Dominate With Your Non-Dominant Arm

Almost every club player I have ever seen either does not fully appreciate the importance of their non-dominant arm, or at the very least, will intermittently forget how important using it can be for every shot in tennis … that’s right, every shot! Some uses of your non-dominant or “off” arm are more obvious than others, but being aware of, and reminding yourself of, its importance can help you from making preventable errors. The “off” arm can help generate power, set up shots, aid with positioning and spacing all while improving balance.

The most glaringly obvious shot which utilizes your non-dominant arm is the two-handed backhand. You’re literally gripping the racket with it and it helps with power and even disguise. It can be helpful to think of the two-handed backhand as a non-dominant forehand and I often times have players practice a non-dominant forehand with the grip choked up (so there would be room for your non-dominant hand underneath) to help improve the activation of the “off” arm. What may not be as obvious is that the “off” arm can also aid in disguising the shot, since that hand is higher up on the handle, articulating the racket head requires less torque than it would for the bottom hand, or in laymen’s terms your hand placement allows you to change the angle of the racket face right before impact and direct shots more stealthily.

Less obvious is the role the “off” hand plays on the one-handed backhand. The name is somewhat of a misnomer, since using only your dominant hand would result in a technically flawed shot. The “off” hand should start out gripping the throat of the racket, it will aid in taking the racket back and getting it into position. That arm will also aid greatly in balance as it counters the foreword movement of the hitting arm. Watch Roger Federer or Richard Gasquet and you will begin to appreciate that their left arms (they both play right-handed) go back as their racket moves through the ball to allow them to maintain balance, control and power. This can also be seen on the one-handed slice by players regardless of whether or not they have a one- or two-handed backhand and to a lesser extent on the backhand volley.

Now let’s discuss the role your off hand can play on shots hit on the dominant side of your body. I like players to have their off hand on their racket in their ready position regardless of if they hit a one or two-handed backhand. For one-handed backhand players, the “off” hand can rest on the throat at all times and players with two-handed backhands can put that ready position to use for volleys. As you turn to prepare to hit a forehand, the “off” hand should reach out in front countering your backswing. Like the way the counter action of the “off” hand helps to balance the swing of the one-handed backhand the counter movement here helps the player balance during preparation. The hand will also help aid with positioning by giving you a visual reference, the more you do this the more you will appreciate how seeing your hand relative to the ball will greatly help with your brain’s ability to predict the path of the ball. As players swing, the “off” hand will come in close to the body, this helps your rotation for the same reason a figure skater brings her arms in to spin faster, you can even chose to bring it close to your non-dominant shoulder to catch the throat of the racket at the end of the swing to ensure a full follow through.

In previous articles, I have mentioned the importance of the toss, it is the single most important thing your non-dominant hand does in your tennis game; you cannot start a point without it. Besides the initial toss, keeping your hand up longer can help you to gauge the toss get a full shoulder rotation to load the serve and help you visualize swinging up at the ball. On the overhead, the “off” hand again helps to visualize the ball’s height and depth, pointing the index finger towards the ball as you get into position can help. With the serve and the overhead, as with the forehand, bringing the “off” hand into the body as you swing through the ball will decrease rotational inertia increasing racket speed and in turn power. Learning how to properly coordinate your “off” hand could turn what sometimes might feel like dead weight into a secret weapon to help keep your kinetic chain in tact allowing you to maximize your potential.