Guides · Pickleball
Pickleball backhand: one or two hands, grips and drills
A solid pickleball backhand comes from three things: the paddle is up and back on the backhand side before the ball arrives, contact happens out in front of your body, and the wrist stays firm while the shoulder and legs do the work. For most players the best style is one hand for the soft game (dinks, drops, volleys, resets) and an optional second hand on drives and hard returns, where the extra stability pays off.
One hand or two?
Both are legal and both work. The choice is about what you hit most. Pickleball is played from close range with a short, light paddle, so reach and quick hands matter more than they do in tennis. That tilts most players toward one hand, with two hands kept for the shots where you have time to set up and want to hit through the ball.
| One-handed | Two-handed | |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Longer, especially on wide balls | Shorter; the second hand costs you some distance |
| Touch | Better for dinks, drops and cross-court angles | Fine for blocks; harder to feel a delicate dink |
| Stability and power | Needs a firm wrist and a good turn | The off hand steadies the face and adds pace on drives |
| Speed at the net | Paddle recovers to ready position quickly | Slower to let go and get back to ready |
| Short handle | No issue | Little room for two hands; they crowd each other |
| Suits | Most players, and anyone who lives at the kitchen line | Tennis players, and anyone who drives or returns hard from the baseline |
A sensible default: one hand for everything in front of the baseline, two hands as an option on the drive and the serve return. If you play tennis with two hands, you do not have to give it up. Keep it for drives, and read the tennis backhand guide for the shoulder turn you already know. Then learn the one-handed version for the kitchen, because that is where most pickleball points are decided.
Grips
Continental
Hold the handle as if you were hammering a nail, with the "V" between thumb and index finger on the top edge. It is the grip for dinks, volleys and resets on both sides, and because there is no time to change grip at the line, it is the one most players use for the whole backhand. The face stays close to vertical, which suits touch.
Eastern backhand
From continental, turn your hand a quarter step toward the top of the handle, so the base knuckle of the index finger sits on the top face. The paddle face gets firmer behind the ball, which helps on a backhand drive. The cost is that it feels less natural for a dink. Try it only on drives, and go back to continental at the kitchen line.
Two-handed setup
Your paddle hand stays on the handle and the other hand goes above it, toward the throat. For a right-hander, the left hand is now the one that steers the stroke. A short handle leaves little room, so stack the hands close and keep the elbows soft. The off hand supplies most of the swing on a two-handed drive. Use a loose grip on both and let the paddle head do the work.
Cue: grip pressure of about four out of ten. If the knuckles are white, the wrist is stiff and the ball will pop up.
Ready position and early prep
Most weak backhands are lost before the swing starts, in the half second after the opponent hits. The fix is the ready position and an early preparation.
- Paddle up and in front. Chest height, tip up, centered on your body, with your free hand lightly on the throat. From there it is a short trip to either side.
- Split step as they hit. You land balanced, so you can push off in any direction.
- Prepare on the backhand side the moment you read it. Turn the shoulders a little and take the paddle there before the ball bounces. For a volley the paddle goes there as the ball crosses the net.
- Lead with the foot on your paddle-hand side. Step into the shot so your weight moves toward the ball.
Cue: paddle first, feet second, swing last.
Contact out in front
On the backhand, contact belongs in front of your lead hip, with the arm slightly bent and the paddle tip a touch above the wrist. A backhand struck beside or behind you has nowhere to go but a flick, and the face opens. If the ball arrives too close, do not reach back for it. Move your feet so it arrives in front.
The backhand side is also where most players take the ball that comes straight at the body. A paddle turned to the backhand side protects your chest and lets you block a ball that would jam you.
Cue: meet it in front of the lead hip, and finish pointing at the target.
Common backhand mistakes and the fix for each
The wristy flick
The paddle head whips at the ball with a loose wrist, and the contact point changes every time. Fix: lock the wrist at a slight angle and swing from the shoulder, like a pendulum.
A late paddle
The paddle starts back when the ball has already bounced, so the swing is rushed and the contact is beside you. Fix: prepare early, on the split step.
Opening too early
The shoulders open toward the net before contact, which pulls the face open and sends the ball across the court or into the net. Fix: keep the chest turned until the ball has gone past the paddle, then let the shoulders rotate through the shot.
A backswing that is too big
A long swing on a short court means mistimed contact. Fix: on the dink, volley and reset, the paddle goes back only as far as the ball needs. On a drive, back to about the rear hip, no further.
Reaching with the arm
The arm stretches while the feet stay planted, so the shoulders pull around and the shot drops short. Fix: take a small step first, then hit.
