High Percentage Tennis Academy

One-handed or two-handed... the fundamentals are the same.

A great backhand isn’t about copying a pro. It’s about mastering the principles that every great backhand shares.

Even our Adults train the same way. Here is Usha slowing down and working on her mechanics.

✅ Proper spacing begins with proper ready position. Neutral grips, Elbows out and away from body, racket center of body at a 45 degree angle just below eye sight, hands and elbows create enough space a small basketball can fit through.

✅ Unit Turn: change your right hand grip (if righty) to the “forever grip” and straighten arm while pivoting the left foot to turn to the left. Shift weight to left leg. Keep racket head high above wrist. Preparation creates consistency.

✅ Get below the ball. Tennis is a lifting game. Step out, bend knees, and let racket free fall to the “three point landing”. Then lift and uncoil to bring racket to contact.

✅ Shape of the swing must match shape of the court. Shape of the swing is a circle. Swing high low high and inside out. This creates a “Ferris Wheel” swing that get the ball to rotate like a bicycle tire. Extend as far as you can before finishing the follow through to create a long hitting zone.

✅The faster you swing up, the faster the ball rotates down. This is called topspin. Used for control and margin.

✅ Stay balanced. Your body drives the stroke—your arm simply delivers the racket.

For the **one-hander**, stay sideways, sit into your legs, and “lift the hood” through contact.

For the **two-hander**, think of it as a left-handed forehand. Let the non-dominant hand do the work and create a long, upward swing path.

Finally, **Hit & Hold.** Freeze your finish for one second after every shot. Your balance, spacing, and swing path will immediately tell you whether you executed the stroke correctly.

The one-handed and two-handed backhand aren’t different strokes.

They’re the same blueprint... with different tools.

🎾 Which backhand do you hit—one-handed or two-handed?

Every shot should improve your next one.

This point wasn’t won by one great shot. It was won because every shot improved the next one.

🔥 The deep return forced a weak reply.
🔥 The attacking forehand forced an even weaker reply.
🔥 The approach shot put the Rooster into emergency defense.
🔥 The volley wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t need to be. Good court position beat perfect technique.

🎾 Notice what happened. The pressure kept building. Every shot took away another option until there were none left. Weak, Weaker, Weakest.

Try not to focus on hitting winners. Focus on making each shot create an easier next shot.

Wednesday again during F&F Class: using the eye coach, working technique and skills building, emphasis on footwork, spacing, and balance while keeping form simple and compact.

Wed during F&F Class: Skill/Technique Building. Getting the reps in through cone work along with an added fitness component.

If you are having trouble with your forehand’s swing shape, rotation, balance, swing rhythm, etc, practice a lefty backhand. A righty backhand is just a lefty forehand. A lot can learned here. Win was having issues with his swing shape and two-part swing rhythm so we went tried this drill out. He also used a cone to hit off, much like baseball players a “T”.

When you are intentional with your serve, it often rewards with a weak ball that you can attack. Now get out there and work your serves!

Chawin’s backhand is coming along!