instruction and explaination. The frisbee analogy for the action is very helpful. Was waiting for the instruction on the grip for the one handed backhand, which is vital. Please can you cover this too. Brilliant video all tge same.

[@jimgodsey2940]

Patrick, Awesome video. Thank you for your invaluable insights to optimizing the one handed backhand!!

[@ubtube1042]

Been playing for over 40 years, where have you been all my life Patrick! 😂 great advice mate keep inspiring us 👍🏽

[@jamesandrianarivelo8936]

You have been my inspiration Patrick. Thank you for showing it. Much appreciated 🙏🏻

[@realife1542]

Best explanation I’ve heard, above the shoulder always troubles me

[@JrJVintage1956]

I put this lesson into practice this week with AMAZING results, most improvement I've ever made based on 1 Lesson.. I love your content, keep it up , THANK YOU!

[@HerdyDjamasKoe]

thank you , sir... greats video for lesson tennis...

[@angadsinghchhabra9422]

Thank you so much, so excited to put this to use next time I play.

[@lightclear7050]

Very nice video for me Mr. Patrick,a lot of great information and secrets I’m cross dominance ,right eye dominance left handed dominance with one handed backhand

[@sebastianvalmont28]

Best explanation on the internet. Hands down. 👏❤

[@robertosacco5232]

Great vídeo lesson. It helped me to improve my one hand backhand that was aleady my best shot. TKS a Lot.

[@chaunguyen2805]

Great, I can play one hand - backhand. Thank Mr Patrick

[@larrygrossman8021]

I’m 58 years old, haven’t played tennis in years, and when I did I was bad. But after watching your lesson I firmly believe I could dominate

[@thegreatgamingkid8252]

Any time on the court as of late?

[@Healthandwealthandwellness]

Love all your videos

[@tobiaskubler2079]

Realy good explaination...thx Patrick

[@ashwinkumart8642]

Thanks. Didn't know there were so many technicalities. Bent arm is an important advice

[@VicenteeYeraldine]

なるほど、そういう見方もありますね！

[@jeo-soonpark4086]

thank you sir another input added to put my backhand shot, this might raise my game to another level!!

[@SYdiaShelly]

なるほど、そういう見方もありますね！

[@Abdul12788]

Federer's one hand backhand is best

[@AbhinayWaikar]

You are such wonderful trainer. Thank you very much for all your wonderful videos, also short videos too. 🙏🙏

[@davekennedy2881]

Great video, it is a shot that I am trying to master and this video is a good reference guide for the mechanics of the one handed backhand

[@neil5872]

the left and right arm is for the body to also keep its balance, very good point.

[@carlosmeneses9419]

Congrats, always a pleasure to watch your videos, greetings from Mexico

[@poeda6637]

Thank you once again! Really appreciate your lessons and tips

[@fabz1509]

Will watch it many more times. The footwork for left eye dominant player is a bit complex to master. The snapping motion with less prepration was the best advice to battle the fast deep shots. Merci.

[@docstranger9520]

Truly excellent lesson. Thank you. We are a dying breed and need help with our 1hbs!

[@JohnSmith-pb4ri]

I'm still learning. But so far, I like keeping a straight arm on the backswing. I actually feel a little more stability and power doing it that way.

[@saccount8009]

Stick with it if you like it. Thiem does it

[@JohnSmith-pb4ri]

@@saccount8009 Yeah, I studied Federer, Wawrinka and Thiem and kind of adopted the Thiem style. Then I just add a little trick at the release point for a little extra power.

[@gabrielaurore2642]

Explications claires, Maître-Magister.

[@sandrocotza7358]

Great pieces of advice !💯👌🏻I will try that this afternoon😉🎾

[@xuehui123]

This is really really a great lesson! Thank you so much Patrick!

[@robertonunez1085]

Thank you very much dear Patrick !!