This article may be a bit wordy but hopefully contains some good details you can use to utilize your non-dominant arm and hand for better tennis stroke execution.
- Ready Position – The non-dominant hand supports the racquet hand in the ready position to relieve tension in the hitting arm. The non-dominant hand should softly cradle the racquet at the throat or together with the hitting hand at the top of the handle. A relaxed (but alert) ready position with soft hands leads to more fluid, integrated movement. The non-dominant hand also sets the grip, racquet angle, and spacing of your hitting hand from your midsection.
- Serve – For the serve, the most significant role for the non-dominant arm and hand is the toss. The aim is to place the ball in an ideal spot with no ball rotation and little to no ball movement to allow effective contact for all types of serves (flat, kick, slice, and hybrid options). The focus is full extension of the arm. Keep the arm up as long as possible, open the palm and extend your fingers to the left (right-handed players) to facilitate the coiling, sinking and countermovement for your torso and lower body. The countermovement initiated by the toss triggers the stretch shortening cycle and stretch reflex (to be discussed in more detail later). This countermovement is the key to generating ground force propulsive power and drive for the serve. As you drop your racquet head from the set or trophy position, drop, bend, and tuck your tossing arm bringing your elbow into your ribcage. This creates a shoulder swap (front shoulder moves down as the hitting shoulder moves up) and helps to lock your hips and transfer force as part of the kinetic chain to the hitting shoulder, arm, and hand. This action helps to launch the racquet in a cartwheel motion up and out to the point of contact.
- Topspin Forehand Groundstroke – The non-dominant hand assists in the unit turn, rotation (countermovement), take back and positioning of the racquet to the set position. The non-dominant hand should lightly grip or cradle the racquet at the throat. It stays with the racquet through the beginning stages of the unit turn or until the racquet crosses your midline. It is during this first take back phase where the non-dominant hand can be used to make a grip change (as for example when making a change to continental grip to hit a drop shot). The non-dominant hand next separates from the racquet extending out parallel to the baseline with the palm down mirroring the height of the hitting hand. It then points forward (with open fingers to accentuate the role of the non-dominant arm and hand) for counterbalance and to aid with spacing and tracking of the oncoming ball. The non-dominant arm draws across the body, bends and tucks bracing the elbow to the inside edge of the ribcage as the hitting hand drops into the hitting slot and then up and out through the contact and finish. The tuck locks the hips and promotes shoulder rotation and transfer of power through the final stages of the kinetic chain. With the tuck, the non-dominant hand comes up to catch the racquet at the finish or comes up and then out of the way so as not to inhibit the swing. The non-dominant arm and hand for the stroke provide counterbalance, stability, transfer of force, rotation, tracking of the oncoming ball, timing of the bounce and spacing.
- Slice Forehand Groundstroke – There are two differences with the use of the non-dominant arm and hand for the slice forehand in comparison to the topspin forehand. One, the non-dominant hand rotates and projects out wide with the hitting arm to facilitate the unit turn but does not cradle the racquet at the throat (unless there is a deliberate intent to disguise the spin). The non-dominant hand is set lower just off the hitting hand, together with the hitting hand or cradling the racquet at the top of the handle. Two, the non-dominant hand position when tucking and drawing the arm into the ribcage is lower than with the topspin forehand (consistent with a lower center of gravity for the shot) and with more severe sidespin, the hitting arm often crosses over the non-dominant arm at the finish. This tucking action with the non-dominant arm generates more force and bite.
