Finish Perfectly for a Great Result

One of the key components essential to producing a reliable one-handed backhand is getting side on to the incoming ball as soon as you possibly can!

Golf, baseball, cricket,  ice hockey, and field hockey, as well as the forehand and the two-handed backhand in tennis, all demand a side on to the ball stance to begin the execution of the strike. 

As those swings unfold the body position evolves from side on to TUMMY TOWARD THE TARGET at the finish.

That body rotation provides the power for the shot and helps to begin the next movement that the particular sport demands.

Golf best showcases that body turn when you see the player hold their follow through for two or three beats (belt buckle at the target) as the ball flies toward their target.

Conversely, the one hand backhand in tennis is best executed when the body remains sideways through the compression phase of the swing (that is when the ball is riding the strings for roughly .004 seconds) and shortly thereafter!

When you observe top-level players open the body on a one-hander, the ball has either already left the racket face, or they are purposefully trying to bend the ball flight to a damaging target (HINT-- DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME)

We mere mortals should strive to get sideways early, arrive at the strike point sideways, and then keep the upper body in that exact sideways posture as the ball is compressed on the strings and driven toward your target. 

 Even the very slightest deviation in the position of the front shoulder during that compression phase of the shot will impart unplanned spin on the ball, causing the loss of both power and accuracy!

The accompanying photo is of former ATP player Olivier Rochus, who had near-perfect technique on his one-hand backhand.

Note the balanced finish -  he's still side on to the shot, that is already well on its way back toward the opponent.

 Also, take note of his free hand as he throws it toward the back fence in a focused effort to keep himself SIDEWAYS !!

 Get a clear mental picture of his finish, do the best you can to replicate it every time you hit your one-hander and you’ll have great results !!