The one-handed backhand stroke is seldom taught today.  Most kids are starting tennis at a young age and their muscles are not yet  strong enough to swing a racquet on their non-dominant side with only one hand.  It is easier to teach them the two-handed backhand than the one-hander.   Nevertheless, you may be asked to teach this stroke to some of your older juniors or to some adults.  Afterall, Roger Federer, Amelie Mauresmo, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Fernando Gonzales, Tommy Haas, and other top-ranked pros use a one-hander, and many players would like to imitate them if they can.  The description of the one-handed backhand topspin drive presented here can serve as a guideline for either self-learners or teachers of the stroke.

Roger Federer's one-handed backhand is the model form we wish to emulate.  Federer's backhand is smooth, fluid, and deadly.  Amelie Mauresmo also has a nice one-handed backhand, but her grip is a little more Western than what needs to be taught to someone just taking up the one-hander. 

The full Eastern Backhand Grip is best for the one-handed backhand drive.  If  the player holds his racquet on edge in his left hand, parallel to the net, and about a foot in front of him, and then places his right palm on top of the handle, that will approximate the proper grip.  Most of the hand will be behind the handle at the moment of impact with the ball.

The ready position on the one handed backhand is the same as it is for the forehand. 

As soon as it is determined that the ball is coming to the left side of the body, the player should make a unit turn, keeping the hands in front of the body in a "find the ball" (or "show the logo") position, while making a grip change from the waiting  forehand grip (or a neutral grip ) to an Eastern Backhand Grip.  The left hand can assist in this grip change if the right hand is only loosely gripping the handle.

As the player gets closer to the ball and moves into hitting range, the shoulder turn becomes more pronounced and the racquet is pulled back by the left arm to a position near the left hip. The butt of the racquet handle is facing the net and the oncoming ball.  The racquet may be taken farther back than this if the shoulder turn is particularly pronounced.  The wrist is firmly locked at the end of this backswing and for the remainder of the stroke.

After the player is completelywithin striking position, the next to last step with the back foot is taken and the weight shifts forward onto the front foot, which usually has stepped out toward the oncoming ball.  The racquet continues to move back and down as the right shoulder and hip move toward the ball. This creates a stretching of the arm, shoulder and torso muscles, which when contracted will provide much of the power of the stroke.

The right arm swoops down and then straight forward toward the target on a low-to-high swing path.  The butt of the racquet points toward the ball as the racquet is pulled by the rotating shoulders into the shot.  As the racquet arm shoots forward into contact a foot or more in front of the body, the rotation of the shoulder and the front arm will square the racquet face with the ball.  At this point the entire hand is behind the racquet handle, giving maximum leverage to the shot.  The arm, elbow, wrist, and racquet are a single unit at this point, firm and strong.

When the player steps in toward the ball with the front foot to get his weight into the shot and to begin the forward swing, his knees are bent and will remain somewhat bent until the end of the follow-through.  This flexing of the knees provides for a smooth weight transfer and facilitates getting the racquet head below the point of contact with the ball.  At contact and into the follow-through, the front knee will straighten slightly, assisting in getting the weight into the shot and generating top spin.  Care must be taken not to straighten the legs too early, which will inhibit the forward and upward swing.

Just before and through impact the knuckles of the right hand are control guides for the extension of the racquet head out toward the target.  Contact is 12 to 18 inches in front of the right foot.  The shoulders remain perpendicular to the net.  The left arm, once it has positioned and then released the racquet, stays in a rigid position behind the back hip; this will assist in keeping the body aligned sideways with the net.  The back foot can also assist in keeping the sideways orientation by acting as an anchor.   

At contact the head is still and the eyes are focused on the ball. The head should remain still as the arm drives the racquet out toward the target.  There is no need to lift the head to track the ball until the hitting arm has begun to release and slow down on the right side of the body.  This natural turning of the upper body on the follow-through will bring the head up.  Roger Federer's backhand is the model for picture-perfect rigidity of the head at contact and through completion of the follow-through.

The body should remain aligned perpendicular with the net for as long as possible, though the forward momentum of the racquet swing will eventually carry the right arm out to the right side of the body.  This should only occur after the ball has long left the racquet.  Staying in this alignment will achieve maximum power and spin on the ball.  Opening too quickly, a common error, will usually top the ball, hitting it into the net.

A slight loop in the backswing can assist in putting topspin on the ball.  From the unit turn, keep the racquet head slightly higher than the wrist, at about head level, as if you were preparing to volley one-handed.  As the player gets in position to begin the forward swing,  the racquet head should drop down smoothly at least one foot below the level of contact and then accelerate the swing path up and out toward the target.  A loose grip on the racquet will facilitate the racquet acceleration that results from the loop backswing and will generate more topspin.  

The loop backswing with a full shoulder rotation also prevents punching at the ball, which is another common mistake on the backhand drive.  A long full swing allows for smooth weight transfer into the shot and facilitates a long, on target, follow-through. 

The description above is for a ball that bounces somewhere between the player's knees and shoulders.  This is ideal for a one-handed backhand topspin drive.  Balls that are below the knee are probably best handled with a backhand slice.  Balls that bounce above the shoulder can still be hit with topspin but the stroke is more compact on the backswing and follow-through and is much more vertical in its swing path.  This will be addressed in a future article.

The one-handed backhand drive is not for everyone, indeed the majority of players today hit with two-hands on the backhand side.  Neverthess, the one-handed backhand is a more versatile shot, provides more range, facilitates net play, and, in my opinion, is a more elegant stroke than the two-handed backhand.  While less often seen among young players, it is no coincidence that two of the top three women players,  the number one male player, and another 4-5 of the top ten men players use a one-handed backhand.  It may be more difficult to learn, but the one-hander seems to pay big dividends at the pro level.

Although I teach the two-hander to beginners, it is always my hope that after they hit with a two-handed backhand for a few years and get stronger that they might wish to acquire a one-handed backhand volley and even a one-handed backhand groundstroke.  It will take time for them to master the stroke as described above, but the rewards are great.  Pete Sampras changed to a one-handed backhand when he was about 14 or 15 years old, and he went on to win 14 Grand Slam Titles.  That should give a young player some incentive to change to a one-hander.