Most pickleball players will acquiesce that their backhand drive is not quite as good as their forehand drive. Although the backhand drive may not be your best shot (kudos to those that it is!), the backhand drive does not need to be your enemy either.

Generally speaking, move your feet to run around the pickleball and hit forehand drives when possible. However, if you cannot run around the pickleball, go for your backhand drive and keep your backhand drive consistent and simple with these steps:

1. Start from Tennis Ready at the Baseline – Assuming you are at the baseline, start from your preferred ready position of Tennis Ready. Remember, to have your paddle out front at 12 o’clock, your knees bent, and your weight on the balls of your feet.

2. Rotate Body and Pull Paddle Back Together – Start preparing for the backhand drive by doing the following in unison: (a) rotate your body slightly toward your non-paddle side (to note, not quite as much as you may rotate to hit a forehand drive); and (b) pull your paddle head back by your non-paddle side waist. Also, if you have extra time, consider making a small grip change as you pull your paddle back to make your paddle face a bit flatter. In other words, close your paddle
face slightly.

3. Move Your Feet – Move your feet so that you are in a position to strike the pickleball at a consistent contact point. Your contact point will be out in front of your body toward your non-paddle side. Do not be lazy with your feet. Move your feet so that the pickleball is off to your non-paddle side slightly, such that you will be able to hit the pickleball out in front of you. Remember, as you move your feet, stay in the same rotated body position with your paddle pulled back.

4. Find Contact Point – Find the contact point with your paddle. Again, the contact point will be out in front you on your non-paddle side. Generate power from your legs and your core. Remember to stay in an athletic stance with your legs and your core engaged all the way through the shot.

5. Hit Forward and Through the Pickleball and Finish with a Little Lift – Upon contact, hit forward and through the pickleball. Once you hit through the pickleball, finish your drive with a little lift, so that your paddle finishes out in front of your face. Do not flick your wrist or rotate too much upon contact, which can send your backhand drive flying in a direction that you do not want the pickleball to go. Also, it is imperative that you drive through the pickleball with only a small lift in order to keep your backhand drives low. If you finish with too much lift, you will be able to tell in your backhand drives, as they will be hit with too much height.

One extra tip on your basic backhand drive is that you may, at times, be in a more open stance or more closed stance with your feet, which will likely depend on the direction of where the pickleball is coming from and the direction that you want the pickleball to travel to. Nevertheless, try to keep your feet in a semi-open position when striking your backhand drive, so that you can quickly revert back to the proper ready position and prepare for the next shot.

Key Takeaways:

1. If you have extra time to prepare for your basic backhand drive, consider closing your paddle face slightly to have a flatter paddle through your point of contact.
2. To hit a basic backhand drive:
a. Start in Tennis Ready;
b. Rotate your body and pull your paddle back, together;
c. Move your feet to position yourself behind the pickleball;
d. Find the contact point out in front of your body; and
e. Hit forward and through the pickleball and finish with a little lift.
3. When hitting a basic backhand drive, try to keep your feet in a semi-open position, so that you can quickly revert back to the proper ready position and prepare for the next shot.