Two Hand Back Hand Speed Up 1

The main focus was developing a disguised backhand speed-up off the bounce, especially learning how to attack either down the line or through the middle without telegraphing the shot. The coach emphasized a longer pause before the speed-up. The paddle tip should be down and relatively still, with the player already balanced and prepared. The purpose of the pause is deception. From the same preparation, the player should be able to hit middle, line, or even a lob, making it difficult for the opponent to read the shot early. The player was opening the body and moving the back leg too early when trying to go down the line. This was clearly signaling the intended direction. The correction was to keep the same body position as long as possible, then change the paddle angle and make the directional adjustment only at the last moment. For the line speed-up, the coach recommended letting the ball come slightly deeper, then using a small wrist/paddle rotation and flick, finishing up and out toward the target. The feet should remain quiet during the disguise phase. In particular, the back leg should not move excessively, because opponents can use that as a visual clue. Direction should come more from the wrist, shoulder, and paddle face, rather than large body rotation. The coach also stressed extending through the shot: brush the ball, then push/extend through it to add controlled velocity. For middle speed-ups, the same preparation should be used, with the paddle coming directly through the center target area. Too much paddle-tip movement before contact reduces consistency. The sequence should be: prepare → pause → hold → last-second flick/extension. Down-the-line speed-ups were considered somewhat riskier because they may attack an opponent’s forehand, so placement and disguise are especially important. The session also briefly worked on a disguised lob from the same preparation. The coach emphasized more brush and less power; if the lob gets over the opponent and prevents an overhead, it has already done its job. The larger strategic goal was to make several shots look identical until very late: dink, middle speed-up, line speed-up, or lob. Main takeaway The biggest lesson was deception through identical preparation. Instead of changing the stance or body position based on the intended target, the player should: get set early → pause with the paddle quiet → keep the body neutral → wait as long as possible → make a small last-second paddle/shoulder adjustment → extend through the ball. The coach’s goal is to add more offensive “weapons” while making them increasingly difficult for opponents to anticipate.