One-Handed Backhand
A backhand groundstroke struck with a single hand on the grip, driving through the ball with a full extension of the hitting arm.
Overview
The one-handed backhand is a classic tennis groundstroke played from the non-dominant side with one hand on the racquet. It offers long reach and a smooth transition to slice and volleys, and relies on an early shoulder turn to load the shot.
Timing and a stable wrist are important because the single hand must control the racquet through contact and extension.
How to do it
- 1Turn your shoulders and take the racquet back with both hands.
- 2Step across toward the ball with your front foot.
- 3Release the non-hitting hand and swing the racquet forward.
- 4Make contact out in front and drive through the line of the ball.
- 5Extend the hitting arm and let the racquet finish high.
Key points
- Turn the shoulders early so your back is partly toward the net.
- The non-hitting hand stays on the throat of the racquet during the take-back.
- Contact is well out in front of the front foot.
Where it’s used
Sports that use one-handed backhand:
Related techniques
Topspin Forehand
A forehand groundstroke hit with a low-to-high swing that puts forward spin on the ball so it dips and kicks up on landing.
Tennis Serve
The overhead stroke that starts every point, hit from behind the baseline into the diagonally opposite service box.
Volley
A shot played near the net by blocking the ball out of the air before it bounces, using a short, firm punch rather than a full swing.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place One-Handed Backhand in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- Topspin ForehandBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- Tennis ServeBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- VolleyBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- Flat, slice and kick servesBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- The return of serveBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
Part of
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Movement patterns
- StrikeA ballistic, whole-body hitting action that channels ground-generated force through a proximal-to-distal kinetic chain to deliver momentum to a target via the hand, an implement or a body part at the moment of contact.
- RotationRotating the trunk to generate and transfer power through the body's kinetic chain, plus anti-rotation — resisting unwanted twist to keep the trunk stable.
- JumpThe plyometric pattern of projecting the body off the ground through explosive triple extension and controlling the landing — the core expression of lower-body power.
- ThrowPropelling an object by releasing it from the hand, driven by a proximal-to-distal kinetic-chain sequence that summates speed from the legs through the trunk and arm to the release point.
- CarryHolding and transporting a load while keeping the trunk braced and stable — an anti-movement pattern that builds grip, core stability and full-body strength.
Skills
- RallyingThe skill of exchanging shots back and forth to build and win a point.
- DrivingThe skill of hitting a long tee shot that sets up the rest of the hole from a playable position.
- ThrowingThe skill of propelling the ball accurately and with control using the arm.
- CatchingThe skill of cleanly securing a ball travelling through the air or off the ground.
- BreaststrokeA swimming stroke using a symmetrical arm sweep and a frog-like kick, with the head lifting to breathe.
Equipment
- Tennis racquetA strung frame with a handle, used to hit the ball in tennis. Head size, weight and balance vary to suit different playing styles.
- Tennis ballA hollow rubber ball covered in felt used in tennis and related racquet sports.
- Cricket batA flat-fronted wooden bat used by batters to hit the ball in cricket, with a curved back that concentrates weight behind the hitting area.
- Golf gloveA thin leather or synthetic glove worn on the lead hand to steady the grip.
- Golf ballA small, firm, dimpled ball struck with a club and played toward the hole on a golf course.
Facilities
Playing surfaces
- ClayA soft, granular racquet-sport surface of crushed brick, stone or shale that slows the ball, gives a high bounce and lets players slide into shots.
- GrassNatural turf grown on soil — the traditional surface for many field sports and, in tennis, a fast court with a low, skiddy bounce.
- Hard courtA rigid acrylic, concrete or asphalt court that gives a true, consistent, medium-paced bounce — the standard multi-use outdoor surface.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Technique
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-12
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