Episode #71 Season 25: Shaun Boyce & Justin Yeo

On this episode of 10 Minutes of Tennis, world renowned tennis coach, Australian in Puerto Rico, Justin Yeo, shares 10 tips in 10 minutes about your BACKHAND!

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With that said, let's get started with 10 minutes of tennis.

Today, this is 10 minutes of tennis, but this is 10 tips in 10 minutes and today's 10 tips

are about your backhand.

So Justin, now we're down to 9 minutes.

It looks like that's all you got.

Number one, let's jump right in.

Ready stance.

Talk to me.

Yeah, so ready stance.

Every stroke of inexplaining the same thing, but it's really so critical because it sets

the tone for everything.

It sets the tone for the split step.

It sets the tone to be able to turn the unit turn and be comfortable and balanced.

It sets the tone to be engaged.

To be able to hit the backhand.

A lot of people have weak backhand for the reason they've got an a decent ready stance.

They're not ready to go for the standing vertical and they're going to get nothing on

the ball.

So ready stance, I'm always going to be pretty cool on, I'm always heavy on it.

So absolute, check your ready stance.

Make sure you've got a flaky face.

Make sure you're in the balls of your feet.

Number two, unit turn.

Yes, so unit turn is pretty cool again.

I see a lot of people saying, "Rack it back, rack it back, rack it back."

No, you've got a turn.

And even people on this lately that I've noticed a lot of people, is they really don't

tend the pelvis.

It's like ten they shoulder.

And then there's no real pelvic ten.

The pelvis ten is really where the talk is happening.

So unit turn is pretty cool to be the first thing.

I always say, "What's chocolate?"

She's the best at it.

What you go.

When the ball goes to backhand, he's already like this on the way.

A lot of people don't have mobility or stability or balance.

So they tend to run at the ball and then turn.

And if they turn, they turn it too late.

So pretty cool is the unit turn.

It's learning how to use it and really making sure it's part of your strength.

Yeah, turn then move, right?

Yep.

Number three, one-hander or two-hander.

Yeah, so I bring this one up because I've had a lot of people that have been too dominant

on the right hand or on the one hand, dominant hand which left or right, but the dominant

hand is too dominant and is struggling to hit a two-hand up.

But everyone keeps telling them, "Hit a two-hand up."

So I'm bringing that one up in a tip for the reason that no reach hand or no reach one is

really your stroke, a one-hand up or two-hand up.

Don't be afraid, right?

Because yes, a one-hand it takes a little longer.

But you're going to have all the advantages because you have such a dominant bottom hand

that you can actually learn how to utilize it if you just give it time.

So I find a lot of people are too dominant on the bottom hand and if they've got nothing

on the other hand, like I just make them hit the opposite hand on its own.

If they can hit a single ball back on the non-dominant hand, I'm like, "What are you doing?

Let's stick to the dominant hand and I'll show you how to hit a one-hand up."

So don't be afraid of it.

That's why I brought that tip up.

Yep, give it a shot.

Number four, understanding of the grip.

Yeah, understanding the grip is pretty cool for backhand, I think.

I try not to talk about forehand too much on the grip for the reason that it's very easy,

most people shake hands and off they go.

But on the backhand, it can be really critical to understand where the knuckle should be,

where the fingers should be spread out.

You know, because there are a lot of people just making a fist.

Now you can't work your wrist, right?

So there's a lot of advantages to understanding the grip and for a two-hand up, it is critical.

Because if the baller hand is too close, you can't finish the two-hand correctly.

So learning that, there are a lot of plays.

I guess you were one of the first that you've got almost hit with his forehand grip on the

two-hand.

Because sometimes it was quick and he didn't have to change grip, so he was all dominant

the other hand.

So again, just understanding the grips is really critical and making sure that your coach

is explaining to you where your advantage is out and what you should have.

All right?

Number five, slice is important.

Yeah, it's just to me, not just as an Australian, just anybody.

You really need to learn a slice.

Because when you're coming in, you know, very hard to hit a two-hand up backhand or even

a one-hand up top spin on the run.

It's very effective to learn how to hit a slice.

If you hit a slice and you're in struggle and you're trying to get back into play, it's

the one stroke that allows you to just bring it back into the court and back into the court.

All right?

So slice backhand absolutely critical for me to use.

And slice return, you'll hear me in a week.

I'll be talking about slice return as well.

Very critical.

The other try to make it happen.

