Backhand

Comments

Backhand review

I had to watch the video a few times since this player hit the backhand from a bounce he created. I determined, however, that this is a beginner-intermediate player with some familiarity with the backhand swing.

First, he exhibited a good double-handed backswing with the racquet held above the wrist. Then, he swung the racquet in line with the ball and made solid contact with it to cause the ball to travel straight across the court (from what I could tell). His arms were straight with the elbows slightly bent.

During the follow-through, however, he swung the racquet more like a baseball bat than a tennis racquet with the head ending up on his shoulder. For a doulbe-handed backswing, the follow-through is performed with the arms remaining straight.

Since this player was standing sideways instead of ready position, he did not need to take the step forward with his right foot. He did shift his weight slightly to his right foot during the contact and follow-through but the major shift occurred after he had already hit the ball, as if he was catching his balance.

First, I would explain what parts of his backhand were effective and then point out the differences between swinging a bat and swinging a tennis racquet. My cue for him would be to lead with his right foot and keep his arms straight throughout.

Recommended Skill Analysis Tasks

Written Analysis: Analyze the following

  • Stage: Identify the stage of the skill that is exhibited (e.g. beginner, intermediate, expert).
  • Stage Characteristics: Describe 2-3 features of the movement on the video that is characteristic of the stage identified.
  • What to Change: Identify and describe the most important aspect of the skill that will need to be changed for the subject to improve.
  • Cue: Write the single most important verbal instructional cue to help the performer improve.

Video Annotations

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