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Many beginners think that the backhand ground stroke is a difficult
one. However, once the footwork and basics of the stroke are mastered,
it becomes a very natural shot and can be a very effective weapon.
Here are some points to remember for the backhand: 1. For the grip,
the hand is placed at the top of the handle and the thumb placed either
across the back of the handle or wrapped around it. 2. From the basic
ready position, turn the upper body so that you are sideways to the net.
3. Take the racket back in a slight looping motion, so that it is
about perpendicular to the net.
4. As you complete your backswing, bring the forward foot around in
front of you and step towards the ball, keeping your weight on the back
foot until you start the forward swing. 5. Use a firm grip and ensure
that it is a strong grip as you come to hit the ball. 6. Make
contact with the ball just ahead of your forward hip.
7. Transfer your body weight as you hit so that all your body weight
is on the front foot when contact with the ball is made. 8. Continue
the follow through after the ball has been hit and let your rear foot
come through as you finish the stroke. Sliced Backhand The
motion described above can be used for the sliced backhand. The racket
head will be slightly open and the position of the racket remains high
when coming forward to hit the ball. The swing path is from high to low.
 Topspin Backhand For this shot, the racket head is
positioned in a more straight vertical position. After the loop back,
the racket head is dropped low and the knees are bent as well. The swing
path is from low to high.
Two-handed Backhand For one-handed shots, the player has a
choice of using slice (backspin) or topspin. For the two-handed shots,
topspin is invariably used because slice is difficult to achieve. For
that reason, the racket head will drop low and scrape the back of the
ball from bottom to top, thus imparting topspin.
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