Photo Lesson: The Basic One-Handed Backhand

One video frame (1/30 second) before contact, the racquet head has dropped below the hand noticeably more than in the previous photo taken at mid-swing. When you're first learning this stroke, you shouldn't try to drop the racquet head just before contact, but if you do this naturally, it's not a problem as long as you also naturally bring the long axis of the racquet back toward horizontal to make contact with the ball. This technique increases the upward movement of the racquet head as it approaches the ball, thus adding more topspin to the stroke. It should develop naturally when your stroke is ready for it.