The backhand shot is one of the main shots in tennis. It is used frequently during all phases of a tennis match or practice, and is therefore an extremely important skill for any tennis player to master. The aim of the shot is to hit the ball over the net and inside the opponent's court lines. To achieve this, the athlete will need to generate high racket speed, good eye-to-hand coordination, and accuracy in ball placement. Ergo, providing maximum speed to the ball and, at the same time, positioning it precisely are important skills that a tennis player always tries to improve. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Impact force, or the force at the point of contact, which translates into ball speed, is determined by the speed of the racket at the moment of contact with the ball. At the same time the maximum speed can only be achieved when the maximum distance is used to accelerate. This in simplest terms can be described as the backswing. The goal of the backswing is to prepare a longer path for the racket to travel and build up all the momentum needed in that specific shot. There are two types of backstroke commonly used by more experienced tennis players; the straight one and the circular one. The circular backswing gives the player more power in the shot by lengthening the path of the racket towards the ball; therefore, giving the ball greater momentum at impact. However, a circular backswing may not always be advantageous. When the opponent hits the ball with great force and speed, the player may not have enough time to return the ball with a full circular backswing. In attempting to do so you may hit the ball in an unfavorable position, due to lag with the racket, causing the ball to go in an unwanted direction. In that case a straight backswing may be more appropriate, as that type of swing takes less time. However, a straight backswing will never generate as much speed as a full circular one. An experienced and advanced player will be able to gauge the right amount of backswing for each ball hit and subsequently adapt the backhand shot. The backhand can be broken down into a large number of different phases depending on how advanced the player is, this essay, however, will focus on the backhand of a beginner up to an intermediate player, which will be broken down into four phases: The Preparation Phase , the execution/backswing phase, the contact phase and the follow-through. Begin the preparation phase with the player facing the net with feet shoulder-width apart and body weight on the ball of the foot. The knees are slightly bent and the racket is held with both hands in front of the body in line with the pelvis. In the second phase, called the backswing phase, the player's entire body turns to the left, with the right shoulder facing the net. At the same time, the racket is brought back to shoulder height in a straight or circular motion, while the weight of the body is on the left foot. In the contact phase the pelvis and spine rotate relative to the side of the left foot. court so that the trunk and upper body are now facing the net and the entire weight of the body is shifted to the right foot as the racket is swung forward and slightly upwards, hitting the ball in front of the body. As an additional speed producer, the knees begin to extend at the end of this phase and continue to extend into the next and final phase. In the final phase of the reverseof tennis, the racket face is parallel to the court at the ball's point of impact, thus compromising the ball's topspin as it continues to swing forward and upward. The arms continue up and forward until that movement is no longer possible. The arms then turn towards the right shoulder where the movement ends with the racket resting on the player's right shoulder. As a finishing touch, your knees will extend to their maximum, giving your backhand more power and topspin. Anatomical analysis The first phase to analyze is that of preparation. In the preparation phase the player faces the net with the racket with both hands in front of the body. The player stands with his legs apart, his knees slightly bent and his body weight forward. In the sagittal plane and bilateral axis, the hamstring muscle group (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus) causes the knee joint to flex in a concentric contraction. The player stands on the balls of his feet, which means that slight plantar flexion of the ankles occurs in this position. The agonists of plantar flexion are the gastrocnemius and the soleus, which perform the concentric contraction on the same plane of movement and axis of knee flexion. In the upper body the elbows are flexed by the biceps femoris and brachioradialis in a concentric contraction while positioned in front of the body facing the net. This also occurs in the sagittal plane and bilateral axis. The other major joints of the body remain in an anatomical position during this phase. The second phase is called the execution phase or backswing phase. In this phase the racket is brought back to shoulder height and the entire body is turned to the side, preparing for the arrival of the ball. In this phase the horizontal adduction of the right shoulder occurs