Master both one-handed and two-handed backhand technique with comprehensive AI biomechanical analysis. Understand the metrics that separate recreational players from professionals.
Your backhand style fundamentally changes the biomechanics. Our AI automatically identifies whether you use one or two hands by measuring wrist separation and hand activity at contact.
At the contact frame, we measure the distance between your wrists. If your non-dominant hand is close to the racket (<25cm) and actively positioned above shoulder height, you're using a two-handed backhand. Otherwise, one-handed.
Detection Criteria:
Advantages: Greater reach, slice variation, elegant aesthetics
Challenges: Requires more strength, precision timing
Detection Criteria:
Advantages: More power, better topspin, easier learning curve
Challenges: Less reach, harder to slice
Professional Examples: Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, and Dominic Thiem use one-handed backhands for variety and reach. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray dominate with two-handed power and consistency.
Backhand preparation determines your power ceiling. Like the forehand, backhands benefit from shoulder-hip separation (X-factor), though the mechanics differ slightly.
On backhands, you turn your back to the net, creating shoulder rotation that loads trunk muscles. We measure the horizontal distance between shoulders to quantify this turn.
Your hips should turn less than shoulders, creating the X-factor stretch. We measure hip rotation separately and calculate the differential.
X-Factor = Shoulder Rotation - Hip Rotation
This measures elastic energy stored in your trunk. Backhand X-factor is typically 20-35cm - slightly less than forehand due to biomechanical constraints of the non-dominant side.
Common Backhand Mistake: Failing to turn shoulders fully, especially on two-handers. This eliminates the power advantage of having two hands on the racket. Think "show your back" to the net on preparation.
Backhand contact point varies by style but principles remain constant. Our AI measures forward position, height, arm extension, and strike zone to optimize your contact location.
How far in front of your body you make contact, measured from shoulder to wrist. Contact point differs between one and two-handed backhands.
Optimal: 25-40 cm (10-16") in front
Needs more forward contact for leverage and power generation with single arm.
Optimal: 15-30 cm (6-12") in front
Can hit slightly closer to body due to dual-arm power and control.
We measure contact height relative to your shoulder and categorize into strike zones:
The angle formed by your shoulder, elbow, and wrist reveals leverage and control at impact.
We measure head position through contact. Professional players keep their head still and watch the ball onto the strings, even on backhands hit on the run.
Pro Tip: Two-handers can handle late balls better due to closer contact point. One-handers must set up earlier and make contact further forward to generate power.
Effective weight transfer separates powerful backhands from weak ones. Our AI tracks hip movement, balance, and stance to quantify your weight transfer efficiency.
The horizontal distance your hips move from preparation through contact, measured in centimeters. This reveals how much body weight you're putting into the shot.
We measure the offset between your center of mass and your base of support (midpoint between feet). Maintaining balance through the shot is critical for consistency.
The distance between your feet at different phases. Optimal width provides stability without restricting movement.
Our analysis adapts to your stance choice:
Advanced Technique: Elite players often use open stance backhands for time-saving, especially two-handers. Our system measures whether you're generating sufficient hip rotation to compensate for lack of forward step.
Modern backhands require heavy topspin for consistency and court control. We analyze your racket path angle, swing plane, and brush distance to measure spin potential.
The vertical angle of your racket path through the contact zone. We calculate the angle change from preparation to follow-through to determine low-to-high swing path.
The tilt of your racket face at impact, measured via forearm angle (proxy). Slightly closed face with upward path creates topspin while maintaining depth.
The vertical distance your racket travels through the ball. Longer brush distance = more spin potential when combined with racket head speed.
Naturally generates more slice and underspin due to wrist freedom. Topspin requires aggressive low-to-high path (30-40°).
Generates more natural topspin due to dual-arm speed. Moderate path (20-30°) sufficient for heavy spin.
Slice Backhand Detection: If our system detects a negative or flat racket path angle, it classifies the shot as a slice backhand and adjusts evaluation criteria accordingly. Slice requires different optimal ranges for power and control.
Complete follow-through ensures full power transfer and injury prevention. We measure follow-through distance, direction, and arm position at finish.
The total distance your racket hand travels from contact to finish, measured in centimeters. Complete follow-through indicates full acceleration through contact.
Where your racket finishes relative to your body. Optimal follow-through is forward and up, not across your body or behind your head.
One-handers should finish with arm extended above opposite shoulder. Two-handers typically finish with hands at or above head height, wrapped around body.
After completing follow-through, we track whether you return to athletic ready position. Elite players finish their backhand balanced and ready to move for the next ball.
Your backhand receives detailed scoring across all components. The system adjusts expectations based on whether you use one or two hands.
One-Handed Recommendations:
Two-Handed Recommendations:
Get instant feedback on your one-handed or two-handed backhand technique. Discover exactly what's holding back your backhand power and consistency.
Start Backhand AnalysisThe decision depends on your goals and physical capabilities. Two-handed backhands are more powerful and consistent for most players. One-handed backhands offer greater reach and slice variety. Our analysis shows strengths of your current technique - major changes should be discussed with a pro coach.
Common causes revealed by analysis: insufficient shoulder turn (<20cm), late contact point (behind body), poor weight transfer (<5cm), or incomplete follow-through. The AI identifies which specific component needs work.
Yes! The system detects slice backhands (negative racket path angle) and adjusts evaluation criteria. Slice requires different optimal ranges than topspin drives, which our analysis accounts for.
ATP/WTA players typically show: X-factor >30cm, contact 25-35cm forward, weight transfer >15cm, and consistent racket paths with 2000+ RPM topspin. Our analysis shows where you compare to these benchmarks.