Here is the idea that makes a two-handed backhand finally click, and most players have never been told it: for a right-handed player, a two-handed backhand is really a left-handed forehand. Once you accept that, the stroke stops being a strange two-armed lever and becomes a shot you already know how to hit — just on the other side.
In this lesson Coach Tim Brielmaier builds one from the ground up. To show the progression genuinely works, he runs it on a player who has hit a one-handed backhand his whole life and has never hit a two-hander before.
The progression, stage by stage
- The left hand on its own. Before both hands go on the grip, the left hand hits by itself. This is the whole lesson in miniature — if the left hand can't drive the ball alone, adding the right one just hides the problem.
- Throw your weight into the left palm. Coach Tim's cue is to take the weight of your body and throw it into the palm of your hand as you meet the ball. You should feel the shot in the left palm. If you don't, you are swinging with your arm instead of your body.
- Let the free hand out for balance. While it is still one-handed, the right arm comes out to balance you, the same way it would on a one-handed shot.
- Add the second hand. Now both hands, alternating one and two back to back so the feel carries across.
- Finish over the opposite shoulder. With two hands you don't stop at contact — the finish goes all the way over the other shoulder. Make the stroke longer, not harder.
- Out and up, through the ball. The common fault once pace arrives is coming up too fast. The racquet goes out toward the target first, then up. Pulling up early is what makes the ball die short.
Turn your shoulders so the palm hits the ball
The closing point ties it together. Because the two-hander is a left-handed forehand, you have to turn your shoulders far enough that the palm of the left hand can actually hit the ball. Players who leave their shoulders square end up pushing with their arms and wondering where the power went.
Should you switch from a one-hander?
Not necessarily — the student in this video keeps a good one-hander and shows it near the end for comparison. A two-hander is generally steadier on high balls and under pace, while a one-hander gives you more reach and a more natural slice. The point of the lesson isn't that one is better. It is that if you want a proper two-hander, this is the order to build it in.
Where to go next
For adding spin to the backhand you now have, read weaponize your backhand: topspin step by step and topspin and underspin. If the weight transfer is the part that keeps slipping, start with weight control and spacing, and for the full stroke foundation see the beginner's groundstrokes guide.
Get a lesson to build on it
Changing a backhand is the kind of thing that goes faster with someone watching you hit — the left-palm feel in particular is hard to self-diagnose. 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.