A weak backhand is a target — good opponents find it within a few games and go after it for the rest of the match. The fix isn't avoiding your backhand; it's building a topspin backhand you can trust. In this lesson, Coach Tim Brielmaier builds the topspin backhand step by step, from the grip up, so your backhand side stops being a liability and starts winning you points.
What Coach Tim covers
- The grip. Setting your hands so the racquet face is ready to brush up the back of the ball — the foundation everything else builds on.
- Shoulder turn and preparation. Turning early so the racquet is set before the ball arrives, with your body coiled to unwind into the shot.
- The low-to-high swing. Dropping the racquet below the ball and brushing up through contact — the vertical path that creates topspin, net clearance, and depth.
- Step by step, then together. Each piece in isolation first, then blended into one repeatable swing you can groove on your own.
Why a topspin backhand changes your game
Topspin is what lets you swing with confidence on the backhand side — the spin pulls the ball down into the court, so you can drive it instead of poking it back. Once opponents can't attack your backhand, they have nowhere cheap to go with the ball. If you want the fundamentals behind the spin itself, watch Coach Tim's lessons on topspin on the forehand and backhand and the two spins every player needs.
Get a lesson to build on it
A backhand rebuild sticks fastest with a coach watching your grip, turn, and swing path in person — reinforcing good form rather than grooving mistakes. Coach Tim is a mobile coach across Florida's Space Coast and Treasure Coast and comes to your court. See lessons and pricing, or read what to expect in your first lesson. Not local? Ask about online coaching— send a video of your swing and get Coach Tim's eyes on it.