How do I improve my backhand? (closed)

[ttarc]

Something that helped me is training with a robot and watching Franziska and Kreanga's videos... bringing the racket from the side of your hip, use de legs and and the wrist is the way to improve your topspin drive.

If you have the time or need to loop e.g. heavy backspin than starting more from the side (and using hip rotation etc.) is a good option to generate the required space to accelerate but not so much if we want to stay in a fast rally. I'm currently trying to break this habit myself and also to minimize the change of grip between BH and FH i.e. always keep a more neutral/slight BH grip (not so easy...).

Some good videos are imo:
A must-watch video for improving your backhand fundamentals—there's always a detail you've missed!

or

 

[Lula]

This is meaningsless. Need to see your backhand in a video.

 

[dingyibvs]

I started when 16 when I quit tennis, maybe it stuck from there, idk. So I should contact the ball later? Should I let it drop or do I just stand closer to it? Do I snap my wrist or practice a smooth wrist?

Wrist snap is not the most important, most important is forearm snap. Try to generate good quality and get the feeling of holding the ball and releasing it with minimal wrist usage first. Just keep your wrist loose and then tighten up right at impact, use primarily the forearm swing (i.e. triceps extension) to generate power. Later on when you really wanna hit hard you'll need the wrist snap, but you need to learn how to use your forearm swing first.

 

[NextLevel]

I've always had a weak bh game, mainly the topspin. I can't get the feeling of gripping like I do on my fh, my strategy was always to block and punch but now that I'm playing on a higher level it's a huge weakness and it's being constantly exploited.

The only way I can do a topspin is by putting much more power than I should or using a big stroke that still doesn't grab the ball, as much as guiding it. The ball has a straight trajectory and doesn't curve, and I can't do it consistently, I feel like I'm too loose and can't penetrate even very soft sponges, and when I hit harder I lock or stiffen my wrist and loose control of my movement.

Do you have any tips about how to get a consistent grab on the bh without putting power, how to penetrate the sponge consistently and grip the ball? Basically ways to get heavy contact and good grip on the ball with low power.

p.s. It's not the rubbers age, I've tried with friend's rackets and it's the same everywhere.

It's a bit of a waste of time to ask for advice on your technique on the internet without posting video, or more alternatively, spending money on an online service like TTD and then asking the online coaches there for advice. No one can see what you are doing and can tailor their advice to you, everyone will just discuss the problem based on their experience. It's not a good sign that your coach doesn't care either, it makes me wonder whether the coach is bad or you have done something to rub them the wrong way. There are so many good and reasonable online services now for coaching that one can get cheap advice online for a short and cheap fee/subscription so money cannot be the issue.

It's okay not to want to post video, especially if you don't like public attention. If there is no member you are close enough to to share your problem via video with them and get an answer, that is also not a good sign. The bottom line is that for quick fixes to these problems, you need someone to work with you in real time or at the very least have someone look at your videos, give you tips, you execute and send them new videos and the process continues until you get better. This is slower but can still work. But these general questions, if there are things being told to you here that you couldn't find on the internet or get told by a coach or friend close to you, it's going to be extremely hard for you to get better in TT. That's the hard truth.

 

[kindof99]

If you wanna hit/penetrate through rubber, you will need to use more of your body.

To create spin, you will need to accelerate through the ball mainly by fingers and wrists. The key for more spin is usually quick finger motion, but you need to have a relaxed arm and body before contacting the ball. Most amateurs try to hit/loop with a lot of power when the ball is still rising and expect to create a lot of spins. Even the professionals can't do that consistently.

 

[Federal_Agent]

If you have the time or need to loop e.g. heavy backspin than starting more from the side (and using hip rotation etc.) is a good option to generate the required space to accelerate but not so much if we want to stay in a fast rally. I'm currently trying to break this habit myself and also to minimize the change of grip between BH and FH i.e. always keep a more neutral/slight BH grip (not so easy...).

Some good videos are imo:
A must-watch video for improving your backhand fundamentals—there's always a detail you've missed!

or

In offensive and fast situations (overdrive) I like to use compact strikes with a lot of energy generated by the wrist flexion movement.

 

[TTFrenzy]

I've always had a weak bh game, mainly the topspin. I can't get the feeling of gripping like I do on my fh, my strategy was always to block and punch but now that I'm playing on a higher level it's a huge weakness and it's being constantly exploited.

The only way I can do a topspin is by putting much more power than I should or using a big stroke that still doesn't grab the ball, as much as guiding it. The ball has a straight trajectory and doesn't curve, and I can't do it consistently, I feel like I'm too loose and can't penetrate even very soft sponges, and when I hit harder I lock or stiffen my wrist and loose control of my movement.

Do you have any tips about how to get a consistent grab on the bh without putting power, how to penetrate the sponge consistently and grip the ball? Basically ways to get heavy contact and good grip on the ball with low power.

p.s. It's not the rubbers age, I've tried with friend's rackets and it's the same everywhere.