simultaneously with the horizontal abduction of the left shoulder. All of this occurs in the transverse plane of movement on the longitudinal axis, and it is the concentric contraction of the anterior deltoid and pectoralis major that allows for horizontal adduction, and the posterior deltoid and infraspinatus that creates horizontal abduction. This action causes a twisting motion in the upper body that helps bring the racket back. The next major joint movement occurs in the elbow. Elbow flexion occurs in the sagittal plane on the bilateral axis. The concentric contraction of the biceps brachii and brachioradialis causes this action. This action allows you to carry the racket across your body. From there we go from the upper extremity joints to the lower extremity joints. Internal rotation of the right hip occurs when the left foot steps back to position the body in a lateral state, with the right shoulder facing the net. The rotation of the hip occurs on the transverse plane and on the vertical axis and is moved in a concentric contraction by the tensor fascia lata and the gluteus medius. This movement causes the lower body to twist and also prepares the body to hit the incoming tennis ball. The next joints to talk about at this stage are the knee joints. The knee joints do not flex or extend during the entire phase, they remain in an isometric contraction. Last but not least are the ankles, which are plantar flexed in the sagittal plane and transverse axis. The gastrocnemius and soleus are the muscles that contract concentrically to allow this to happen. In the third phase of the backhand movement the upper body rotates while the lower body shifts the weight to the right leg and foot. So that the body canperform these movements, it is necessary that a certain number of joints in the body move, giving them movement. Starting from the top going down; the infraspinatus and teres minor perform a concentric contraction, resulting in external rotation of the right shoulder joint in a transverse plane and on the vertical axis. At the same time, the left shoulder joint, moved by the pectoralis major, deltoids, subscapularis and latissimus dorsi in a concentric contraction, performs an internal rotation in the same plane and axis as the right shoulder joint. Both elbows in the third phase extend until they reach the point of contact with the ball, the prime mover of this action is the triceps trachei, which contracts concentrically on a sagittal plane and on the vertical axis. Another muscle that aids this movement is the Anconeus, located just like the triceps brachii on the back side of the arm. The movement of the lower body and the shift of weight to the right leg is a response to the movements of the hip joints. The Iliopsoas, Sartorius and Gluteus Maximus externally rotate the right hip in a concentric contraction. And what internally rotates the left hip joint is the Gluteus Mimimus in a concentric contraction. Both hip rotations occur in the transverse plane and the vertical axis. Going further down the body in the movement we encounter the knees. Both knee joints extend during contact, giving the backhand more power and topspin. The primary driver of this movement is the rectus femoris, located at the front of the upper leg between the knee and hip joint. The rectus femoris performs a concentric contraction on the sagittal plane and on the bilateral axis. In the third phase, last but not least, there is the ankle joint, or in particular the left ankle joint, where the gastrocnemius and the soleus contract concentrically determining the plantar flexion of the ankle on the sagittal plane and on the bilateral axis as the player's weight is shifted to the right foot and leg. In the fourth and final phase of the backhand, little movement occurs in the lower body. The only joints that have primary roles are the knee joints, which perform extension. This action is performed by the rectus femoris in a concentric contraction in the sagittal plane and bilateral axis. In the upper body, however, movement is conducted by multiple joints. Starting from the flexion of the elbows, the biceps brachii, assisted by the brachioradialis, contracts concentrically on a sagittal plane and on the bilateral axis. Both shoulder joints continue their movement from the previous phase, internal and external rotation, as the arms strike the ball and continue towards their final position resting on the right shoulder. The wrists are the last joints on this list. At the same time as the right wrist hyperextends, the left wrist performs a radial deviation. Both of these movements are caused by the extensor carpi radialis longus and extensor carpi brevis in a concentric contraction. Like any movement performed in sport, the backhand swing presents a number of safety issues. There are a number of mechanical errors that can be made during the swing, which in return can compromise the speed and accuracy of the ball. One of the most common mistakes is having the wrong grip when switching from the forehand grip to the backhand grip. To solve this problem there is a grip you can use that is located between the forehand and backhand grips which makes it easier for beginners to learn.