And number six, non-dominant hand is critical.

It sounds like there's a theme here.

Yeah.

Again, we just, it steadies the racket.

It allows the grip tension, right?

It allows you to make sure that you're not too tight that you can't snap through it.

The non-dominant hand is so critical.

Two-hand up, the two-hand up.

You should be taking it back with that hand.

Not with this hand because now it's too tight and you can't finish a swing.

Okay?

So non-dominant hand is constant.

The one-hand up and two-hand up.

One-hand up when he pulls it back, he's helping the grip change.

He's helping lock it in.

I'm ready to unleash on the one-hand up.

So I just think the non-dominant hand is something that doesn't get talked about enough.

And it's a critical roll.

It's critical roll in the ready stance.

Critical.

Because if it's here, it's got nothing.

You're actually tight.

You're sitting down and you're healed.

If it's here, you're actually getting ready to go forward and meet the ball.

So non-dominant hand to me is a big one.

And grip change.

Number seven.

Grip change, yes or no?

Yes.

So I've bring that one up because a lot of people talk about it.

If they're too hand up, you could actually be sitting in a neutral continental grip that

actually would allow you to hit a slice if you need it and still have a two-hand up.

If for some reason, obviously if you're in that backhand grip change, you can still turn

it to hit your forehand into a forehand grip too.

So I don't know, I soak it back grip change as well for one hand up.

One hand it obviously definitely.

Sometimes people actually stand waiting in the backhand grip because they feel like their

backhand is their weakness.

So how to get to a forehand grip quickly from it, from a knock-alow to the top.

But again, just understanding, I've bring that up because you can get away with less grip

change if you actually work on what you need to do and what you need to do.

It sounds like it's pretty personal for a lot of players.

It's going to be a little bit different.

It is.

It is.

But there are a lot of plays that think about too much of the grip change, but I hope you

could lead them or I'm trying to give you a tip to bring it up so you want to stand your

grip change.

There you go.

Number eight.

Outside foot is something to be mindful of.

Yes.

So that's a critical one for two-hand up.

And now one-hand up.

You've realized now that the back foot is a driving force into the one-hand up backhand.

The outside foot is obviously the driving force for a two-hand up.

You shouldn't be leaning into it and just turn.

You're actually turning and trying to put the weight into the outside leg to drive and

help rotation, especially the angular rotation of the two-hand up.

So it is critical for both.

And it's probably the one thing that doesn't get talked about for both of them.

I can't stand seeing someone being taught how to step and then hit the ball.

We should be working on unit turn, loading, and then you can finish with your step.

So outside leg can help that.

And I'm just giving you the tip that if you cross step too much and you're too closed,

I'm giving you a tip, focus a little bit on the outside leg or the other foot so you

can start to drive and help rotation.

And not to ignore the forehand return, but you've got something specifically about the backhand

return.

The backhand return, I'll just bring it up because we're talking back in.

And backhand usually people will talk about, "That's my weakness, that's my weakness."

Backhand returns, "My weakness."

Actually, it could be a strength because if you can actually practice it more and get

your ready stance correctly, understand your grip change, understand what Jinnon Dumbana

hands doing.

Understand the slice return versus the top finger turn.

If you practice it enough, you can have strength on both sides.

So that's why I bring out the return because tip wise, it doesn't get focused enough on

the backhand return.

Agreed.

And number 10, last, I feel like it's kind of an extra one because it's a little bit different.

But you want to talk about the backhand volley and the backhand poach.

Yeah, I've bring that up because it pretty clearly is a backhand volley.

If you want a good backhand volley, you have to understand the non-dumbana hand upwards,

not downwards.

And by having it upwards, you can actually hit a decent one hand, a backhand volley.

A decent one hand, a backhand volley, is critical if you're going to be a good double player,

at least a decent singles player.

And, or all things, I want to bring up that if you're going to be a phenomenal doubles

player, you got to learn backhand poach.

Because I don't know how many players do not poach enough because they can sit, you

know, they're worried about their backhand volley.

Right?

So backhand volley, if it's correct and done well, you then need to learn how to poach with

it because it's an absolute strength if you're playing double.

And it can help your backhand slice as well.

100%, 100% great introduction to our 10 tips for slices.

Yeah, it's coming up soon.

I'm sure.

Justin Yeo, there's been 10 tips in 10 minutes on 10 minutes of tennis.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

Cheers, buddy.

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