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I am not sure what the teaching models are (Spanish, traditional, current pro technique, whatever), but to hit a 1-handed topspin backhand well ( that is, hard sometimes, and/or with dipping spin), there are certain fundamentals that must be followed.
Fundamental: You can't reach out to the side too much as you make contact with the ball. Look at Federer's weak backhands as his contact point is toward the sideline. He hits much better as he gets behind the ball & contacts closer to his body, more at front. (The junior players in the video here were taught to contact the ball too far to the side. Their swings are more of an "around swing," rather than an explosive swing in which power is directed in line towards the target.)
Fundamental: You shouldn't hit it too much with a comparatively straight arm. Look at the backhands of Kuerten, Wawrinka. There are a lot of right angles between racket & forearm during the swing. Hitting close to body, out front, with right angles for leverage provides power & control. [Kuerten has a big swing, but his swing also starts with a tight, compact foundation with proper leverage.] (The junior players in the video here are too stiff-armed. Their arms are comparatively too straight throughout the swing, with contact too far to the sideline. It's easy to see their swings don't have natural power or the natural control to make the dipping topspin.)
Fundamental: The elbow should not be too far away from the body. Look at Kuerten & Wawrinka. As they start their 1-handed topspin backhands, their elbows have the feeling that their is a connection with the body. Certainly at contact point with the ball, their elbows feel a solid connection with the body. It is somewhat like lifting a box. You can't lift a box well if your arms are stretched too much from your body. Similarly, bad things happen if your arms are stretched too far away at contact point on the 1-handed topspin backhand. (The juniors position themselves for a stroke in which the elbow does not have a close enough connection to the body. One thing a coach could do is use a speed gun to measure the juniors' backhands, & prod them to hit ever harder. In that way, perhaps the kids could teach themselves, figure out a way to hit harder. Right now, with the swings they have been taught, those kids can't really blast a topspin.)
By the way, these fundamentals should be followed also when players attempt 1-handed topspin backhands in which the strings grab the ball well, with the resultant dramatic topspin dip during ball flight.
Earlier I mentioned the backhand punches that are illegal in boxing, but that are really the basis for a great 1-handed topspin backhand. If these junior players put on boxing gloves & hit a heavy punching bag with backhand punches, it would give them the proper idea of how to hit great 1-handed topspin backhands. It would significantly (& quickly) facilitate their development for that stroke. (The junior players here are pretty good, but they dream of becoming great. Why not teach them a little better?)
Fundamental: You can't reach out to the side too much as you make contact with the ball. Look at Federer's weak backhands as his contact point is toward the sideline. He hits much better as he gets behind the ball & contacts closer to his body, more at front. (The junior players in the video here were taught to contact the ball too far to the side. Their swings are more of an "around swing," rather than an explosive swing in which power is directed in line towards the target.)
Fundamental: You shouldn't hit it too much with a comparatively straight arm. Look at the backhands of Kuerten, Wawrinka. There are a lot of right angles between racket & forearm during the swing. Hitting close to body, out front, with right angles for leverage provides power & control. [Kuerten has a big swing, but his swing also starts with a tight, compact foundation with proper leverage.] (The junior players in the video here are too stiff-armed. Their arms are comparatively too straight throughout the swing, with contact too far to the sideline. It's easy to see their swings don't have natural power or the natural control to make the dipping topspin.)
Fundamental: The elbow should not be too far away from the body. Look at Kuerten & Wawrinka. As they start their 1-handed topspin backhands, their elbows have the feeling that their is a connection with the body. Certainly at contact point with the ball, their elbows feel a solid connection with the body. It is somewhat like lifting a box. You can't lift a box well if your arms are stretched too much from your body. Similarly, bad things happen if your arms are stretched too far away at contact point on the 1-handed topspin backhand. (The juniors position themselves for a stroke in which the elbow does not have a close enough connection to the body. One thing a coach could do is use a speed gun to measure the juniors' backhands, & prod them to hit ever harder. In that way, perhaps the kids could teach themselves, figure out a way to hit harder. Right now, with the swings they have been taught, those kids can't really blast a topspin.)
By the way, these fundamentals should be followed also when players attempt 1-handed topspin backhands in which the strings grab the ball well, with the resultant dramatic topspin dip during ball flight.
Earlier I mentioned the backhand punches that are illegal in boxing, but that are really the basis for a great 1-handed topspin backhand. If these junior players put on boxing gloves & hit a heavy punching bag with backhand punches, it would give them the proper idea of how to hit great 1-handed topspin backhands. It would significantly (& quickly) facilitate their development for that stroke. (The junior players here are pretty good, but they dream of becoming great. Why not teach them a little better?)
But I digress...
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