Backhand

Did some more backhand drills. My new mental model seems to work: the preparation and the stroke are one smooth elliptical move. As soon as I see the ball leaving the machine, I turn sideways and bring both hands up and back, then as the ball comes down, I release the racquet and move through the lower part of the loop, letting the racquet head trace an ellipse. My percentage improved dramatically. I now realize that I was always late on my backhand because I thought of preparation as a distinct activity that in my mind was only tenuosly connected with the ball path. Now it's getting to a point of a reflex: see the ball move towards me, start the elliptical movement.