Elite Tennis Coach Gabe Jaramillo Demonstrates Tips to Master Your Tennis Backhand
With rare exceptions, a tennis player’s backhand tends to be his or her weakest ground stroke. But with a few simple technique tweaks, your average backhand can become a weapon on the court. Gabe Jaramillo, tennis coach at Club Med Academies in Sandpiper Bay, Florida, explains proper grip, swing and body placement to master the stroke.
RELATED: Dustin Brown Hits the Most Incredible Tennis Shot You’ll Ever See
The first thing you need to focus on is the grip. When performing the backhand swing, Jaramillo explains that 80 percent of tennis players on the pro tour have their dominate hand in a continental grip. The non-dominant hand should be placed in an eastern forehand position. This will be the best grip for a powerful backhand swing.
The perfect stroke starts when you swing the racquet straight back with the racquet a little bit above the wrist. Your arms and racquet need to be away from your body, giving you more room to hit the ball.
After you have made these corrections to your grip and swing, always use both hands to generate power. Your dominant hand should pull the racquet. Halfway through the swing, your non-dominant hand should take over and follow through.
RELATED: Serena Williams Demonstrates Some Spectacular Trick Shots With Dude Perfect
The last technique in perfecting your backhand is the double rhythm. This is when you put all the above tips into the backhand and perform two hop steps into the swing to put more power into it.
These tips from Jaramillo can help tennis player on any level. Watch the video above to see examples and drills you can perform to master the backhand.
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Elite Tennis Coach Gabe Jaramillo Demonstrates Tips to Master Your Tennis Backhand
With rare exceptions, a tennis player’s backhand tends to be his or her weakest ground stroke. But with a few simple technique tweaks, your average backhand can become a weapon on the court. Gabe Jaramillo, tennis coach at Club Med Academies in Sandpiper Bay, Florida, explains proper grip, swing and body placement to master the stroke.
RELATED: Dustin Brown Hits the Most Incredible Tennis Shot You’ll Ever See
The first thing you need to focus on is the grip. When performing the backhand swing, Jaramillo explains that 80 percent of tennis players on the pro tour have their dominate hand in a continental grip. The non-dominant hand should be placed in an eastern forehand position. This will be the best grip for a powerful backhand swing.
The perfect stroke starts when you swing the racquet straight back with the racquet a little bit above the wrist. Your arms and racquet need to be away from your body, giving you more room to hit the ball.
After you have made these corrections to your grip and swing, always use both hands to generate power. Your dominant hand should pull the racquet. Halfway through the swing, your non-dominant hand should take over and follow through.
RELATED: Serena Williams Demonstrates Some Spectacular Trick Shots With Dude Perfect
The last technique in perfecting your backhand is the double rhythm. This is when you put all the above tips into the backhand and perform two hop steps into the swing to put more power into it.
These tips from Jaramillo can help tennis player on any level. Watch the video above to see examples and drills you can perform to master the backhand.