Are Two Hands Better Than One?

Everywhere people are playing tennis, from the public parks to professional stadiums and arenas, you’ll see people of all ages using two hands on the backhand side. The two-handed backhand boom is here to stay. Back in the 1940’s, players like Pancho Segura came onto the scene using two hands in a professional atmosphere for the first time. Since then, we’ve seen a significant number of pros rise to the top using two hands on the backhand side. Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova, Raphael Nadal, and the list goes on.

Today’s teaching pros are following suit. I would be willing to bet that 90% of today’s youngsters start out hitting two-handed backhands. I started out using two hands on the backhand side because I needed the other hand on the racquet for more power and control. Although I switched to a one handed backhand as I became older and stronger, many two-handed players continue to use the two-handed backhand throughout their careers.

Yes, the two-handed backhand can be a powerful weapon, but it has its limitations. Your reach is limited in some situations, and in some instances, it’s difficult to get out of the way of a ball coming right you. If you like the two-handed shot, at least adapt a one handed shot to get extra reach on wide hit balls. One great plus for the two-handed backhand is that you can learn to disguise the direction of your shots with a flick of the wrists. Racquet technology and the overall improvement of athletic conditioning has made this possible, raising the level of all shot-making in tennis contributing to the effectiveness of the two-handed shot.