Follow Through

The fourth step of the two-handed backhand is the follow through. From my contact point, I extend out in the direction I’m hitting the tennis ball. At the same time I continue to rotate my upper body until I’m more or less facing the net. Once I’ve done this, I bring the tennis racket up over my shoulder by bending my elbows. That’s the end of my two-handed backhand motion.

At 24 seconds in the video we watch Frank follow through on his two-handed backhand. From contact, Frank begins his follow through by extending out in the direction he’s hitting the tennis ball. As he extends out he continues to rotate his upper body. To complete his two-handed backhand motion, he bends at the elbows and brings the tennis racket up over his shoulder. The key to the follow through is that it needs to be done smoothly so that you can decelerate the tennis racket and your body in a nice, easy motion.

At 55 seconds we use some pictures of Radek Stepanek’s two-handed backhand to demonstrate the mechanics of the follow through. In the first picture Stepanek has just made contact with the tennis ball. He’s extending out in the direction he’s hitting. You can see that he’s got great extension with his left arm. He’s also rotating is upper body back toward the net. In the next picture, he’s continued to rotate so that he’s pretty much facing the net. He’s also rapped the racket over his shoulder by bending at the elbows. This picture is the completion of Stepanek’s two-handed backhand motion.