THE SQUASHSKILLS &

PSA GUIDE TO THE

PERFECT BACKHAND
 SquashSkills & PSA have teamed up to bring you this guide to hitting the
perfect backhand.

In this PDF, you'll find a range of helpful points that will enable you to get the
biomechanics of your swing working correctly, resulting in effortless power
and accuracy being added to your shot.

1. Create space and don’t get too close

to the ball

It’s important to keep your distance from

the ball, if you get too close you won’t be
able to swing freely and will have to hit
inside the line of the ball. This prevents the
biomechanics of the swing working
properly and can often lead to the ball
hitting the side wall. Stay away and give
yourself space to swing.

2. Link your movement to your shot

Make sure your swing and movement are

working together. Often there can be a
disconnect between the two at amateur
level and players can arrive too early, stop,
and then hit the ball resulting in a loss of
‘flow' and a lack of power and accuracy. Try
to start your swing just before your leading
foot plants on the floor, this will result in
weight transfer and a solid, stable base at
the point of impact.
3. Prepare early

Lift your racket up on the way to the

ball so that you feel like you have
options and are not lifting the racket
head at the last minute.

4. Low shoulder & low elbow

When you setup to hit the ball, think

about keeping your elbow low and
getting your shoulder under your
chin. This will help to naturally
generate upper body rotation and
result in a high racket head at the
start of the swing.

5. High racket

You always want to have an element

of threat in your swing. To do this
your racket head needs to start above
the ball so you can hit down on it. If
you prepare correctly your racket
should be just around head height and
slightly out of your peripheral vision.
 6. Cocked/semi cocked wrist position

There can be debate around where the

wrist position should be at the top of the
swing. The current crop of top players
generally have a cocked wrist which
means they are easily able to hit the ball
with an open racket face and and ‘cut’ to
their shots. If the wrist is broken you’ll
find yourself coming over the top of the
shot and hitting either the side wall or
the tin.

7. Rotate

This is the key to generating effortless

pace and power. Early rotation creates
torque in your upper body which is where
the power comes from. By creating the
power early in your swing you are able to
keep your upper body facing the sidewall
at the point of impact and then let your
follow through release to your target.

8. Make a diamond

If you do all of the above then you

should create a diamond position at the
beginning of the swing which will mean
the biomechanics are all setup for you to
create a perfect swing.
 9. Side on at impact

This is really important, particularly when

trying to hit straight. If you let your
shoulders over rotate towards the front
wall at the end of the swing, you’ll have a
tendency to drag the ball into the middle
of the court and give strokes away.

10. Locked out position

At impact you want the wrist, elbow

and shoulder to all be in line. This
means that everything is working
together in the same direction and
you're able strike the ball with
consistency. If there is a break in the
chain it becomes much more difficult
to control the ball. If you get too close
to the ball you will struggle to get to
the ‘locked out’ position.

11. Learn to hit off both legs

You should feel comfortable

hitting off both your left and
right leg in all areas of the
court. Use ghosting to get
used to the feeling of hitting
off your 'wrong leg'.
 12. Follow through to target

Your follow through dictates where the

ball ends up. You need to be in control of
your follow through and understand what
impact it is having. As a general rule of
thumb you want your knuckles to finish
up facing the ceiling at the end of the
swing as this will mean that you are
hitting the ball with an open racket face.

IMPROVE YOUR GAME

To find out more about all

of the above and see the
teaching points in action, be
sure to watch the amateur
focused backhand
technique series with Jethro
Binns & Paul Miles on
SquashSkills here:
bit.ly/BackhandTips

WATCH NOW