One Hand, Sliced, Backhand Groundstroke
First published on 9-09-2009. Bookmark & share
by Randy Lynn Rutledge - a previously certified USPTA Tennis Teaching Professional
( Note: retired in good standing, but stopped making USPTA dues payments )
( Note: retired in good standing, but stopped making USPTA dues payments )
This article discusses a tennis backhand groundstroke using one hand.
The one hand, sliced, backhand groundstroke is used to make the ball rotate backwards while in flight. Sufficient speed coupled with this backward rotation causes an impact skid to occur. This happens because the backward spinning ball tries to grip the court and spin back in the direction from where it came, but forward speed of the ball keeps that from happening. The impact skid causes the tennis ball to rebound low off of the court surface.
When extreme slice is applied to a tennis ball, it can contact the court surface, reverse its direction, and rebound a short distance back toward its point of origin. This happens because most of the force of the stroke has been used to impart slice (spin), instead of hit (speed), so the lack of speed allows the tennis ball to succumb to its direction of rotation and crawl back, rather than skid forward, upon its contact with the court surface.
An advanced tennis player is capable of varying the amount of imparted slice to disrupt the hitting rhythm of an opponent.
One variation of a one hand, sliced, backhand groundstroke.
This photograph shows Ines Machado still holding her tennis racquet in a ready position (racquet hand near dominant shoulder) as she executes the required preparation footwork which will move her shoulders into a good position from which to make a backhand groundstroke.
The position of her right foot and her knees show us that she is still positioning herself to be able to reach the tennis ball with her tennis racquet.
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Ines has set her tennis racquet in a high racquet back position which is required to execute a sliced backhand groundstroke. Notice that she has positioned her tennis racquet face to be extremely beveled back. The positioning of her knees and the fact that that her right foot is off of the ground tells us that she will be able to step into this stroke.
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Notice the positions of the elbow and forearm of the dominant arm when compared to the previous photograph.
Ines has her tennis racquet face positioned to brush downward with the strings against the back of the tennis ball at a point below midway, vertically.
From here, the dominant hand can continue to assist or it can go backwards. |
Right-handed Ines Machado has used her left hand to assist the movement of her tennis racquet by pushing forward for as long as she could. To vary her sliced backhand, Ines could choose to thrust her non-dominant hand rapidly backward (click here to view this non-dominant hand action) from its position in the previous photo. This would serve to prevent the back shoulder from leading an unnecessary degree of shoulder turn. Ines has finished her follow through very low for this one hand, sliced, backhand groundstroke. The path of the follow through is a tennis variable.
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Scroll down to learn more about Bernard Brad Pacalin (sports photographer) and Ines Machado (tennis player).
Thanks to Bernard Brad Pacalin (sports photographer) and Ines Machado (tennis player) for granting their permission to use these great tennis photographs.
Ines Machado - Sharing a few words (September 2010)
Hello,
My tennis player name is Ines Machado, but my full name is Ines Pecheco de Medeiros de Aguiar Machado. I'm 14 years old. I was 3 years old when I began to play tennis, but I was 7 when I began to play tournaments. I live in Brussels. Xavier Jodocy is my coach. My favourite player is Kim Clijsters. I like the way she is in a court.
The most important is that she plays for fun. I would like, one day, to be in Roland Garros.
Bye and thanks. |
Bernard Brad Pacalin is a Sports Photographer.