4 Pickleball Tips For a Consistent Backhand
Developing a backhand that strikes fear in opponents can be challenging for pickleball players. For some, it can take months and months, maybe years, of dedicated practice to figure it out. If you’re someone who struggles with the backhand, know that you are not alone. In fact, the reason you struggle is probably due to how you (and all of us) are anatomically built.
Think about it–the forehand is more of a natural motion. If you put your paddle down to your dominant hand side and reach, it feels much more normal than if you take the same arm and paddle and reach to the non-dominant side of your body. You can reach farther, and the rest of your body has to move less for you to do so.
Of course, those people out there have a naturally strong backhand. But most have a stronger forehand.
In today’s article, regardless of if it’s your weakest shot or one of your strongest, we will help you develop a more consistent backhand with these 4 tips.
Tip #1 - Grip
Perhaps the best way to develop any shot–whether the forehand or backhand, is to start with a strong foundation. This means starting with your grip. Some players have a grip that makes it more difficult to perform a consistent backhand.
The continental grip is the best way to hold your paddle for most of your shots, especially the backhand.
Here are the steps to ensure you have the right grip:
Hold your dominant hand out in front of you as though you are about to shake someone's hand–your thumb and pinkie should be in line, straight up and down.
Next, take the paddle and put the paddle face against your open hand.
Third, slide your hand down the paddle face until it reaches the grip.
Lastly, close your hand around the grip so that your knuckles are all in line.
Now you have a continental grip.
Tip #2 - Dink Groundstroke
One of the most common times you’ll use your backhand is while dinking. A great exercise to do is to stand at the kitchen line (non-volley zone line) and, with a partner, practice dinking back and forth, using only your backhand stroke.
You’ll start by positioning yourself in a great backhand position. Stand with your feet parallel to the net around shoulder-length apart. Using your continental grip, hold your paddle with the back of the face towards the net and slightly bend your knees so that the top of your paddle is around your knees.
It’s essential to understand the key driver of this stroke; what moves the paddle? For the dink groundstroke, the shoulder moves the paddle on this stroke. So, without a ball, just practice the motion of lifting your should and notice how the paddle naturally moves up and in front of you in a lifting motion. To feel this motion, place your other hand on your shoulder joint while lifting the paddle.
You shouldn’t be using your wrist or elbow, which will add variability to the stroke and cause less consistency.
You can practice this “ghost” stroke at home in front of a mirror to get a great visual.
Then practice the dinking groundstroke on the court.
Tip #3 - Change Direction
Like our last tip, we want to set ourselves up at the NVZ line and practice dinking the ball to someone (or against a wall). But, instead of just dinking straight ahead, we’ll practice hitting the ball at an angle. Practice going from left to right to left again.
The goal of this practice is to keep your wrist and elbow quiet and just work on lifting the paddle into the ball with your shoulder only. Another key element of this backhand shot is to keep the paddle out in front of you and not allow the paddle to drop behind your knee.
Tip #4 - Stay Parallel to NVZ
Your body shouldn’t move much when backhand dinking. It’s not only bad form but can cause a strategic problem by giving your opponent an easier shot with more court available to hit their return through. Instead, keep your body parallel with the NVZ line. If you need to move from side to side, try shuffling to the new spot.
To shuffle, simply keep your feet shoulder-width apart and move them jointly to one side or the other. It’s almost like a hop rather than a step.
By keeping your body wide, you block off part of the court, and you stay in control of your body for the next dinking opportunity that comes your way.
Becoming consistent in your striking is all about eliminating excess movement and keeping your body in a mechanically sound position that allows you to get to the ball without sacrificing position or integrity.
As you move back beyond the NVZ line, you’ll begin to notice that these fundamentals play a huge role in continuing to improve your backhand, even at the baseline.
Practice these tips for 10-15 minutes a few times a week, and we promise you’ll be a master backhander in no time!
To see these pickleball tips in action, be sure to check out this video from Better Pickleball.
And don’t forget to go to the Pickleball University blog for more helpful pickleball tips, news, and strategies. We hope these tips help you in your next match and help you cause your opponents to have fits on the court.
Good luck!
