Almost everyone has one side (hand and arm) that is dominant. When playing tennis, your non-dominant hand can be very helpful. First of all, you should use that hand to help get yourself back to the ready position. After hitting a forehand, make sure your other hand gets back on the racquet. This will help get the racquet back in front, allowing you to react equally as fast when hitting either a forehand or backhand.
Your non-dominant hand can also help with the backswing on your forehand as well as “catching the racquet on your follow through. In addition, you can use this hand to help with grip changes. Balance is another area that can benefit from the use of your non-dominant hand by keeping your hand on or close to the racquet as you are running. Keeping your tossing hand up on your serve can help keep your head and body moving up and to the ball, giving you a better chance for a solid hit.
Finally, anyone with a two handed backhand should be using their non-dominant hand more than their dominant hand during the backswing and the forward swing. This helps get the racquet head out in front of the hands and wrists at the point of contact. The players with the best two handed backhands (think Sinner, Alcaraz, Sabalenka, Swiatek) can hit a one handed forehand with their non-dominant hand very naturally. Don’t overlook the importance of using both hands to help improve your swings and your consistency.
Steve Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the Director of Annacone Tennis, www.annaconetennis.com and MyHamptonsPro, www.myhamptonspro.com throughout the Hamptons, NY. Steve, Jeevaj Bondalapati, and Gill Gross run the TOP (Tennis Optimization Players-Top Team) program at the Tucson Jewish Community Center (Tucson, AZ) for high level players ages 8-18. Please contact Steve at sannacone@tucsonjcc.org or 865-300-7323.