Need help with backhand — what to do about bad knees?
I have been able to get my backhand to 300’ and really can’t seem to get any more hip power because when I try to brace on my front leg and rotate faster, my bad right knee (I have no ACLs in either knees and constant meniscus problems because of that) just buckles and it feels like I should NOT be putting that much torque on it.
Are there backhand forms that pivot around the front toe or heel and don’t require as much knee bracing and twisting as “proper” form? Any models or videos of how to get distance if you can’t brace for a full power backhand?
Posted Apr 7, 2021, 11:04 PM UTC
15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn7XjvZfxtA a simple footwork video by Ezra Aderhold that goes over simple x step, he covers keeping your leg straight to protect your knee and pivot on heel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aJ2pycgxjY a brace video by loop ghost that sort of quantifies how much step is comfortable with a brace, and relative body position based on mobility.
either way you might want to try filming a throw or 2 for a form check to see if you are doing things that are hurting your body, sometimes it's a simple fix, sometimes it's more complicated.
hope some of that helped.
I'll just say that as another player without an ACL in one knee, I wouldn't use this advice for throwing if you already have an injury. Having those rotational forces in your knee when it's straight is not good. The ACL is a key ligament to keep your knee "clamped" together. Without that, the other ligaments (MCL, LCL, PCL) aren't always strong enough to keep the knee stable, even for relatively low impact activities like walking.
u/XAltRunner, I would suggest the best things you can do are:
Get a brace (or braces) specific to your injury. I wear a custom brace designed specifically to help keep my knee stable because I have an un-repaired full ACL tear. I was lucky that aside from no longer being able to engage in sports that require quick lateral movements, I got by without a surgery (it's a longer story, but not worth going into).
Consider developing your forehand. Unless the hole is short or absolutely requires a backhand, I tend to favour a forehand throw. I essentially do a straight line forward walk into my throw, and because I'm planting on my non-injured knee, I don't worry about my bad one. Even then, moving in a straight line forward will protect your knees, because it's the rotational forces that can re-injur your knee.
When you throw a backhand, you will be sacrificing power. Focus on smooth form and accuracy. I don't throw anything faster than an 8 speed on backhand. When I plant with my brace leg, I keep it bent and I point my foot around 45 degrees to the target. The fact of the matter is that I will never have huge distance on my backhand due to my injury, so protecting my knee and precision on the throw is the name of my game.