The Backhand

Quick Look

• Same rule as the forehand: grip and stance are set before the ball ever gets there.
• Athletic stance, feet slightly wider than shoulder width, knees bent, up on the toes.
• Grip is essentially the opposite of the eastern forehand grip, rotated around for the backhand side.
• One handed or two handed both work. I hit one handed because that is what I grew up with and it is where I feel most comfortable.
• Twist the trunk first, with the off hand on the throat guiding the paddle back.
• Shorter backswing preferred. The paddle ends up back near the pocket, not way behind the body.
• Power step is with the non dominant foot, then the paddle foot closes the stance.
• Closed stance on the backhand. I can open up on the forehand, but not here.
• Contact out in front, around waist high. Slice goes high to low, topspin goes low to high.
• Step half way through the ball with the non dominant foot, then square back up to the net.

Ready Position

The backhand starts the same way the forehand does, in a good athletic stance built before the ball arrives. Feet a little wider than shoulder width, knees bent, weight up on the toes. Both hands on the paddle with the off hand on the throat.

The reason the ready position is identical on both sides is that you do not know which side the ball is coming to yet. One setup has to cover both. Everything that makes the backhand a backhand happens after you read the ball.

Grip

For the backhand I use roughly the opposite of an eastern grip, rotated around the handle for the backhand side. Check the grips page for the full picture of how each grip changes the paddle face.

The bigger question on this shot is one hand or two. A lot of people believe two handed is better, and there are real arguments for it: more stability, more strength, easier topspin. I grew up hitting so many one handed backhands that it is simply where I am most comfortable. I can go two handed when I need to, but the one hander is my shot.

If you are starting out, try both. If you already have a grooved one hander from another racket sport, there is no rule that says you have to abandon it.

The Shoulder Turn

Once I read that the ball is on my backhand side, the first move is the trunk twist. Turn the shoulders. This is not optional and it is not a small detail. On the backhand it matters even more than on the forehand, because you have less natural range of motion on that side and the shoulder turn is what buys it back.

The off hand on the throat of the paddle is what makes the turn work. It pulls the paddle back with the shoulders as one connected unit. Without it, the arm takes over and you end up pushing at the ball instead of driving through it.

Backswing

I can take a big Nike swoosh backswing on the backhand if I have the time, but I prefer a shorter, more concise backswing here and I use it far more often.

The sequence is: twist the trunk, turn the shoulders, and let both hands carry the paddle back with the off hand on the throat. The paddle ends up back near my pocket. That is the checkpoint. It is not way behind my body and it is not wrapped around my back. Pocket height, compact, ready to go forward.

A shorter backswing on this side is not just about repeatability. It is also about timing. The backhand has less margin for a late paddle than the forehand does.

Footwork

The power step on the backhand is with the non dominant foot. For a right handed player that is the left foot, and I step it out toward the ball. That is the mirror image of the forehand, where the power step is with the dominant foot.

The second step is with the paddle foot, and that step is what closes the stance. Both toes end up pointing parallel to the net or the baseline. On the forehand I am happy to hit from an open stance. On the backhand I strongly prefer a closed stance, because the closed position is what gives the one hander its shoulder coil and its stability through contact.

Once the stance is closed I am loading into the non dominant foot. That is where the shot is stored.

Contact Point

Contact is out in front of me, around waist high. The same rule from the forehand applies here and it is even less forgiving: if the ball gets beside you or behind you on the backhand, especially with one hand, the shot is already lost.

Swing path depends on what you are hitting. If I am slicing, the path is high to low and I am trying to knife through the ball with a downward motion. If I am hitting topspin, the path is low to high and I am coming up and over the ball.

Shot Selection

The backhand does different jobs depending on where you are in the point.

On a return of serve, I want depth. I will put a little air under the ball to make sure it lands deep and pushes the serving team back behind the baseline.

On a third shot drive, I want the opposite. Lower over the net, flatter trajectory, driven at the target rather than lofted. The shot shape changes even though the mechanics leading into it do not.

Weight Transfer

I step into the ball with my non dominant foot. You can step all the way through the ball if you want to squeeze out extra power, but I generally step about half way through it.

The reason is recovery. Stepping half way through lets me finish balanced with my feet coming back around toward the net, ready for whatever comes next. Stepping all the way through commits you to that one ball. In pickleball, where the next ball comes fast, I would rather be ready than be slightly more powerful.

Follow Through

Swing through the ball and let the spin happen. On a slice, that means knifing down and through with the downward motion carrying past contact. On topspin, that means brushing up and over the ball and continuing through.

The paddle finishes pointing toward the net. That is the checkpoint I look for. If the paddle is finishing somewhere else, something upstream in the swing path went wrong.

Recovery

From the follow through, my feet come back around so that both are facing the net roughly parallel again. Weight forward, knees bent, both hands back on the paddle with the off hand on the throat.

Because I only stepped half way through the ball, this recovery is short and quick, which is exactly the point.

Key Takeaways

• Set the athletic stance and the grip before the ball arrives. The ready position is identical to the forehand.
• One handed or two handed is a personal decision. Do not abandon a grooved one hander because someone told you two hands is better.
• Twist the trunk first, and let the off hand on the throat carry the paddle back.
• Keep the backswing short. Paddle back to the pocket, not behind the body.
• Power step with the non dominant foot, then close the stance with the paddle foot.
• Contact out in front, around waist high. High to low for slice, low to high for topspin.
• Return of serve wants depth and air. Third shot drive wants a flatter, lower ball.
• Step about half way through the ball, finish with the paddle toward the net, and square back up to the net.