Interactive Forum July 2014: Ernests Gulbis Backhand

[johnyandell]

Ernests Gulbis Backhand

Ernests Gulbis has attracted a lot of attention for his unconventional forehand (Click Here to view that in the Forum). But what about his impeccable high velocity two handed backhand?

Interesting that he starts with his hands split, but take a look at his turn, stance, the ATP outside backswing, and then the backward rotation of his hands and arms to drop the racket head. Look too at his racket face angle--proof that at least in pro tennis you can hit relatively low balls with a slightly closed face. There is more including his contact point relative to his legs and body, his wonderful extension and relaxed wrap!

[johnyandell]

Quicktime version

Ernests Gulbis Backhand

[klacr]

I guess I'll be the first one to jump into this pool of eccentricity.

Actually, compared to Gulbis' forehand, his backhand in the form of his key technical checkpoints is fairly classic. His extension leads to a very balanced follow through. He is hitting a low and relatively short ball on his first backhand which forces him to hit up on the ball a bit more. The 2nd backhand is struck at a higher contact point and his extension is further out in front.

Also notice his hands during the entire swing. The hands seem to be where his weight is as well. You can see the weight transfer with shoulder turn from front to back, then back to front into contact. His weight and hands remain in unison. Many lower level players have a disjointed and uneven hand to weight preparation. Hand not going back with weight or weight going too quickly back without the hands

One key that I think is very important on the backhand is how still that head remains through contact. Gulbis does a great job with keeping the head still. Great lesson for all those players out there.

There are probably much more deeper technical elements I'm leaving out and that's ok. I don't want to be the only one chiming in on this thread and great video.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Really? Only me?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[johnyandell]

You may have summarized it!

[bfarese]

Bravo for doing his backhand! Simplistic beauty. Fantastic kinetic chain, quiet racquet face through the zone, and remarkably still head and upper body through contact. Very dependable shot. Great video!

[tennis_chiro]

Forearm to racket shaft concavity towards body

I have to agree with Kyle; the most striking thing for me is the tremendous job Ernests does with getting his weight forward and stable and keeping his head still through the entire hitting zone. It's a great example of the vast majority of the weight transfer being completed well before contact and the head being very still as the whole mechanical system rotates around a fixed point.

I'm not really thrilled about his initial grip change. He changes both hands and then moves the left hand down; I prefer to see the left hand already in the backhand grip in the ready position and the right hand turning around a stationary racket (in face angle) so it is very easy to find the bevel you intend to find with your right hand, and in a hurry. But what I do like is something else that I am coming to believe more and more is very important. There's a lot of interest now in the "outside" position of the racket head (ala Gordon/Macci) in the early part of the backswing, but there's another element that I feel is really important. That is, when Ernests completes the grip change he has created a concave angle (mouth of the cave towards his body) between the shaft of the racket and his right forearm (looking down from directly overhead). Sometimes players end up at this point in their backswing with a slight convexity in this position and then they are going to have to wiggle the racket a little more in a later part of the swing to get to the eventual concavity I am talking about and that they will need as they contact the ball. (Perhaps someone who is better than I am with the graphics can put this up.) But it's an element of his stroke that I really like. Once he's in that orientation/configuration/position (concave), he can swing to the ball with a very quick swing or a very short swing if need be, maintain control and hit the ball very sharp, as he, of course, does.

don

[klacr]

Ahhhhh...now the ball is rolling.

Thanks Don and bfarese.


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Turn, step and hit...Ernests Gulbis style

I guess that is a bit simplistic...particularly in modern tennis circles. You have to "pat the dog"...you have to have bells and whistles. Biomechanics...physics. Ipads, cellphones...software for God's sake.

Oh well...thank God for Ernests. He's keeping it simple. Keeping it real. I watched him quite a bit in Paris this year and his backhand is simply marvelous. Simply marvelous!

Roger Federer was so respectful of the bomb off of the other side, the swimming forehand, that he played almost exclusively to the Ernesto backhand...and he paid a steep price as Gulbis basically took control of their match with his powerful and repeating backhand. Roger's topspin elegance off of the backhand landed repeatedly shorter and shorter in Gulbis' court until Ernests would step in and blast it down the line. Gulbis finished off the Swiss Maestro with a bit of a psychological ploy by leaving the court with what appeared to be a feigned injury...but that is another story entirely.

As already noted...the still head and balanced countenance of as he rotates in the barrel and to the ball. You are looking at his hands...I am looking at his feet. Weight transfer...it's in the footwork. Look at Ernests...lining up his shot, gauging height and speed, racquet poised and back in position, but it is the feet that get him to the ball at proper height and most importantly...balanced. He even bends his knees to get the ball exactly where he wants it.

The player that arrives to the ball most often in position is going to win most often all other things being equal and on clay or other higher bouncing surfaces it is really tough to get Ernesto out of position and his impeccable footwork and sense of balance is a big reason why. He is arriving at the ball early perfectly poised so that as he steps into the ball and transfers 90% percent of his weight on his front foot and therefore into the ball...he is finishing on his tiptoe like a ballerina with an elegance sense of balance and poise. He may not do this every single time but he does it twice in a row here. That is a great sign.