- One-Handed Backhand Groundstroke – The non-dominant hand supports the racquet at the throat. The non-dominant hand makes the change to the backhand grip and is responsible for securing and adjusting the angle of the racquet face for all phases of the stroke leading up to the point of contact. The non-dominant arm and hand guide the path of the swing for the unit turn (coil and take back to the set position), drop and drive forward to the point of contact. The non-dominant arm and hand assist in establishing arm angles, spacing of the hitting hand in relation to the body and the extent or degree of rotation or coil. A pulling action with the non-dominant hand and arm coils the shoulders and torso. The non-dominant hand pulls the racquet back, coiling the shoulders and torso with an eccentric contraction. This eccentric contraction creates elastic energy which is released when the body uncoils as the racquet drives up and out through the hitting zone. One of the advantages of using the non-dominant hand and arm to guide and pull the racquet back is that it allows the hitting arm to remain loose and relaxed. This creates more elasticity leading to more force production as defined by the stretch reflex and the principles of the stretch-shortening cycle. (The stretch-shortening cycle is an active stretch of eccentric contraction of a muscle or muscle group followed by an immediate shortening or concentric contraction of the same muscle or muscle group.) The non-dominant hand stays with the racquet as the body begins to uncoil and then separates to create a lag followed by a more explosive acceleration through the hitting zone. No longer in contact with the racquet, the non-dominant arm and hand drive back and down for topspin backhands hit with a low to high, inside out swing path and drive back and out (contracting the shoulder blades) for slice backhands hit with a high to low, outside inside swing path. The extension of the non-dominant arm acts as a force multiplier. It serves as a rotational brake and counterweight to create more whiplike snap in the hitting arm. It also provides stability, counterbalance and prevents the shoulders from opening too early.
- Two-Handed Backhand Groundstroke – For the two-handed backhand groundstroke, the non-dominant hand becomes the dominant hand reversing the roles of the two hands. The non-dominant hand as the top hand is now the primary driver with your dominant hand as the bottom hand plays a more supportive role. In terms of the push pull mechanics, the bottom hand pulls the racquet back to coil and rotate the shoulders and torso while the top hand pushes the racquet from the hitting slot out and through the hitting zone. The top hand is also responsible for ulnar and radial flexion of the wrist.
- Backhand (One-Handed) Volley – With the backhand volley, the non-dominant hand and arm set the racquet and racquet face angle. Use the non-dominant hand to ensure the racquet stays above your wrist, your hands and elbows stay in front of your body and you are leading with the butt end of the racquet when moving forward to hit the volley. A pulling action with the non-dominant hand and arm can produce a more pronounced coil for more “pop” with drive volleys. When transferring the weight forward to make the volley, the non-dominant hand separates just before contact, and the elbow of the non-dominant arm draws back to add a counterweigh “boost” to the shot. The non-dominant hand and arm extend fully back with the shot to add an extra “boost” and to provide counterbalance and stability particularly when taking the ball low with a wider stance.
- Forehand Volley – For the forehand volley, the non-dominant hand separates from contact at the racquet throat as you turn and sets the racquet in line with the oncoming ball. Both hands stay close together as if tied together by a string. As you first move forward to contact the ball, the non-dominant arm and hand draw across the body and back, bringing the elbow into the inner ribcage. This offsetting motion allows the shoulders to come through providing more “pop” to the volley.
- Overhead – Point with the non-dominant hand to the ball with the turn and racquet take back to the set position to track the lob. Adjust your position as necessary as if the intent is to catch the ball with your raised non-dominant hand. Bend and tuck the non-dominant arm bringing the elbow into your inner ribcage as you start the drop and extension up and out to the point of contact with your racquet and racquet hand. The functions of the non-dominant hand and arm in this application are to track the ball, initiate the bend, coil and countermovement and with the tuck, explosive force propulsion to contact.
- Other Good Things to Know – Tennis-specific fitness training should include unilateral (both contralateral and ipsilateral) patterns and other applicable exercises to address imbalances in muscle length tension relationships (inherent in the nature of the game with one-arm dominance). Unilateral training has a number of benefits for tennis players. In addition to addressing strength imbalances, unilateral training improves core stability, dynamic balance and posture through anti-rotation and torsional buttressing of the core muscles to support offset weight loads. Unilateral resistance training also provides neural adaptive strength benefits to the non active opposing limb as well as the active primary limb through a phenomenon called Cross Education.
