Pickleball Backhand

The most important backhand in pickleball. Keep the paddle face open slightly, guide the ball cross-court or down the middle with a short, controlled motion. Minimal backswing, think push, not swing. Aim for the kitchen.

Key: Short motion, contact in front, open face for arc

Absorbing a fast shot on the backhand side and redirecting it softly into the kitchen. Loosen your grip at contact to absorb pace. Don't swing back, block and redirect. The backhand reset is used constantly at 3.5+ to neutralize speed-ups.

Key: Soft grip, passive contact, redirect low

A short, punching motion with the backhand at the kitchen line. Firm grip at contact, compact swing. Contact the ball out in front, a volley that gets behind you results in a weak, off-direction shot.

Key: Punch, don't swing; contact in front

A full backhand groundstroke from the baseline or transition zone. Turn sideways, swing from shoulder, follow through. Used as the third shot drive alternative to the drop. Generates pace and keeps the serving team at the baseline.

Key: Full rotation, swing from shoulder, follow through

A topspin backhand dink or volley that dips sharply into the kitchen. Generated by brushing upward through the ball with a closed face. Effective when opponents expect a flat dink. Requires a raw carbon face paddle for maximum spin.

Key: Brush upward, closed face, short swing

Running around the backhand

Train your backhand with dedicated cross-court backhand dink sessions. The backhand becomes as natural as the forehand with enough repetition, but you must resist the urge to run around it during practice.

Contact too far back (beside the body)

Practice making contact with your arm extended forward. If the ball gets behind your hip before contact, you've waited too long, take it earlier or step back to give yourself time.

Open stance on drives

Turn your non-dominant shoulder toward the net before swinging. An open-stance backhand drive loses half its power. Rotation starts with body position, not the swing.

Tipping (popping up) on backhands

Open your paddle face slightly and make contact below the ball's equator. Popping up usually means the paddle face is too closed or contact is too high on the ball.

How do you hit a backhand in pickleball?

To hit a backhand in pickleball: rotate your grip to the backhand position (knuckle shifts to the left side of the grip for right-handers), turn your body so your non-dominant shoulder faces the net, contact the ball in front of your body with the paddle face open or slightly closed depending on the shot type, and follow through in the direction you want the ball to go. The backhand dink uses a short, guided motion; the backhand drive uses a longer swing with more shoulder rotation.

Should you use a two-handed backhand in pickleball?

A two-handed backhand in pickleball works for groundstrokes and drives but limits reach significantly, your body must be much closer to the ball than a one-handed shot. Most pickleball players use one-handed backhands for versatility at the kitchen. Some players use two hands on baseline drives for power. The one-handed backhand is more common and practical for the kitchen game where quick volleys require rapid switching from forehand to backhand.

What is the most common backhand mistake in pickleball?

The most common backhand mistake is running around the backhand to hit a forehand, especially on dinks. This leaves the backhand side wide open and gets exploited quickly at 3.0+ levels. The backhand needs to become as reliable as the forehand for kitchen play. Other common errors: contact point too far back (beside or behind the body), open stance instead of turning sideways, and over-gripping which kills backhand touch.