I've always had a weak bh game, mainly the topspin. I can't get the feeling of gripping like I do on my fh, my strategy was always to block and punch but now that I'm playing on a higher level it's a huge weakness and it's being constantly exploited.

The only way I can do a topspin is by putting much more power than I should or using a big stroke that still doesn't grab the ball, as much as guiding it. The ball has a straight trajectory and doesn't curve, and I can't do it consistently, I feel like I'm too loose and can't penetrate even very soft sponges, and when I hit harder I lock or stiffen my wrist and loose control of my movement.

Do you have any tips about how to get a consistent grab on the bh without putting power, how to penetrate the sponge consistently and grip the ball? Basically ways to get heavy contact and good grip on the ball with low power.

p.s. It's not the rubbers age, I've tried with friend's rackets and it's the same everywhere.

Hello, you can send me a private video if you like. I do not consider my self a top coach but if you are an amateur I am quite sure I can help you. I was trained by some of the top greek coaches in thessaloniki when I was a kid/teenager and after a hiatus I am training again (lyubomir georgiev,dana papadimitriou, vania zaneva for a while dimitris karaiskos and sokratis papasavoglou)

Heming Hu is also giving very good advice via video. He has really grasped what is going inside an amateur's head so I also strongly suggest him

p.s. nextlevel is right, dont just ask blindly for advice , a video would be really helpful

you can check a backhand play list I created for my students, for me these videos are top notch when it comes to understanding the backhand

especially the one with fan zhendong, and the ones from pp station and table tennis teaching channel

 

[Jan_]

If you have the time or need to loop e.g. heavy backspin than starting more from the side (and using hip rotation etc.) is a good option to generate the required space to accelerate but not so much if we want to stay in a fast rally. I'm currently trying to break this habit myself and also to minimize the change of grip between BH and FH i.e. always keep a more neutral/slight BH grip (not so easy...).

Some good videos are imo:
A must-watch video for improving your backhand fundamentals—there's always a detail you've missed!

or

Will check them out, thanks!

 

[Jan_]

It's a bit of a waste of time to ask for advice on your technique on the internet without posting video, or more alternatively, spending money on an online service like TTD and then asking the online coaches there for advice. No one can see what you are doing and can tailor their advice to you, everyone will just discuss the problem based on their experience. It's not a good sign that your coach doesn't care either, it makes me wonder whether the coach is bad or you have done something to rub them the wrong way. There are so many good and reasonable online services now for coaching that one can get cheap advice online for a short and cheap fee/subscription so money cannot be the issue.

It's okay not to want to post video, especially if you don't like public attention. If there is no member you are close enough to to share your problem via video with them and get an answer, that is also not a good sign. The bottom line is that for quick fixes to these problems, you need someone to work with you in real time or at the very least have someone look at your videos, give you tips, you execute and send them new videos and the process continues until you get better. This is slower but can still work. But these general questions, if there are things being told to you here that you couldn't find on the internet or get told by a coach or friend close to you, it's going to be extremely hard for you to get better in TT. That's the hard truth.

I currently don't have enough money to even put petrol in my car, it's tough times we live in and I'm doing what I can. I can't change club because they're too far away and I can't pay the fee and the fuel. I'm a college student still.

For video I have to go to practice and film there or I'll post something with the robot.

As for the coach, he only really cares for his young players. For us the more experienced folk, he doesn't correct us and help us to develop anymore.

 

[Jan_]

Hello, you can send me a private video if you like. I do not consider my self a top coach but if you are an amateur I am quite sure I can help you. I was trained by some of the top greek coaches in thessaloniki when I was a kid/teenager and after a hiatus I am training again (lyubomir georgiev,dana papadimitriou, vania zaneva for a while dimitris karaiskos and sokratis papasavoglou)

Heming Hu is also giving very good advice via video. He has really grasped what is going inside an amateur's head so I also strongly suggest him

p.s. nextlevel is right, dont just ask blindly for advice , a video would be really helpful

you can check a backhand play list I created for my students, for me these videos are top notch when it comes to understanding the backhand

especially the one with fan zhendong, and the ones from pp station and table tennis teaching channel

I'll shoot at practice or at the robot when I get a chance and post it here.

edit: or not apparently...

 

[ttarc]

In offensive and fast situations (overdrive) I like to use compact strikes with a lot of energy generated by the wrist flexion movement.

Exactly. My problem is that I started back in the 1980s. Long strokes everywhere. Stopped playing for too long and started again a couple of years back. So my default mode still is a somewhat long stroke. It is powerful but the higher I'm playing the more often these shots are returned with quality.
Back OT: If I had to start again I would first learn a compact stroke and work from there and not the other way round as I'm now.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

1. Position oneself so that the ball is in front of body.
2. Get into a half squat position.
3. Tighten your core. Explode your breathing as you topspin the ball.
4a. Swing out your arm like throwing out a frisbee ( check out Bernie Szocs / Sofia Polcanova )
4b. Flail your arm out as though tearing a piece of newspaper in half ( Check out Ma Long )
5. Choose either 4a or 4b.
6. Enjoy your new found awesomeness!

