Learning to Hit a Double-Handed Backhand

A Progressive Coaching Guide

1. Understanding Cross Dominance

Most players are cross dominant. For a right-handed player, the forehand feels more natural because the dominant hand controls the stroke and the body rotates in an intuitive direction.

The single-handed backhand often feels more complex because the racket travels across the body, altering spinal alignment and changing how the ball relates to the strike zone.

If you want to develop a strong double-handed backhand, you must reverse the dominance pattern.

For a right-handed player:

The left hand becomes the primary driver
The right hand provides support and structure

This is not instinctive. After years of reinforcing right-side dominance, retraining the system requires deliberate practice.

2. Core Principle: The Left Hand Leads

In a right-handed double backhand:

The left hand performs a forehand-style action.
The right hand stabilizes and supports.
The left side drives the kinetic chain.

If the right hand dominates:

Rotation becomes restricted.
Power leaks from the sequence.
The stroke becomes arm-driven rather than body-driven.
Topspin production decreases.

The technical objective is clear: the left hand must control the stroke.

3. Phase 1 – Re-Educating the Left Hand

Before using both hands, you must establish control with the non-dominant side.

Drill: Left-Handed Forehands

Have a partner gently feed or throw balls from short distance.

Hit left-handed forehands only, focusing on:

Clean contact
Low-to-high swing path
Stable base
Controlled tempo
Slightly open racket face

This drill builds:

Coordination
Proprioception
Motor control
Dominance awareness

Short, frequent sessions (5–10 minutes) are more effective than long, inconsistent ones. You are reprogramming movement patterns.

4. Phase 2 – Integrating Both Hands

Once the left hand can control the ball with reasonable consistency, reintroduce the right hand.

Key intention:

The left hand swings. The right hand supports.

Maintain the feeling of a left-handed forehand while the right hand stabilizes the frame.

Avoid squeezing tightly with the right hand. Excess tension shifts control back to the dominant side.

5. Technical Fundamentals

Grip Structure

Left hand: Eastern or semi-western forehand grip
Right hand: Continental or slight eastern

Swing Path

Begin below the ball
Accelerate low to high
Finish high over the shoulder
Keep the chest relatively closed before contact

Racket Face

Start slightly open to prioritize control. Add topspin once contact quality is consistent.

6. Footwork and Balance

The double-handed backhand depends heavily on lower-body organization.

Structured footwork patterns such as prep steps, split steps, and decisive first steps are critical. The first step is often the most important in positioning efficiently.

Small, controlled adjustment steps improve body alignment and balance.

Balance is foundational. Players often improve ball control significantly simply by stabilizing better during the stroke.

If the base is unstable:

The right hand compensates
The stroke becomes rushed
Power and control diminish

7. Kinetic Chain Integration

Power in the double-handed backhand follows this sequence:

Ground force
Outside leg loading
Hip rotation
Trunk rotation
Shoulder acceleration
Arm extension
Racket head speed

The left hand must guide this chain.

When the right hand dominates, hip and trunk sequencing often stalls. The result is a push rather than a rotational strike.

Focus on:

Loading into the outside leg
Initiating rotation from the hips
Finishing with controlled upper-body rotation toward target

8. Behavioral Discipline and Habit Formation

Rewiring dominance patterns requires repetition and structure.

A significant portion of movement behavior is automatic. Changing ingrained motor habits requires intentional system design.

Use the following framework:

Make it obvious – Schedule left-hand training early in sessions.
Make it attractive – Track clean contact and consistency.
Make it easy – Start with slow, cooperative feeds.
Make it satisfying – Measure improvement in control before adding pace.

Consistency over time produces neurological adaptation.

9. Adding Topspin and Pace

Progression should occur only after control is stable.

To add topspin:

Close the racket face slightly
Increase racket head speed
Accelerate upward through contact
Maintain balance through the finish

Do not introduce pace before achieving repeatable contact and correct sequencing.

10. Common Technical Errors

Right hand overpowering the stroke
Over-rotation before contact
Upright posture without leg loading
Large, inefficient footwork steps
Attempting full power too early

Correction always begins with base, balance, and left-hand dominance.

11. Recommended Practice Structure (20 Minutes)

5 minutes – Left-hand forehands
5 minutes – Two-handed shadow swings
5 minutes – Cooperative crosscourt rally
5 minutes – Directional control drill

Repeat 3–4 sessions per week.

12. Final Coaching Perspective

The double-handed backhand should not be viewed as a weaker side.

For a right-handed player, it is effectively a left-handed forehand supported by the dominant hand.

When trained with this framework:

Control improves
Power develops naturally
Stability increases
Confidence builds

The objective is not to learn a new stroke.

It is to retrain dominance and allow the correct side to lead the kinetic chain.