Imagine you are playing someone with a lot of spin. For instance, a player that loves the slice or chip backhand return of serve or the inside out drive or volley. To overcome the tough spin, try the following strategies:

1. Treat Your Game Like a Windy Day – On a windy day, the pickleball tends to move a bit more. The same is true when playing against someone with a lot of spin. To overcome this extra movement and spin, move your feet as much as possible and stay on your toes to react to any funny bounces. Also, shorten your backswing on your shots. By moving your feet and taking a short backswing, you will be able to react quicker to sudden movements in the pickleball.

2. Avoid Hitting Spin with Spin – When a shot is spinning toward you, return the pickleball with a flat shot. In other words, do not try to spin a spinning pickleball back to your opponent. Strike the pickleball squarely and drive flat through the pickleball. One practice tip is if you are struggling to hit a third shot drop off of a spinning return of serve, try driving the third shot and dropping the fifth shot. This may help you overcome and neutralize a spinning return of serve because your opponents will probably (and hopefully) send a flatter (in other words, less spinny) fourth shot to you in the form of a basic block off of your third shot drive, which would set up an easy fifth shot drop for you and your partner.

3. Recognize the Spin – Pay attention to the spin on the pickleball. By recognizing the spin, you will be able to anticipate the trajectory of the pickleball and the direction of any bounce of the pickleball, which will give you a head start when trying to return the pickleball to your opponents’ side of the court. Look for clues on what type of spin the pickleball will have by paying attention to your opponents’ paddle face and swing trajectory. For instance, if you see your opponents pull their backhand shot up and by their ear to hit down on the pickleball, be ready for a slice (or backwards spinning) shot, which will have a tendency to skid or skip off the bounce. Or, if you see your opponents from low to high on their forehand in a windshield wiper motion, be ready for some top spin, which have a tendency to have a bigger bounce than a slice. And, if you see your opponents go for an inside out shot, be ready for some fish hook or curve-like movement. Analyze the spin on the pickleball so that you can anticipate where you need to be to react to the pickleball.

Key Takeaways:

1. To defeat the spinners:

a. Treat your game like it is a windy day by moving your feet, taking short backswings, and really focusing on the pickleball;

b. Avoid hitting spin with more spin; and

c. Look for clues of what type of spin your opponents are hitting to anticipate where the pickleball will go.