definitely prefer the one hander. especially playing with it as a girl, i don't see many other women with a ohbh and it's just a nice change of pace, along with the fact that it feels more fluid and comfortable. the motion is more natural to me, but then again, it's another case of "the stroke chooses the player." some people are wired to use a two hander, while some people are way more comfortable using a one hander.
Im a one-handed player and it gives me more strategic options and lets me easier transition from baseline to net. It is taff to learn and it is prone to errors.
Not so many female tennis players do it but due to my finger pain on my left hand, I switched to a one handed. It is more difficult to learn but I like how my reach improved. AND, my volley improved tremendously and I am very pleased with it.
Wow this video is so good. The points you made are spot on. A lot of people think the two hander produces more power, but I've always said the one hander allows you to swing more freely since it has just one pivot point (one shoulder) to rotate around and thus allows for a faster swing. In the pros, the guys with the one handers can really rip it when they're in a good position and balanced. The one thing I thing you should've mentioned is if you want to hit a two hander well, you have to have some left hand talent (if you're a right hander). Developing the non-dominate hand/arm takes a long long time.
I'm a one-hander and when I play two-handers, they always like to bunt or block the ball back and use the pace of the ball. They also hit flat. With the one-hander, you can do anything you like with the ball, topspin, slice or flattened it. There is just so much more variety with the one-hander.
From my pov, you did not mention consistency. Maybe not at pro level (although i think it still is less consistent) , but definately at amater level, the two handed backhand is more stable and consistent, also because of all the strange shots you receive and are forced to play. Good video by the way - better than others i have seen
Nice video Jeff! I'm a one-hander. I think I gravitated to the one-hander due to first developing a slice backhand and then a topspin one-hander, and when I learned to play in the 70's one-handed backhands were still the norm. I also play an all-around game which I think the one-hander favors (which you mentioned). I do think two-handers do have an advantage on service returns though; no real grip change is needed from the ready position which saves time.
Love the video! I’m currently a two hander with a one handed slice. I used to be a one hander but learned my knuckle was on the wrong bevel (2 instead of 1) so I switched to the correct grip.Just that little change threw off my one handed backhand 😩 so I switched to a two hander. I definitely love the stability of the two hander, the deception of it, how it uses two hands and is easier on my arm, etc. but miss the freedom, the extra reach, etc. of the one hander. I guess I have commitment issues? 😆
@@JeffLewistennis That’s exactly what happened! 😄 I must have spent many hours on the court by myself trying to get it, but it’s hard to overcome years of muscle memory. 😬 My hitting partners would say my motor skills are…imaginary? Hahaha
Let me preface this comment by saying that I prefer a one-hander (that's what I grew up learning) and think it's a way more elegant, fun shot to hit, but, as much as it disappoints me to admit it, for today's game, the two-hander is quickly becoming the superior choice for *most* ground strokes. Why? I'll try to explain below: As the game has become increasingly more physical, higher paced, more spin-oriented, baseline-grounded and serve-biased, performance in those areas has become that much more stressed, and IMHO you just get way more consistency, accuracy and depth, especially in longer points, with the two-hander. Even in the limited time I've tried it, I can immediately feel and see the difference. Don't get me wrong, pure one-handers can still win, and there are places and times where it has to be played, such as with a slice or stretching volley, but for regular grounds strokes, all other variables held equal, the more complex compound movement and coordination required to pull off the one-hander makes is less capable of delivering the required consistency and pace, time and time again. The two-hander is simply the higher-percentage choice, for *most* players, in *most* situations -- not all, but the vast majority. That being said, I wonder if we'll see a time come where the tour has players who are effective with BOTH a one-hander and a two-hander, playing whichever is optimal in the moment. Much like in other sports where newer generations are cultivating wider *and* deeper skill sets, tennis could certainly go that way -- players that play both backhands, or even forehands from both sides like Cheong-Eui Kim (check out this vid: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8iosXeyBb9U.html - kind of a funny moment at 4m 10s where Matosevic just blurts out in frustration with Kim's stroke mix). Anyways, just my two cents. Hope that added something to the conversation!
It's definitely a valid argument! Part of me wants to say you just have to work harder and not let the ball get high or behind you but as you pointed out...with technology and the way players are hitting the ball this could be too tough. I guess all we can do is wait and see who the next great one handed player is and see how they hold up 🤷♂
As a general rule, the one hander is better for offense and the two hander is better for defense. Most of the time when players hit a backhand, they are in a neutral or defensive situation. So a double handed backhand is usually the more practical option.
I use a one-handed backhand during a point but when facing a big server I use a two-handed backhand for serve returns. I have never seen a pro do that. Is there a reason they don’t?
I'm surprised you don't see it more often to be honest. I know a lot of high level players that will keep that other hand on the racquet when they need to.
One-handed is harder to learn and more prone to errors in a match. If you want to be an all-court player, like Federer, you have to learn the one-handed backhand.
No, one handed backhand is more styler than the two handed backhand shot, easy to recover, easy to generate angle, easy to hit with depth, but tough to put short cross, control the ball and generate spin, requires less energy, easy to hit on run, easy to switch to slice on tough balls, easy for drop shot, tough on high balls, easy on first serve return with slice, tough on second return, easy to generate power. But, two handed is a controlled shot, easy to play, easy to generate more spin, easy to put short cross, but tough to recover, tough to generate angle, tough to hit with depth, take more energy, tough to hit on run when ball is away, tough to switch to slice, tough to drop shot, easy on high balls, tough on first serve return, easy on second serve return, tough to generate power. It is a 9 - 5 score, in favour of one handed backhand. If anyone add more control on his one handed it is the better of the two.
