The death of the single handed backhand :'(

by LuvSports! Tue 28 Jul 2015, 9:37 pm

http://richard-mills-sports.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/a-dying-art-ode-to-single-handed.html

My light hearted piece on a topic that touches all of our hearts. If not, damn you two handers!

Thoughts?

by HM Murdock Tue 28 Jul 2015, 10:44 pm

I tend to agree.

I don't dislike DHBH per se. Nalbandian's was good to watch and I always thought Davydenko had a nice flow to his.

Novak's backhand is machine-like rather than artistic but it does at least bring something to the game - namely one of the best returns of serve I've seen and the only shot that could regularly stand up to Nadal's forehand artillery.

In other words, I don't mind losing a bit of aesthetic beauty if I'm still seeing a good shot.

What frustrates me is that few DHBHs are especially good shots but it has just become the standard thing to do. All the things that a SHBH can bring are vanishing from the game.

by LuvSports! Tue 28 Jul 2015, 10:53 pm

I like plenty of players with a dhbh.
Loved Nalby's, was the best i've ever seen for shot making (admittedly only seen as far back as Agassi consistently.)

I think there are a lot of players I like who have dhbh's but not solely because they have that shot.
I.e. Dolgo, Brown, goffin, Nishi, fog, paire, Berankis etc.

by bogbrush Wed 29 Jul 2015, 8:46 am

DHBH's is, to be blunt, a girls shot.

Real men do SHBH.

by Guest Wed 29 Jul 2015, 8:55 am

I can say I have never found comfort in playing a DHBH. Just feels un-natural.

Whilst there is a striking beauty to the artistry of the SHBH because of how players have played it like Federer, Wawrinka and Gasquet, I do feel Ljubicic and Blake deserve a mention as their SHBH were massive!

There are some players who do play a superb DHBH. Agassi led the charge with how it should be played. Nalbandian, Davydenko and Fognini all have lovely DHBH's. I just think the sport needs to encourage more SHBH by adjusting conditions so it doesn't die out completely. Again the blame lies with the state of the sport, rather than coaches and players.

by LuvSports! Wed 29 Jul 2015, 8:59 am

legendkillarV2 wrote:I can say I have never found comfort in playing a DHBH. Just feels un-natural.

Whilst there is a striking beauty to the artistry of the SHBH because of how players have played it like Federer, Wawrinka and Gasquet, I do feel Ljubicic and Blake deserve a mention as their SHBH were massive!

There are some players who do play a superb DHBH. Agassi led the charge with how it should be played. Nalbandian, Davydenko and Fognini all have lovely DHBH's. I just think the sport needs to encourage more SHBH by adjusting conditions so it doesn't die out completely. Again the blame lies with the state of the sport, rather than coaches and players.

Spot. On. Good. Sir.

by MMT1 Wed 29 Jul 2015, 6:13 pm

bogbrush wrote:DHBH's is, to be blunt, a girls shot.

Real men do SHBH.

LMAO!

by MMT1 Wed 29 Jul 2015, 6:25 pm

legendkillarV2 wrote:...Again the blame lies with the state of the sport, rather than coaches and players.

I believe that the money in the game makes the 2-handed backhand the more likely choice for juniors coming up in the game. The only solution would be to mitigate the importance of the juniors - there's a few ways to do that, but that would still probably be too late for most juniors.

by Guest Wed 29 Jul 2015, 6:41 pm

MMT1 wrote:
legendkillarV2 wrote:...Again the blame lies with the state of the sport, rather than coaches and players.

I believe that the money in the game makes the 2-handed backhand the more likely choice for juniors coming up in the game. The only solution would be to mitigate the importance of the juniors - there's a few ways to do that, but that would still probably be too late for most juniors.

I wouldn't say money. I'd say that the DHBH gives a player greater consistency. It's a start to getting them on the board I guess.

I'd say that for far richer success, lurks a more sinister path Wink

by socal1976 Wed 29 Jul 2015, 11:39 pm

Basically, the one hander is not as functional or as good at the highest levels of the game because of the way the game is played. The huge spin and the slower conditions makes it less effective in particular in terms of the return. The difference is apparent, Federer is a great ball striker and Djokovic is a great player, see how they each handle the kick serve and Nadal's high FH crosscourt with a lot of spin. Djokovic with a two hander has no problem in those areas. Meanwhile Federer as great as he is has problems with these two simple patterns. Also a two hander is more effective on the pass when pulled out wide.

I know BB tries to make it all about manliness but it really is about results and players who are promising juniors if they switch to a one hander or keep their one hander are most likely damaging their likelihood of success. Even Wawrinka, his biggest deficiency is in his return game mainly because of his backhand. The backhand return is so important in tennis particularly on the second serve that it is two much of give way to lose that stability in returning the kick serve.

One handed backhand is nothing magical or manly. I don't even practice it much but every now and again if I am playing like someone much worse than me I switch to a one hander that is better than a lot of guys who hit a one hander all the time. It is actually much easier to hit the low ball and moving up into the court than with a two hander. And I have to say it is fun, probably more fun to hit with a one hander when your playing. Especially when you blast a few winners with it. But in a match against pressure I would never trade my regular BH then two hander. I had to take months off playing tennis when I was in Iran for awhile, when I came back a few months ago my FH was a mess, but the two hander was like boom I had never left. Like clockwork.

by bogbrush Thu 30 Jul 2015, 8:04 am

A SHBH is similarly reliable, more so in my case than the forehand. I've mentioned this trick before; put the racquet in your wrong hand and try to play a forehand stroke (no ball). It's awful in my case - the thing has no stability. Now play a backhand - it's easy and smooth.

