Commonly Used Tennis Two Handed Backhand Grips

Most common two handed backhand grip

The most common two handed backhand grip is characterized by an Eastern forehand position for the left hand a Continental grip for the right hand (right handed players). You have to see to it that your left hand has the stronger grip and exert stronger force. This is achieved because your left hand rests just below your racket head hence enabling it to be more dominant than the right hand. In addition, this type of grip will also allow you to hit a slice backhand or a drop shot in case you decide to play in the net or your opponent forces you to play in the net

Eastern Backhand/ Semi-Western Two-Handed Backhand Grip

This tennis grip is done by putting your left hand in a Semi-Western forehand grip while your right hand is in the Eastern backhand position. This is a common variation amongst men on the professional tour. This grip is ideal if you want to produce topspin in your backhand.

Frequently in this variation, the hitting arm structure will be different. The non dominant arm will usually be straight, while the hitting arm will be slightly bent. We see this backhand grip combination in players such as Rafael Nadal and even David Nalbandian.

In addition, this grip combination is the closest to a one handed backhand tennis stroke. The main disadvantage of this grip is that your contact point will be further out in front and you will need to hit the ball earlier compared to the other grips. This grip is also ideal for hitting high balls to the backhand, but can be more difficult if you are going to hit a low ball.

And remember, for a two handed backhand in tennis, the more you loosen your arms as you swing the racket, the more potential you have to create a fluid and efficient swing. The racket should end up over your left shoulder in the follow through.

Two Handed Backhand Backswing Technique Broken Down

The two-handed backhand backswing should be smooth and compact. The backswing should be done by bringing your racket back by first turning your body sideways. The sideways turn should bring your body and feet facing to the side of the court, or in another words, parallel to the net. This position allows you to use more of your body weight behind the shot.

The top of the backswing is complete when you have reached the farthest point your racket head tip. In this instance, the racket is pointing perpendicular towards the back of the court. At the same time you reach the top of the backswing, you should be prepared to make a wide step forward with your body weight concentrated on the forward direction.

How wide your step will be depend on how comfortable you are. This position allows you to move sideways and allow your legs to push you in a forward and upwards motion as you execute your forward swing.

THE MAIN KEY TO THE TWO-HANDED BACKHAND

This best advice I can give on the two-handed backhand is to think of it as a forehand with your non-dominant hand. So, in other words, if you are a right-handed player, you want to think of your backhand as a left handed forehand. You should even be practicing some left-handed forehands to get a better feel for how dominant the left hand needs to be on the backhand for right handed players. Of course, at first it is difficult to hit forehands with your non-dominant hand, so it is best practice to practice this shot by simply drop hitting. Toss the ball up to yourself and practice your swing and spacing to the ball. Within time you will see improvement with your non-dominant hand. After this exercise, try hitting regular backhands with a strong emphasis on relaxing the right hand and completing the swing totally with your non-dominant hand.