Backhands 🎯 🎾 – Tennis Tots/Titans Teaching Guide

The backhand is usually the second shot children will learn, and sometimes is best taught as forehand from the other side, i.e. same principles: Sideways on to the ball, low to high, finish over the opposite shoulder. The hitting hand should go above the non-hitting (often they get this the wrong way around)

Demonstrate: Children will learn from watching the coaches, so please demonstrate a backhand at every level. Please see the video for good forehand and backhand technique: https://youtu.be/oOsmGn2_piE?si=tdTf6v6pINvWlD8q

🧸 One hand or two?

Two... At Tots or Titans age, we would encourage two hands on the racket for a backhand with the hitting hand on the bottom. If a child is keen to hit with one hand then this should be encouraged to at least try, but it will take a lot longer to learn. Good 1 had backhand technique video:  https://youtu.be/L3ZzViOphWc?si=zjpKB7ztGLg2m0LM                             

Backhand progressions starting in Tots

·       Hitting on tees. Even if the tots have advanced past hitting on tees on forehand, it may be useful to return to tees for backhand, to have a stationary target.

·       Technique is to simply drop the racket head (wrist) below the ball, and lift over the shoulder after contact. Make sure racket race is not too open on takeback, and swing doesn’t get too big, dominant hand above non-dominant on grip

·       Drop feeding; usually parent-led; players can drop feed themselves, but it can be a bit awkward with the second hand on the racket

·     Spin machines: great for getting feel of brushing up the ball

·       Left-handed forehands: If it isn’t too confusing, you can introduce some left-handed forehands to encourage the dominance of the left hand,

·       Slow the balls down as much as possible to give the child time to perform the correct technique; use footballs, big foam, mini-red.

·       Once the child has started hitting backhand mix between forehand and backhand fees to get the feel of grip changes and body rotations.

Start to work on accuracy, aiming both cross-court and down the line