This is the best video on two handed backhand. I play lefty and am an ambidextrous. Two handed backhand is a backhand and not a non dominant arm forehand. The coach here best explained how the dominant arm ( right in case of righty’s and left in case of lefty’s ) plays a key role. As you perfect the hands at the hit will naturally adjust. Most people miss the dominant hand role and focus on non dominant hand which will never give you a clean hit. Thank you coach for this. I switched from one handed to two handed and being ambidextrous can hit righty forehand as well but this is the right technique that u taught here. 👏 👏
Definitely gotta try this one out - have heard so much about the two handed bh being the same as the leftie forehand and been practising as such. Always feel a bit robotic and muscling through to lead with the left side. Rotation led by the right side seems to make a lot of sense now you say it - to me it's like setting up a centrifugal force pivoting at the right shoulder and letting the left side coming through naturally!
YK, absolutely If you look at shoulder position of lefty forehand and righty two handed backhand you can see it’s not the same shot. On lefty forehand the left shoulder is in front at contact. On 2-HB the left shoulder is behind the right shoulder at contact. Therefore the right side leads the way. Agassi, Djokovic, Zverev hit it this way and it is definitely the more natural and comfortable way to hit the 2HB
Same here, I used to be too left side dominant and with too much of an open stance due to this leftie forehand approach. Now I approach the shot more like a 1hbh, but still use the left arm to brush up and let it become progressively more active as I swing up to contact.
Great VIdeo NIk as always. Makes a ton of sense. My question is the following: 1. What does the left hand do. Is it just for stability or do both hands work together with the dominant shoulder leading the way for a righty 2. Is it more like a one hand backhand then where the right arm is dominant and the left hand is along for the ride??? Maybe a more detailed video about this confusing topic would be great. I will tell you , when I lead with my dominant shoulder(right for me) and I let my right arm start the swing it is effortless with solid power and you can hear it in the sound off the strings. I think if I start with my left hand i tend to use all arms and not the hips and it becomes more of a muscle shot, not fluid and you don't hear that nice sound off the strings. Just to reiterate, a video breaking this down would be great.
@@IntuitiveTennis Nik, I also have this question - what does the left arm (non-dominant arm) do then? Has this video already been made? I haven't been able to find it.
One more thing that Coach Nick is teaching is very imp. Left shoulder always behind right at contact which will automatically happen if you understand its not a non dominant hand forehand. Also raquet drop comes by dominant wrist, if u use non dominant hand to drop the raquet head, u will lose power and get ur wrist hurt. Can’t emphasize how good Coach Nick has covered this so please pay attention to each detail he is teaching.
So, just putting this out there…I played with a two handed backhand in high school and college and in tournaments during my formative years. But teaching tennis in college and in my early 20s, I adopted a one handed backhand…which is now pretty mediocre, at best. And here I am now, years later, will turn 61 in three weeks (OMG, where does the time go) started hitting again a year ago, mainly against this super freaking heavy topspin Slinger Bag, and have found two handed backhand way stronger against heavy topspin. My “mentor” growing up, was Bjorn Borg. I was watching his backhand again the other night…how he would let go of the left hand after impact, and decided to practice that today. I found it much easier to hit heavier topspin, now as an older person, by emulating Borg’s backhand in rallies. On return of serve though, both hands works way better for me.
So that's why it felt like I was still muscling the ball and struggling to put power into the shot even with full body rotation. Thank you for this enlightening lesson coach! Subscribed :)
An emerging guy Jenson Brooksby also hit his backhand in a left-arm-dominant way as well, and it's clear to see that. Funny how ppl always say hit your backhand like a lefty forehand but then they bash Brooksby backhand when he apparently does just that.
Hey Nick, a lot of things I agree with you / hips rotation , right side leading etc but what about hitting both 1HBH and also 2HBH, like in my case? I talk from experience of a life time having a good 1HBH and when I got injured I had to learn to play lefty and also I incorporated the 2HBH with lots of spin, typical clay player's. I hit before I teach for warming up both types of BH and I also alternate them easily(at the wall), or not once with 2 racquets at once .Same stance, different stances, topspin's, flat etc Here is the question, if you're saying the right hand leads on 2HBH /dominant (based on grips , we have the 3 types of hand dominance) how is that working when switching from 1HBH to 2HBH, and I mean both technically correct with no issues? I developed my own methods too, and I find it difficult to lead with the right hand on 2HBH. Just to see where I am standing , one of my drills the past 10 years is to hit alternating left hand FH, 2HBH and 1 HBH, and hit with consistency ...I am right eye dominant and obviously a righty. All the best. Thanks
Good advice, I'm trying switching from a one-hander to a two-hander and I'm in my 50s. Still using the one hander slice and for blocking back. I lost yesterday 2-6 4-3 in an hour to someone I barely beat in a 3rd set tiebreaker last summer. Have you seen many older players transition between the two back hands? I thought it would take out the elbow stress and I just don't have a winning record.
