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The One Handed Backhand:
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The One Handed Backhand:
Defending the High Bounce
John Craig
The high bounce is one reason why two-handers prevail in junior tennis since it’s win and win now. Doesn’t have to be that way! And especially not for adult players at all levels. In addition if you have a one-hander it’s not necessary to default to slice. In this new installment in his one-handed backhand series, John Craig presents 3 options for dealing with high bouncing balls—and how to master them.
Higher contact? The key is the level of the racket head. Taking it early? That is a matter of practice and repetition starting with a simple self-feed drill. A shorter ball but still a steep trajectory? Court position can allow you to maintain normal contact height.
This article is a natural complement to the first articles in the series. Click Here to see them all.
John is a former Division I Collegiate player with over 35 years of playing, coaching and teaching experience. He is an Elite member of the USPTA, and has been an avid player, student and coach since his passion for tennis flourished in 1976. Based in Orange County, California, John has developed hundreds of students into quality players over the course of 3 decades.
John has held a variety of prestigious tennis positions, including serving as the Director of Tennis at the legendary John Wayne Tennis Club in Newport Beach, CA. John was also the founder and Director of The Edge Tennis Academy, a high-performance Junior Development program, also in Newport Beach. In addition to developing his latest project - Performance Plus Tennis, John is also a Pro at the Newport Beach Tennis Club.
Source: tennisplayer.net archive — The One Handed Backhand - Defending the High Bounce.docx (John Yandell teaching library, 2002-2022). Extracted and rendered as HTML for Tennis Future Lab.