The one-handed backhand is hit with the hitting arm alone, usually from an Eastern backhand grip. Compared with the two-hander it uses a bigger shoulder turn in the backswing, gets more of its racket speed from the arm than from trunk rotation, and meets the ball further in front. Early preparation, a near-straight arm and a firm wrist at contact are what make it work, and a wrist that bends forward at impact is linked to tennis elbow.
Grip and full turn
Use an Eastern backhand grip: base knuckle of your index finger on bevel 1 (the top flat of the handle for a right-hander). The slice is usually hit with a Continental grip; that's its own lesson.
a clearly different hand position from your forehand grip.
Start ready with the racket in front and your free hand on the throat. Feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, weight on the balls of your feet.
two hands on the racket, set and balanced.
Turn early and fully. Rotate your shoulders and upper body so your back turns partly toward the ball, using your free hand on the throat to pull the racket back toward your non-hitting shoulder. Your shoulders turn more than on a two-hander and further than your hips.
coiled and side-on, back partly to the ball.
Don't cut the backswing short. Take a full, smooth backswing; in one study a short backswing gave a shorter, harder impact on the arm than a long one.
time to swing, not a rushed jab.
Step and swing
Step toward the ball with your front foot and move your weight forward. Give yourself room so the ball can be met in front of that front foot.
weight flowing onto the front foot.
Start the forward swing a little earlier than on your forehand, because contact is further in front. Let go of the throat with your free hand as the racket comes forward, and let the swing build from hips to shoulder, elbow, then wrist.
the arm whips out late in the swing, after the body starts it.
Stay sideways into contact. Your hips can open toward the net, but your shoulders should still be slightly short of facing the net when you hit. Opening your chest early pulls the racket across the ball.
hitting shoulder still pointing at the ball as you strike.
Contact well in front
Meet the ball well in front of your front foot: further in front than your forehand and your two-hander. A comfortable learning height is between knee and waist. A topspin backhand is met further forward than a slice.
you reach the ball before it reaches you.
Hit with a nearly straight arm, not a locked one. The elbow extends into contact and is close to straight at impact. Don't let the elbow lead the swing toward the net.
a long lever, arm extending through the ball.
Keep the wrist firm and laid back through contact. Skilled players hit with the back of the hand cocked back and keep extending it through the ball; novices often hit with the wrist bent forward and let it bend further. That forward-bending pattern is linked to tennis elbow.
the back of your hand drives the strings through the ball.
Finish forward and up along the line of the ball, arms spread wide. Your hitting arm continues up toward the target while your free arm stays back, weight on the front foot. Let the arm slow down on its own; don't stop the racket abruptly.
a balanced 'open wings' finish, chest still mostly sideways.
Feel it
A big early turn, then an arm that extends out in front with a firm, laid-back wrist. The body starts the swing; the arm finishes it. If the ball keeps arriving on top of you, start your turn and swing earlier rather than swinging harder. Warm up your forearm and shoulder before hitting, build backhand volume gradually, and stop if you feel pain on the outside of your elbow; get it checked by a professional. The app reads your turn, rotation and arm extension, not the ball, racket, spin or flight.
Fix-its
- You contact late, beside or behind your body Turn as soon as you see the ball coming to your backhand and start the swing earlier; meet it in front of your front foot.
- Your wrist bends forward (collapses) at contact Keep the back of your hand cocked back and drive it through the ball. If this pattern keeps coming back, slow the swing down and get a coach to look at it; it's the pattern linked to tennis elbow.
- Your elbow leads and the arm is bent at contact Let the arm extend into the ball so it's nearly straight at impact; meet the ball further in front so there's room to extend.
- You open your shoulders too early Keep your hitting shoulder pointing at the ball until contact and your free arm going back, not around.
- No turn, short backswing, all arm Use your free hand on the throat to turn your shoulders and take the racket back fully before you swing.
Drill
- Shadow swings without a ball: free hand pulls the racket back into a full turn, step, swing, and hold the arms-spread finish. Check you're still mostly sideways.
- Drop-feed: stand side-on, drop a ball in front of your front foot and hit with a full turn, straight arm and firm wrist. Stop the session if the outside of your elbow aches.
- Easy partner or coach feeds at knee-to-waist height, focusing on turning early and meeting the ball in front.
- Younger players and beginners: learn it with scaled gear (lower-compression ball, shorter racket, smaller court) before moving to full-size equipment.
- Film from the side and from behind: check the full turn on the backswing, shoulders still a little closed at contact, and the arm near straight out in front.
Sources
- Genevois, Reid, Rogowski & Crespo — Performance Factors Related to the Different Tennis Backhand Groundstrokes: A Review, JSSM (2015)
- Stępień, Bober & Zawadzki — The Kinematics of Trunk and Upper Extremities in One-Handed and Two-Handed Backhand Stroke, J Hum Kinet (2011)
- Elliott — Biomechanics and Tennis, Br J Sports Med (2006)
- Riek, Chapman & Milner — A simulation of muscle force and internal kinematics of extensor carpi radialis brevis during backhand tennis stroke: implications for injury, Clin Biomech (1999)
- USTA (Ben Zaiser) — Hitting a One-Handed Backhand (2019)
- CUHK Physical Education Unit — Tennis notes (2025)
Last checked 2026-10-26.