When you say that the right side of the body is leading the way, that means that we should hit the 2HBH like the 1HBH, that is, the right arm is doing the acceleration?
So, your right arm (if a righty) is the most prominent arm then? I'm moving from single handed to double and I've been doing it wrong then as been using the left arm as the dominant, damn. Great video 🏴🏴🏴🎾
nick, when are you coming out with a two hand backhand course or shooting that video you talked about. More depth into what the right arm is doing and left for a righty two hander.
Hello Nick , I have watched all your videos , thanking you for the the tips . I have tried both single back hand and double backhand , my back hand is very weak , which one should I follow and work hard to get better on backhand .
I'm not sure if I understood or not. Maybe I didn't understand what you mean. Did you say, "try to apply power with your dominant arm"? Did you mean "don't try to generate power with your non-dominant arm"? Thank you.
Hi Nik. This video has been super helpful. Unfortunately when I go back to work with my coaches , I'm being told to hit it like a leftie forehand. Do you see this happening a lot? I presume I'll have to practise by myself while working on other things with the coaches.
Don’t think about the left arm. Naturally the right balance between the arms occurs on its own if you execute the fundamentals. If you consciously try to hit it “like a lefty fh” you will have problems.
This is a very advanced tip, which is probably only for 4.5+ high level players. For intermediate players, I would recommend other coach's tip about "90% power from non-dominant hand". I learned the hard lesson twice that when I used too much of my dominant hand for 2hbh, I injured my dominant elbow. You probably cannot believe it that I got Tennis Elbow twice from 2hbh due to this.
Hi Vladimir I don’t think anyone is trying to mislead people. It’s logical to think that a 2-H BH (righty) is like a lefty forehand. But when we examine the stroke closely we can clearly see that the dominant side leads the way. On all 2-H BH the non-dominant shoulder is behind the dominant shoulder at contact. All you have to do is look at Google images of the best 2-handers and you’ll see. From that position most players will lead with the dominant side. Very few players ie Murray will lead with the non-dominant side and this is clearly visible in the finish where the dominant side gets overwhelmed by the non-dominant side resulting in an awkward looking finish.
@@IntuitiveTennis But for example, let's take this video. ruclips.net/video/hvk31zZg6CU/видео.html This guy is an experienced coach and a good player by himself. I saw videos with him playing on quite a high level. And he says that it is 60% not dominant and 40% dominant hand. Why there is so much confusion in such a basic technical element? I am asking this not from a pure theoretical point, but really trying to improve my two handed backhand which is currently quite a clumsy shot. I much less free and comfortable with my BH shot comparing to FH. I am more pushing than swinging it, not having good acceleration on this shot. Your perspective is interesting and unusual, and I will give it a shot next time, I am hitting on the court.
Vladimir, focus on finishing with the right elbow pointing backwards therefore utilizing torso rotation for more power. ruclips.net/video/waHQG1sSYsI/видео.html
@@IntuitiveTennis Thank you for the advice. I am surprisingly saw it just now. I never heard such a tip before. Still struggling with a frontal power on my 2h bh. Will try this on the court.
Thank you very much for explaining the relation between dominant-hand and stance. I am very grateful. I have one question though: Is the dominant hand of particular importance for "brushing" the ball and hitting "across the body" and the non-dominant hand only for the first phase/beginning of the follow through ?
Tarik, the non-dominant hand is more active on topspin shots. However, the best two-handers have a more horizontal swingpath with a flatter ball trajectory. Topspin is counterintuitive on the two-hander. Check out my research on this topic ruclips.net/video/JOlG80-QVWQ/видео.html
Thanks a lot Nikola. This very helpful and makes me feel better with my (quite flat) DH Backhand. I also observe in almost all professional players with DH Backhands that they seem to "freeze" for a moment after contact point before moving across the left leg. But I don't understand if this is caused by (a) keeping the eyes on the ball without head movement (b) a wide stance with a low centre of gravity, (c) moving body weight transfer back to the centre (instead of following the ball) or something else? Regarding DH Backhand Topsping, why is Nadal able to create so much Topspin and Heavy and Deep Balls with his DH Backhand? Is this more related to this Grip, Wrist, Racket Loop, Elbow or Body weight Transfer or something else?
