How To Hit Topspin On Any Shot in Pickleball

This article discusses topspin, including what it is, how it can give you a great advantage in pickleball, and, most importantly, how to do it.

What is Topspin?

Topspin is putting forward spin on the ball. Meaning the ball is spinning away from you after you hit it. The advantage of putting forward spin on the ball is that this will cause the ball to start out high but then dip down quickly once it’s over the net. Shots without spin also go up and then down, but the difference with topspin is that the down happens much quicker than normal and can really throw off your opponent’s next shot attempt.

The more spin you put on it, the faster it will dip down.

The other part of adding topspin that is advantageous is that once it hits the ground and bounces, the ball will “jump toward” your opponent. This quick jump can catch your opponent off guard and force them into an awkward position to try to hit their shot. 

How to Hit Topspin in Pickleball

Now that we know the benefits of adding topspin to your shots let’s talk about how to do it. Most of our shots are “flat” shots. This means that the ball hits the paddle solidly and comes off in a straight path with no added motion. To add topspin, however, we actually want our paddle to simply brush the ball when it strikes. Consider painting a fence. You wouldn’t just push the paintbrush into the fence. You would apply the paint along the fence face with an upward stroke.

The same is true of brushing your paddle against the ball to add topspin. 

Start with your paddle low and as the ball comes toward you, bring your paddle up and forward, making your initial contact with the bottom half of the ball and using your follow-through to brush the ball forward.

Topspin can be added to any ball, whether it’s a drive, dink, or serve. 

A Drill for Adding Topspin

As we know, practice makes perfect. You can’t really take a new shot into a game right away and feel comfortable. So, when you’re ready to practice adding topspin, try this drill.

While standing at your own NVZ line, have your partner stand across the court at their NVZ line. Now drop the ball with one hand and practice adding top spin to a dink with your paddle hand. Have your partner return it and dink it back at them again. Each time, you should become more and more comfortable with brushing your paddle against the ball. Notice how the ball starts high but then drops quickly before jumping into your partner.

Once you’re able to find the lower half of the ball each time and successfully add topspin to your dink shots, you can move on to other shots and practice the same way. It might take some time, but with dedicated practice, you’ll become a topspin master very soon. 

Find more great videos like this one at All Things Pickleball. And keep checking out Pickleball University for more helpful tips and strategies.