1. Line Through the Shoulders Points to the Left of The Target at the Start of the Stroke

Tennis: One-Handed Backhand Cue

Dick Moss, Editor

Your students need good coordination to successfully hit one-handed backhands. Here's a coaching cue that will help them develop the correct sequence of movements for optimal power and control.

Coaching Cue
At the beginning of the stroke, your players' hips should rotate, followed by the torso, then finally the shoulder. Thus their strongest body parts initiate and accelerate the movement and generate most of the power needed for the shot. Only at the last moment, when the shoulders stop (roughly, at the point when they are facing the direction of the player's shot) do the arms come into play, accelerating past the stationary shoulders towards impact.

The action is almost like snapping a towel, in which the hand begins the movement, then stops (or “blocks),

2. Shoulder Rotation Stops When The Shoulder-Line Points at the Target

allowing the tip of the towel to accelerate past it.

As a coaching cue, tell your students to mentally draw a line from shoulder to shoulder. As their shoulders rotate, try to stop the front shoulder when this imaginary line points towards the intended direction of the shot. This blocks the shoulders at the correct moment, allowing the racquet to accelerate into the ball for optimal power and timing.

References
1. Jack L. Groppel (PhD), High Tech Tennis (2nd Edition), Human Kinetics Publishers, 1992.
2. Ryan Guldberg, Dominating Tennis - Become a Champion in 60 Days, Amazon Digital Services, 2012.

3. Racquet Arm Whips Around the “Blocked” Shoulder Into the Ball

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