 

[Lazer]

1. Position oneself so that the ball is in front of body.
2. Get into a half squat position.
3. Tighten your core. Explode your breathing as you topspin the ball.
4a. Swing out your arm like throwing out a frisbee ( check out Bernie Szocs / Sofia Polcanova )
4b. Flail your arm out as though tearing a piece of newspaper in half ( Check out Ma Long )
5. Choose either 4a or 4b.
6. Enjoy your new found awesomeness!

Point no:1 immediately becomes a problem...

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Brs]

It is also a waste of time to ask on the internet with video, or watch YT videos. Maybe the former tennis player thing is part of it.

Not trying to depress you, but at some point your best path forward may be to accept that you simply don't have very good feeling on the backhand. The answer for this is a relatively grippy short pimple. Short pips will make the most of you punch/hit game, and make it stupidly easy to flip over the table or open on pushes. The quality will of course be much less than an inverted player with a strong backhand gets. But you don't have a strong backhand, so this is irrelevant.

I don't know how long you have been playing, or what else you have tried. I tried robots, going to camps, bringing private coaches into my house to work with me exclusively, and a ton of practice with partners. For six years. And I got to a decent level playing double-inverted, very briefly over usatt 2000. But backhand was always a weakness *relative to my forehand.* And after all those years I just got sick of it.

There is room in the sport for different styles and materials. Some people may complain about pips, but fuck them.

 

[KM1976]

Do you watch too many backhand tutorials on YouTube or try to copy any Fan Zhendongs, Darkos, Hugos etc. of the different realm? I think it comes with the baggage that when we desperately want to improve we watch more and more just so that we get out of our misery as soon as possible. It seems to work but our hunger keeps increasing and we watch and watch more and then watch more.
I think all advices here can help you but if you follow all of them, then you will be worse than from where you started. A more methodical way is the first see things in the right perspective. How?
1. Record yourself or view earlier recordings.
2. Identify what you want to do with your backhand - meaning, you want to attack, you want to defend, want both or something else?
3. Check with a coach, and I mean a coach not a player. The coach if really good, can help you put your game in a framework and tell you exactly what to do under certain circumstances. Your progress depends on your practice and your ability to absorb and adapt. It takes time, so record your coaching sessions so that you can visit it again and again. Later on, you can still use them to compare your journey from the start.
4. Stick to the same equipment for a while, be it good bad or ugly. Do not change until your coach tells you to do so.
5. Stop watching YouTube videos, they are snapshots of a bigger process and in my opinion they cannot show everything. We cannot just take a piece out of a big puzzle and try to construct the whole from the part. Not possible.
6. Learn and practice the low hanging fruits like push and block. Only then you will be able to create ample opportunities for your attack.
7. Always approach with a learner's mindset and have fun. Be calculative in your approach.

Cheers, KM1976

 

[blahness]

Alternatively, have fun with something like TTR-Killer - see below.

 

[Jan_]

Do you watch too many backhand tutorials on YouTube or try to copy any Fan Zhendongs, Darkos, Hugos etc. of the different realm? I think it comes with the baggage that when we desperately want to improve we watch more and more just so that we get out of our misery as soon as possible. It seems to work but our hunger keeps increasing and we watch and watch more and then watch more.
I think all advices here can help you but if you follow all of them, then you will be worse than from where you started. A more methodical way is the first see things in the right perspective. How?
1. Record yourself or view earlier recordings.
2. Identify what you want to do with your backhand - meaning, you want to attack, you want to defend, want both or something else?
3. Check with a coach, and I mean a coach not a player. The coach if really good, can help you put your game in a framework and tell you exactly what to do under certain circumstances. Your progress depends on your practice and your ability to absorb and adapt. It takes time, so record your coaching sessions so that you can visit it again and again. Later on, you can still use them to compare your journey from the start.
4. Stick to the same equipment for a while, be it good bad or ugly. Do not change until your coach tells you to do so.
5. Stop watching YouTube videos, they are snapshots of a bigger process and in my opinion they cannot show everything. We cannot just take a piece out of a big puzzle and try to construct the whole from the part. Not possible.
6. Learn and practice the low hanging fruits like push and block. Only then you will be able to create ample opportunities for your attack.
7. Always approach with a learner's mindset and have fun. Be calculative in your approach.

Cheers, KM1976

I don't watch videos for coaching. Even for playing I only see the results at the last few seconds. I don't really like watching nowadays.

 

[Colestt]

I think if you keep your elbow out far enough the rest will fall into place naturally

 

[ZFT]

I think if you keep your elbow out far enough the rest will fall into place naturally

Far enough “where”?

And elbow out in “which direction”?

I understand your reason to be concise but without proper detail and qualifying it as it “ will fall into place naturally” this instruction can cause far more harm than good especially if the reader understands this meaning their elbow to extend far out… “in front” which would mean their forehand is now compromised.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Point no:1 immediately becomes a problem...

Cheers
Lz-R

No it won't!