Ernests stays behind the ball...a worldsbesttenniscoach key in the art of hitting a tennis ball. In reality it is a great cue for any sportsman...be it hitting a baseball, golf ball or tennis ball...staying behind the ball. The difference of energy transfer when you stay behind the ball and swing with balance is appreciable...the sliding forwards is the kiss of death in golf and a great energy zapper in tennis as well. The beginner thinks that the forward motion is momentum or energy being transferred to the ball but the reality is nothing can be further from the truth. It is detracting from racquet head speed.

What a nice simple cadence here with the Ernests Gulbis backhand...turn, step and swing...Keep It Simple Stupid. KISS! Beautiful rotation into the ball coupled with the excellent weight transfer to the front foot. It all adds up to a backhand that he can really pound...and it is as reliable as a backboard.

Isn't it strange though that once on the lawn of Wimbledon that once again the laws of checks and balances once again had Segiy Stakhovsky playing the spoiler? The grips and tolerances of the Ernests Gulbis powerful game up and around the shoulders was rendered somewhat harmless when a player forced him to play the game below the hips while mounting an attack on the net...forcing him to hit up. No real surprise...if you just happen to be familiar with Tilden or even only "Jack Kramer explains various Grips".

[don_budge]

Coming to Grips...Ernesto Gulbis style

Immediately after concluding the backhand swing...Ernests immediately goes to the default grip which is his very strong forehand grip. At times he definitely looks full on western to me but in this video sequence he almost looks to be a very strong eastern...it's hard to tell and perhaps not all that important. Let's just say it is a strong forehand grip that he automatically defaults to...he wants to hit that forehand in the worst kind of way.

So when it comes to his backhand he is basically showing the racquet to the ball and he first changes his right hand to what appears to be some sort of eastern backhand grip and THEN he slides his left hand down the racquet to assume a strong eastern forehand grip with his left hand in order that he might actually immolate a left handed forehand when he is hitting a two handed right hand backhand. That is what he appears to be doing in his swing...hitting basically a left hand forehand.

Albeit it is a somewhat prematurely concluded forehand because of the right hand on the racquet but I wonder what percentage of the power is coming into his shot with each hand. The strong grip on the right hand might suggest that there is a bit more to it than hitting a left handed forehand. His excellent sense of balance may suggest as well a helping hand from the right hand and arm as well. The forwards point of contact further supports the observation that both hands are involved...especially when considering the grips. What do you think...what percentage of the power is coming from either hand? I have always wondered about this question...since I do not hit two hands myself.

[bfarese]

Left or right?

Re: contributions of right and left hands... To me, it looks like he does the Agassi thing, of strong pull with right at start and then transferring to left through the hitting zone. Coordinated, much like a golf or baseball swing really. The open stance two-hander folks appear to be favoring more left side, like a left hand forehand.

[klacr]

bfarese,

Good post.

The balance and timing of the right hand/left hand usage in the backhand is critical.

Many players and coaches make the notion that two handed backhand is "a left handed forehand". Although that may be somewhat true, I'm a little more cautious in using that phrase. There are many complexities in using the right combination of grips, hitting arm structures and contact points. It all has to be in synch. A left handed forehand philosophy for one student may not work or be of any benefit for another based on their hitting arm structure. Some students when told of this "left handed forehand" tip end up using too much of this left hand to push and not enough right hand to pull. Others forego a complete extension and simply wrap the left handed forehand around their bodies eliminating any sort of accelration towards the ball.

Caveat emptor when you hear coaches say "It's like a left handed forehand". If only it were that simple.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[dosumthing]

interesting comments from experts thus far; question remains

I have always been coached to fundamentally look at the 2HBH as a left-handed forehand, and was drilled in such fashion where I only used my left hand on the backhand, but admittedly noticed a difference in how my body and momentum adjusted when both hands were subsequently placed on the racquet.

I found the advice of keeping the racquet in front of me rather than in plane/wrap around my body when I am in my full Uni-turn to be the most effective and intuitive, often represented with Novak as an example.

A question remains me, and that is if on the forehand side, keeping the racquet about 45 degrees forward upon the Uni-turn and right before the relaxed grip drop of the racquet is considered quite standard and effective means of generating racquet head speed leading up to contact, why is a similar attempt not made on the 2HBH side? I have never attempted it yet as I keep my racquet out and in front of me when taking back, it seems that very technique most closely resembles a very subtle mirroring of the forehand?

Thanks!

[johnyandell]

Do,

Check this out:

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_performance/rick_macci/develop_atp_backhand/

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_performance/rick_macci/develop_atp_backhand_2/

[privas]

Racquet above the hands

I appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the two-hander, specifically the straight take-back of Agassi and Gulbis, as noted in these videos.

I don't see the point of stressing the Macci "racquet above the hands" on the two-handed backhand, as you would on the one-handed backhand. Unless, of course, the ball is bouncing really high! To do this only introduces timing errors and does nothing else. Unlike the one-handed backhand or the one-handed forehand, the two-handed backhand doesn't require the recruitment of gravity to generate racquet head speed. The extra arm does it, all by itself.

"Racquet above the hands" only leads to more tennis lessons, more frustration, more timing errors, more balls into the net (like the one-handed backhand, Thanks to Mr Federer in Toronto!) and more difficulty in teaching this stroke to juniors. The Gulbis weapon deconstructed is wonderful teaching tool. Simple.