As far as manliness goes I stand by my assertion. Real men do it with one hand, and those who do it with two might enjoy some success but they'll never be asked back for whiskey & cigars after dinner.

by HM Murdock Thu 30 Jul 2015, 9:48 am

bogbrush wrote:...those who do it with two might enjoy some success but they'll never be asked back for whiskey & cigars after dinner.

I'm adding this to my personal lexicon and will be passing it off as my own wit at the earliest opportunity.

"Hi Roger"

"Hi Pete. Glad I saw you. Mac, Stefan, Boris and Ivan are coming back to mine to open a bottle of Macallan and smoke some Cubans. Fancy joining us?

"Sounds great"

"Hi guys"

"Oh, hey Novak"

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing......"

by Guest Thu 30 Jul 2015, 10:39 am

HM Murdoch wrote:
bogbrush wrote:...those who do it with two might enjoy some success but they'll never be asked back for whiskey & cigars after dinner.

I'm adding this to my personal lexicon and will be passing it off as my own wit at the earliest opportunity.

"Hi Roger"

"Hi Pete. Glad I saw you. Mac, Stefan, Boris and Ivan are coming back to mine to open a bottle of Macallan and smoke some Cubans. Fancy joining us?

"Sounds great"

"Hi guys"

"Oh, hey Novak"

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing......Oh hey is that a Monte Cristo?"

"It is, but you can't hold it with both hands I'm afraid."

"Really?"

"Yes I am afraid Novak"

by lags72 Thu 30 Jul 2015, 11:22 am

Too funny

HMM, bb - you guys are wasted here !

by CAS Mon 03 Aug 2015, 1:57 pm

I've always considered a double hander as a safe shot, the women all seem to have great double handers more so than forehands.

It's like a rally shot while the forehand is the killshot. With a single hander, it's more useful if you come to net as a double handed volley is the ugliest shot in tennis in my opinion. I used to cringe at Davydenko doing it. If you have a single hander you are usually better at net. So with less net players the shot is dying out.

Andy Murray's backhand impresses me the most, Djokovics is a lot about how he moves to it and bends into it, Murray's is a killshot, a rally shot, and he has in my opinion the best slice after Federer. All round is a great, great shot.

Wawrinka and Gasquet have great singlehanders but I think both have tame slices

by socal1976 Mon 03 Aug 2015, 7:08 pm

Murdoch if you like explosive finishing shots take a look at Paire or Gulbis' backhands, especially Paire. He hits more winners with his backhand than a lot of players do with the FH. From the middle of the court he doesn't run around the backhand ever just hits it flat and hard from any spot in the court.

To me it is just the nature of the game, conditions, and how the game has evolved. If I was coaching a player today I just don't see the pay off as a matter of functionality for encouraging a talented junior to use that shot. So you have a better slice backhand and volleys, that doesn't make up for not being nearly as strong at returning a big kick serve to your backhand. Most second serves that is what players are going to try to do is to kick to your backhand. If you have to chip everyone back like Fed and Wawrinka do 80-90 percent of the time will the best pros will zoom in on it.

by HM Murdock Mon 03 Aug 2015, 9:31 pm

^Socal, yes, I really like Paire's BH, especially his BHDTL.

With Gulbis, it really depends what day it is. If he's on one of his good days, he packs a punch with his BH, on other days it looks unremarkable. In comparison to his ugly forehand though, it looks great!

I don't see a SHBH as inherently better than a DHBH (nearly always looks nicer though), I just think it's sad that is fading from the game.

by CAS Mon 03 Aug 2015, 9:58 pm

They both woud flourish if there was a distinction between surfaces...

by socal1976 Tue 04 Aug 2015, 2:31 am

I think it has a lot more to do with the technology than the surfaces to be honest. Really since the advent of the graphite racquet and now with the new strings it has been a long trend towards power baseline tennis. And at the same time we have gradually seen less serve and volley, and less one handed backhands really since the early 80s. I mean in the late seventies two handers were a rarity. By the late 90s most of the best guys hit it with two hands. This is long before they slowed down the conditions. It principally has to do with the graphite racquet allowing players to return better and to hit more winners from the back of the court as well. And now with the extra spin in the game from the strings it has further exasperated the trend.

by socal1976 Tue 04 Aug 2015, 2:33 am

HM Murdoch wrote:^Socal, yes, I really like Paire's BH, especially his BHDTL.

With Gulbis, it really depends what day it is. If he's on one of his good days, he packs a punch with his BH, on other days it looks unremarkable. In comparison to his ugly forehand though, it looks great!

I don't see a SHBH as inherently better than a DHBH (nearly always looks nicer though), I just think it's sad that is fading from the game.

It isn't better but it is prettier. In fact the reverse is true that the two hander is proving a better choice for a huge majority of top players because with modern technology it is just a better shot with two hands.

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