Tarik, the 2-Hander is quite complex. At contact the non-dominant shoulder will be behind the dominant shoulder. It is therefore a stroke with less torso rotation if we compare it to the lefty forehand (often the 2-hander is compared to the lefty FH). We should rather compare it to one-handed backhand which also has limited torso rotation. This is why you see the head down on all 2-H players. Check out this video where I discuss this exact topic and I wrote an article on it, link in the description. ruclips.net/video/Ql9UPaaJbOw/видео.html As far as Nadal and topspin. Yes his grip is semi-western and helps him achieve an extremely vertical swing path. Borg, Wozniacki and Niculescu are other players that come to my mind that have similar swing paths. However, the vast majority of players hits the backhand as described in this video. ruclips.net/video/waHQG1sSYsI/видео.html
It’s possible to hit it that way. Andy Murray and some WTA players do it this way. In emergencies we all use the non-dominant hand more. However, most players i.e. Djokovic are right arm dominant on 2HB
@@IntuitiveTennis i am right hander and my left hand is down on bottom of racquet and my right is up, and i have good backhand, havent seen it yet in another player.
Robert, it’s depends on the individual. Some players have enough stability playing with one hand, while others do not. Check out this video for pros and cons on this topic ruclips.net/video/JOlG80-QVWQ/видео.html
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This is the best video on two handed backhand. I play lefty and am an ambidextrous. Two handed backhand is a backhand and not a non dominant arm forehand. The coach here best explained how the dominant arm ( right in case of righty’s and left in case of lefty’s ) plays a key role. As you perfect the hands at the hit will naturally adjust. Most people miss the dominant hand role and focus on non dominant hand which will never give you a clean hit.
Thank you coach for this. I switched from one handed to two handed and being ambidextrous can hit righty forehand as well but this is the right technique that u taught here. 👏 👏
This is a great older video to go back to and review. Very simple takeaways that a player, in my view, can implement pretty easily.
Definitely gotta try this one out - have heard so much about the two handed bh being the same as the leftie forehand and been practising as such. Always feel a bit robotic and muscling through to lead with the left side. Rotation led by the right side seems to make a lot of sense now you say it - to me it's like setting up a centrifugal force pivoting at the right shoulder and letting the left side coming through naturally!
YK, absolutely
If you look at shoulder position of lefty forehand and righty two handed backhand you can see it’s not the same shot.
On lefty forehand the left shoulder is in front at contact.
On 2-HB the left shoulder is behind the right shoulder at contact.
Therefore the right side leads the way.
Agassi, Djokovic, Zverev hit it this way and it is definitely the more natural and comfortable way to hit the 2HB
Same here, I used to be too left side dominant and with too much of an open stance due to this leftie forehand approach. Now I approach the shot more like a 1hbh, but still use the left arm to brush up and let it become progressively more active as I swing up to contact.
The best instruction, very knowledgeable!
Great VIdeo NIk as always. Makes a ton of sense. My question is the following:
1. What does the left hand do. Is it just for stability or do both hands work together with the dominant shoulder leading the way for a righty
2. Is it more like a one hand backhand then where the right arm is dominant and the left hand is along for the ride???
Maybe a more detailed video about this confusing topic would be great. I will tell you , when I lead with my dominant shoulder(right for me) and I let my right arm start the swing it is effortless with solid power and you can hear it in the sound off the strings. I think if I start with my left hand i tend to use all arms and not the hips and it becomes more of a muscle shot, not fluid and you don't hear that nice sound off the strings.
Just to reiterate, a video breaking this down would be great.
I will make one for sure
@@IntuitiveTennis Nik, I also have this question - what does the left arm (non-dominant arm) do then? Has this video already been made? I haven't been able to find it.
One more thing that Coach Nick is teaching
is very imp. Left shoulder always behind right at contact which will automatically happen if you understand its not a non dominant hand forehand. Also raquet drop comes by dominant wrist, if u use non dominant hand to drop the raquet head, u will lose power and get ur wrist hurt.
Can’t emphasize how good Coach Nick has covered this so please pay attention to each detail he is teaching.
