Backhand drive stroke technique in tennis: 3D biomechanical analysis approach

Abstract

The backhand drive is the second basic stroke in playing tennis, which is swung across the body towards the front or using the back of the racket to hit the ball with the palms facing away. There are currently two types that are popularly used, namely one-handed and two-handed backhand. Furthermore, each stroke has its unique advantages and disadvantages, but the two-handed style is often used by pro players due its effectiveness. Previous reports showed that only a few studies analyzed articles related to linear transfer and angular rotational momentum from the initial motion of the upper extremity to the impact during a one-handed backhand drive stroke. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the linear and angular momentum transfers from the upper extremity to hitting the ball with a racket during one-handed backhand drive in tennis. This was a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. The sample population consists of 15 male tennis players with mean ± SD, age 27 ± 3.72 years, height 169 ± 7.46 cm, weight 71.5 ± 8.32 kg. The highest value of leftward linear momentum in the acceleration phase was 6.5 kg.m.s-1, which was indicated by the motion of the hand segment. Meanwhile, the peak of leftward linear momentum in the racket of 1 kg.m.s-1 occurred during the impact moment. The magnitude of the acceleration of the hand segment as well as the forearm at the time of impact made the maximum wrist force to be higher by 331.5 ± 140.7 N. Based on these results, the hand segment contributes significantly to changes in linear momentum in the leading and vertical directions as well as angular momentum in supination.