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Hey Picklebackers! 🏓✨

Ready to revolutionize your pickleball game? In this newsletter, we break down the mechanics, drills, and tactical tips for both one-handed and two-handed backhands. Enhance your shot selection and become a formidable opponent at every net.

Developing both will not only sharpen your overall game but also help you become more unpredictable, especially when opponents start reading your forehand tendencies.

🎾 The One-Handed Backhand in Pickleball

✅ Advantages

• Reach & Flexibility: Great for extending to wide shots, especially when stretched at the kitchen line.

• Quick Reaction: Less time needed to set up, so it's better for fast-paced volleys and dinks.

• Dinking & Slicing: Easier to add underspin and touch shots, which can keep your opponent off-balance.

🛠️ Technical Breakdown

• Grip: Continental is ideal for versatility. It allows you to go from dinks to drives without switching.

• Stance & Footwork: Step into the ball with your opposite foot (left foot if you're right-handed). Stay low and balanced.

• Backswing: Keep it short and tight — more wrist and forearm, less shoulder.

• Contact Point: Just in front of your lead hip.

• Follow-Through: Your paddle should finish up and forward — avoid "slapping" the ball with only your wrist.

🧩 Drills

• Wall Drill: Hit 50 one-handed backhands off a wall, focusing on contact and form.

• Dink-Only Games: Play mini-games where you only use your backhand side for dinks and resets.

• Slice & Drop Practice: Add some backspin and work on getting the ball to land softly in the NVZ (No Volley Zone).

💥 The Two-Handed Backhand in Pickleball

✅ Advantages

• Stability: Using both hands reduces paddle wobble, giving you cleaner contact.

• Power & Topspin: Your non-dominant hand helps you accelerate through the ball, ideal for driving.

• High Balls: More control on shoulder-level or slightly high returns.

🛠️ Technical Breakdown

• Grip: Dominant hand stays in a continental or slight eastern backhand grip; non-dominant hand mimics a forehand grip (like holding a baseball bat lower down).

• Stance & Setup: Coil your shoulders a bit, step into the shot, and bend your knees.

• Backswing: Smooth and deliberate. Engage your core and shoulders, not just your arms.

• Contact Point: Slightly in front of your lead hip. Use your non-dominant hand to “pull” through the shot.

• Follow-Through: High and forward — think windshield wiper motion if you're adding topspin.

🧩 Drills

• Topspin Drives: Focus on brushing up the back of the ball and driving through.

• Return Practice: Use a ball machine or practice partner to hit deep serves to your backhand and work on consistent, aggressive returns.

• Transition Shots: Start at the baseline and slowly move forward, hitting two-handed backhands from midcourt and into the kitchen.

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🧠 Blending Both Styles: Tactical Tips

• Volleys: Use one-handed backhands for quick reaction at the net. Keep the paddle out in front.

• Rolls & Drives: Use two-handed backhands for rolling topspin from midcourt or attacking higher balls.

• Defense-to-Offense: If you’re pushed back, a two-hander can help you drive your way out of trouble. If you're pulled wide, the one-hander gives you reach and time.

🧗‍♂️ Climbing to 4.0 and Beyond

At the 3.5–4.0 level, your shot selection becomes just as important as your mechanics. The real secret to mastering both backhands is knowing when to use them:

• When pressed and off-balance → one-handed reset or slice.

• When set and ready → two-handed roll or drive.

• When dinking crosscourt → one-handed finesse.

• When returning a high, deep serve → two-handed controlled topspin.

We hope these insights inspire you to push your limits on the court. Whether you're perfecting a slice or powering through with topspin, mastering both backhand techniques can change your game. See you on the court in our next issue!

Your PICKLEBACKCLUB Team 🥒🎾

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