Roll buttons 1 thru 4 and watch Andy take a full turn. In these first four frames he also shifts the racket head through the air and into a shallow loop, dropping the racket head below the height of the ball in good time to make the forthcoming contact.
Remember the easily assembled delivery system we dealt with in Chapter 10 of the forehand?
Well, Andy attaches the same two additional types of power to his backhand, and they are delivered to the ball via a foot line (provided by early and accurate preparation).
Run the full nine frame animation and watch how Andy's second (left) hand dominates the powering through of the racket head.
What makes this power possible, and even encourages it?
What allows the winding door treatment and the addition of body weight?
One element of Andy's backhand makes all of these things possible, and if it is not perfect, a good stroke is not possible.
Any idea what it is?


What you see in this animation is sound technique for all aspiring players to learn from. But for me, a fundamental weakness in Andy's backhand is the way he grips the racket with his left (second) hand. Actually, the term 'weakness' is wrong: rather, the Roddick backhand is not the dominant power it might have been.
You can see in frame 4 (and at the top of each image) that Andy's thumb is to the front of the racket handle.
Those who have read the chapters on the palm principle and the thumb principle, in the volumes on the forehand and backhand, will be aware that the two handed backhand is dominated by a second handed forehand grip.
The palm of the (dominant) hand is the main provider of strength on a forehand and a two handed backhand grip, and the palm of Andy's left hand is on top of the racket grip.
How does this influence the stroke?
By placing the palm towards the top of the racket Andy situates the lions share of strength above the racket.
This ensures great potential to hit downwards, but limits the influence to hit up from under the grip to the fingers. To get a better idea of what I'm talking about, look at frame 3 and you'll see that Andy's left palm (and his entire arm) is above the racket. If you compare the left-handed forehand grip of Andy's backhand, to his right handed forehand grip in chapter 1 of the forehand, you'll see what I mean.
Being so top heavy with the left hand forbids Andy from powering up and through (from under), for the same kind of aggressive, ripping topspin that he uses on the forehand.

Run frame 10 and you'll see Jimmy Connors hitting a backhand. Jimmy's thumb is also to the fore of the racket grip. But Jimmy's flat and slice strokes did not need any leverage under the racket grip, so for his style of hitting, a forward thumb was fine.

Commentating on Sky Sports some time ago, Leif Shiras compared Roddick's backhand to that of Jim Courier. What he didn't say is how he reckoned the two backhands were alike, because the grip largely determines the stroke, and I don't see any likeness whatsoever.
Courier's backhand is very much like a baseball swing, and he grips the racket accordingly.
I don't know much about baseball, but I doubt there will be many players who grip the bat with their thumb to the front, similar to how Andy grips the racket. it would put strength in the wrong place.

The fact that Roddick has had so much success with this backhand grip is testament to his skill, and also that skill can overcome the limitations of one aspect of a stroke, and that practice bears greater fruit than theory.
However, I cannot help believing that, as a junior, Roddick's backhand grip should have been better matched to the style of his forehand, and a move towards a Courier-style baseball grip would've given him the potential for cloth-ripping power on both wings of his baseline.

Chapter 9 of the book is dedicated to the influences of the forward thumb.