So, just putting this out there…I played with a two handed backhand in high school and college and in tournaments during my formative years. But teaching tennis in college and in my early 20s, I adopted a one handed backhand…which is now pretty mediocre, at best. And here I am now, years later, will turn 61 in three weeks (OMG, where does the time go) started hitting again a year ago, mainly against this super freaking heavy topspin Slinger Bag, and have found two handed backhand way stronger against heavy topspin. My “mentor” growing up, was Bjorn Borg. I was watching his backhand again the other night…how he would let go of the left hand after impact, and decided to practice that today. I found it much easier to hit heavier topspin, now as an older person, by emulating Borg’s backhand in rallies. On return of serve though, both hands works way better for me.
So that's why it felt like I was still muscling the ball and struggling to put power into the shot even with full body rotation. Thank you for this enlightening lesson coach! Subscribed :)
Reynaldo, my pleasure. Thank u
An emerging guy Jenson Brooksby also hit his backhand in a left-arm-dominant way as well, and it's clear to see that. Funny how ppl always say hit your backhand like a lefty forehand but then they bash Brooksby backhand when he apparently does just that.
Nalbandian once said in his backhand instruction video that right hand for power, left hand for control
He would know!
That’s interesting, I always thought Nalbandian had a left-dominant 2HBH. Would you mind pointing me to that instruction video? Thanks!
Hey Nick, a lot of things I agree with you / hips rotation , right side leading etc but what about hitting both 1HBH and also 2HBH, like in my case? I talk from experience of a life time having a good 1HBH and when I got injured I had to learn to play lefty and also I incorporated the 2HBH with lots of spin, typical clay player's. I hit before I teach for warming up both types of BH and I also alternate them easily(at the wall), or not once with 2 racquets at once .Same stance, different stances, topspin's, flat etc Here is the question, if you're saying the right hand leads on 2HBH /dominant (based on grips , we have the 3 types of hand dominance) how is that working when switching from 1HBH to 2HBH, and I mean both technically correct with no issues? I developed my own methods too, and I find it difficult to lead with the right hand on 2HBH. Just to see where I am standing , one of my drills the past 10 years is to hit alternating left hand FH, 2HBH and 1 HBH, and hit with consistency ...I am right eye dominant and obviously a righty. All the best. Thanks
Thank u
Good advice, I'm trying switching from a one-hander to a two-hander and I'm in my 50s. Still using the one hander slice and for blocking back. I lost yesterday 2-6 4-3 in an hour to someone I barely beat in a 3rd set tiebreaker last summer. Have you seen many older players transition between the two back hands? I thought it would take out the elbow stress and I just don't have a winning record.
ruclips.net/video/RhQTnB6hbgI/видео.html
Interesting concept... 🤔
When you say that the right side of the body is leading the way, that means that we should hit the 2HBH like the 1HBH, that is, the right arm is doing the acceleration?
So, your right arm (if a righty) is the most prominent arm then? I'm moving from single handed to double and I've been doing it wrong then as been using the left arm as the dominant, damn. Great video 🏴🏴🏴🎾
nick, when are you coming out with a two hand backhand course or shooting that video you talked about. More depth into what the right arm is doing and left for a righty two hander.
The video soon, course 2021
Hello Nick , I have watched all your videos , thanking you for the the tips . I have tried both single back hand and double backhand , my back hand is very weak , which one should I follow and work hard to get better on backhand .
Stay tuned, I cover that topic in an upcoming video...
Hi, do you use a continental or eastern backhand grip?
Continental
I'm not sure if I understood or not. Maybe I didn't understand what you mean. Did you say, "try to apply power with your dominant arm"? Did you mean "don't try to generate power with your non-dominant arm"? Thank you.
Hi Nik. This video has been super helpful. Unfortunately when I go back to work with my coaches , I'm being told to hit it like a leftie forehand. Do you see this happening a lot? I presume I'll have to practise by myself while working on other things with the coaches.
Don’t think about the left arm. Naturally the right balance between the arms occurs on its own if you execute the fundamentals. If you consciously try to hit it “like a lefty fh” you will have problems.
And who started the jumper two- handed backhand ?
What grip for right hand?
Armand, ruclips.net/video/waHQG1sSYsI/видео.html
This is a very advanced tip, which is probably only for 4.5+ high level players. For intermediate players, I would recommend other coach's tip about "90% power from non-dominant hand". I learned the hard lesson twice that when I used too much of my dominant hand for 2hbh, I injured my dominant elbow. You probably cannot believe it that I got Tennis Elbow twice from 2hbh due to this.
Probably arming the ball too much. Loosen up, fling the arms through with the torso doing the work and this power will be effortless.
Why almost every teaching video on YT saying that non-dominant hand should lead this shot? Are they specially misleading players?
Hi Vladimir
I don’t think anyone is trying to mislead people. It’s logical to think that a 2-H BH (righty) is like a lefty forehand.
