Deep Defensive Backhand: Power Through Proper Loading

Key Points

• The only way to get “comfortable” in tennis is to spend large periods of time “uncomfortable”
• Give your players tough balls and allow them to react naturally
• “Form follows function”: Test and challenge your player first, and then pick out the areas you need to work on
• 1. Weight load on your back leg
• 2. Push explosively back with your front leg
• 3. Drive up with your back leg
• 4. Swing the racket and transfer body mass and drive into the ball
• When in defensive positions, your aim is to not just get the ball back, but get it back into a neutral position
• As you move back behind the baseline, there needs to be a “loading phase” where you sink and use the back leg to drive up into the shot
• Open and widen the base with your legs, squeezing and loading the left glute
• Set the racket higher on deep high balls
• Drive and load off the left leg, before landing back on the left leg and the rebalancing on the right leg into the court
• Getting back on the front foot too early can cause you to lose the power and drive from the back leg