Interactive Forum: May 2013: Tommy Haas One-Handed Backhand

[stotty]

A couple thoughts about the first paragraph. First, from a coaching point of view, it matters little to me what the top players use, but rather what is feasible given the time constraints and potential characteristics of any given player.

I've done most of my teaching in colder climates, where I see a kid once, or perhaps twice a week. I think we can all agree, that in most cases, the one hander is generally a slower developer. On top of that, if one gets a kid at 12 or 13 with some talent, realistically, you have only have a couple years to really start getting results if college tennis is a possibility. These are real factors......and it can be serious business if scholarship money is at stake....

I simply dont agree that coaches fail to see the "big picture". What is that, anyway? Top five? No, 99 percent of the coaches are in a similar situation to which i described. Limited time, but responsible for quick development. The two hander, is (in most cases) the answer. I actually see it, as doing my job. (without bias)

Btw, the whole "power" argument in regards to one hander vs two hander gets down to this, IMO. The two hander allows a player to "apply" power from a multitude of stances and much more flexible strike zone, both in terms of height and forward to backward contact point. With the one hander, the ball really needs to be in one's wheel house.

I should have explained better. I don’t like posts to get more than a couple of hundred words long or readers are likely put off. I like to keep posts concise.

The “bigger picture” is what might or might not be best in the long run for the student, regardless of whether he’s top five in the world or top five in a region. Most kids take to the two-hander fine but then there are some that look like one-handed would have suited better. I work in a cold climate like yourself. I work exclusively outdoors, often in unpleasant conditions.

The area where I work is a ‘tennis hub’. There 17 clubs within 5 square miles and countless coaches trying to earn a crust. A good portion of the coaches try to undermine other coaches. A one-handed student is easy prey. Parents are easily influenced when sidelined for a chat about how “a two-hander is a much better option than a one-hander and why isn’t child using one”. You know the rest. I’ve lost a number of one-handed students like this. Sure, none of them were never going to be tour players but that’s not the point...at least not for me.

Your last paragraph is lovely and gives a compelling argument for the two-hander. I had never thought about it quite as crystal as that.

What amazes me most is why players in the fifties and sixties were never two-handed. There is a clip of Hoad aged 10 in the archive hitting a one-handed backhand with an adult-sized wooden racket. There was never a better reason for a kid to connect the other hand to the grip and hitting a backhand two-handed in that situation...using such a heavy cumbersome racket. Yet they didn’t back then...why?...maybe coaches stifled the idea?

Kids have it easy now...light rackets...available in tiny sizes.