But when we examine the stroke closely we can clearly see that the dominant side leads the way.
On all 2-H BH the non-dominant shoulder is behind the dominant shoulder at contact. All you have to do is look at Google images of the best 2-handers and you’ll see.
From that position most players will lead with the dominant side. Very few players ie Murray will lead with the non-dominant side and this is clearly visible in the finish where the dominant side gets overwhelmed by the non-dominant side resulting in an awkward looking finish.
@@IntuitiveTennis But for example, let's take this video. ruclips.net/video/hvk31zZg6CU/видео.html This guy is an experienced coach and a good player by himself. I saw videos with him playing on quite a high level. And he says that it is 60% not dominant and 40% dominant hand. Why there is so much confusion in such a basic technical element?
I am asking this not from a pure theoretical point, but really trying to improve my two handed backhand which is currently quite a clumsy shot. I much less free and comfortable with my BH shot comparing to FH. I am more pushing than swinging it, not having good acceleration on this shot. Your perspective is interesting and unusual, and I will give it a shot next time, I am hitting on the court.
Vladimir, focus on finishing with the right elbow pointing backwards therefore utilizing torso rotation for more power.
ruclips.net/video/waHQG1sSYsI/видео.html
@@IntuitiveTennis Thank you for the advice. I am surprisingly saw it just now. I never heard such a tip before. Still struggling with a frontal power on my 2h bh. Will try this on the court.
and zverev says he is in an eastern grip for his right hand so he gets spin for free
Thank you very much for explaining the relation between dominant-hand and stance. I am very grateful. I have one question though: Is the dominant hand of particular importance for "brushing" the ball and hitting "across the body" and the non-dominant hand only for the first phase/beginning of the follow through ?
Tarik, the non-dominant hand is more active on topspin shots. However, the best two-handers have a more horizontal swingpath with a flatter ball trajectory.
Topspin is counterintuitive on the two-hander. Check out my research on this topic
ruclips.net/video/JOlG80-QVWQ/видео.html
Thanks a lot Nikola. This very helpful and makes me feel better with my (quite flat) DH Backhand. I also observe in almost all professional players with DH Backhands that they seem to "freeze" for a moment after contact point before moving across the left leg. But I don't understand if this is caused by (a) keeping the eyes on the ball without head movement (b) a wide stance with a low centre of gravity, (c) moving body weight transfer back to the centre (instead of following the ball) or something else? Regarding DH Backhand Topsping, why is Nadal able to create so much Topspin and Heavy and Deep Balls with his DH Backhand? Is this more related to this Grip, Wrist, Racket Loop, Elbow or Body weight Transfer or something else?
Tarik, the 2-Hander is quite complex. At contact the non-dominant shoulder will be behind the dominant shoulder. It is therefore a stroke with less torso rotation if we compare it to the lefty forehand (often the 2-hander is compared to the lefty FH). We should rather compare it to one-handed backhand which also has limited torso rotation. This is why you see the head down on all 2-H players.
Check out this video where I discuss this exact topic and I wrote an article on it, link in the description.
ruclips.net/video/Ql9UPaaJbOw/видео.html
As far as Nadal and topspin. Yes his grip is semi-western and helps him achieve an extremely vertical swing path. Borg, Wozniacki and Niculescu are other players that come to my mind that have similar swing paths. However, the vast majority of players hits the backhand as described in this video.
ruclips.net/video/waHQG1sSYsI/видео.html
Thanks a lot Nikola for your very fast and detailed responses and these great insights !! Much appreciated !!
I pull with the right and the left hand takes over on contact.
It’s possible to hit it that way. Andy Murray and some WTA players do it this way. In emergencies we all use the non-dominant hand more. However, most players i.e. Djokovic are right arm dominant on 2HB
@@IntuitiveTennis i am right hander and my left hand is down on bottom of racquet and my right is up, and i have good backhand, havent seen it yet in another player.
If the right arm is responsible for the power then why use the left arm? Why not just hit a one handed backhand?
Robert, more stability at contact and the non-dominant arm contributes to the swing. It just doesn’t dominate it.
Intuitive Tennis Well the 2-handed backhand be a better backhand to use? More stability vs less?
Robert, it’s depends on the individual. Some players have enough stability playing with one hand, while others do not. Check out this video for pros and cons on this topic ruclips.net/video/JOlG80-QVWQ/видео.html
My weakness
YOu should watch alexander zverev two hand backhand on topcourt. just youtube it. Completely opposite of what you are saying. He says lefty forehand.