Trying to hit everything with the same swing
A backhand dink and a backhand drive are different shots. Fix: pick the cue for the shot, not one swing for all.
The backhand on each shot
This is only what changes on the backhand side. For the full technique of each shot, follow the link.
Backhand dink
Keep the pendulum short and the face open, and aim cross-court to the other backhand when you can. Your paddle-side foot leads, and the wrist stays firm. Cue: push the shoulder, not the hand. Full guide: how to dink.
Backhand third shot drop
The swing goes up, not forward. The paddle tip stays slightly high, you contact in front, and the follow-through is short and pointed at the target. Cue: lift the ball, don't push it. Full guide: the third shot drop.
Backhand drive
Turn the shoulders, drop the paddle below the ball, swing low to high and finish high on the paddle side. One hand or two. Keep the backswing short. Cue: turn, drop, finish. Full guide: the drive.
Backhand volley and punch
The backhand volley is a short punch with a firm wrist. The paddle stays up between hits, and there is almost no backswing. Cue: hit and recover. Full guide: how to volley.
Backhand reset
The backhand block is the safest answer to a ball at the body. Loosen the grip, open the face a little and let the paddle absorb the pace. Cue: catch it, don't hit it. Full guide: how to reset.
The backhand serve is legal but rare; the serve itself has its own guide, how to serve in pickleball. New to the game? Start with how to play pickleball.
Shadow-swing drills (no ball, no court)
A shadow swing is a stroke played without a ball, and a hallway is enough room. Do each drill with one cue and nothing else. The wider home routine is in pickleball practice at home. These drills are backhand only.
1. Prep and hold
3 sets of 10. Split step, take the paddle to the backhand side, step with the paddle-side foot, swing short and hold the finish for one second. Cue: paddle first.
2. Dink pendulum
3 sets of 15. Short, shoulder-led swing from below the wrist. Pause at the end of each rep. Cue: firm wrist.
3. Drop lift
3 sets of 10. Start low, swing up and finish with the paddle tip pointing at an imaginary target over the net. Slow is correct. Cue: up, not forward.
4. Drive, turn and finish
2 sets of 10, one hand, then 2 sets of 10 with two hands if you use it. Full shoulder turn, drop, brush up, finish high. Cue: short backswing.
5. Punch and recover
3 sets of 12. Paddle in ready position, punch to the backhand side with almost no backswing, return to ready before the next rep. Cue: hit and get back.
6. Off-hand half swings (two-handers)
2 sets of 10. Swing with only your off hand on the handle, at half speed. It teaches the off hand to steer. Cue: the top hand leads.
Wall drills
A wall gives you a partner that never misses. Use a flat wall with no windows, a quiet practice ball, and ask first if it is not yours. Tape a line at net height (about 86 centimeters, 34 inches) so the ball has a target.
Backhand dinks to the wall
About two meters (7 feet) from the wall. Dink backhand only, above the line, letting the ball bounce once. Sets of 20 in a row. Cue: same height every time.
Backhand volley rally
About two and a half meters from the wall. Volley without letting the ball bounce, backhand only, above the line. Sets of 20. Cue: paddle up between hits.
Hit and block
About three meters out. Hit a firm backhand at the wall, then block the return softly so it barely reaches the wall again. 10 in a row. Cue: loose hand on the block.
Lift to a high spot
About four meters out. Mark a spot higher up the wall and lift soft backhands onto it, so the ball comes back slowly and bounces once. 10 in a row. This is the backhand drop shape. Cue: arc, don't push.
Solo footwork
The backhand breaks down when your feet are late, so train the feet without a ball.
- Side-step and split. Tape a line three meters long. Shuffle along it toward your backhand side, split step at the end, shadow a dink, shuffle back. 5 trips each way.
- Reach and recover. Put a marker a long step wide on your backhand side. Step out to it, shadow a punch, and push back to center. 3 sets of 8.
- Turn and retreat. From the kitchen line, drop-step back, turn the shoulders and take the paddle back as if for a high backhand. 2 sets of 6. High balls on the backhand are the hardest to handle, and this makes the turn automatic.
A 12-minute backhand session
| Time | Drill | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 to 2:00 | Side-step and split, 5 trips each way | Be early |
| 2:00 to 5:00 | Dink pendulum 2 x 15, drop lift 2 x 10 | Firm wrist, up not forward |
| 5:00 to 7:00 | Punch and recover, 3 x 10 | Hit and get back |
| 7:00 to 11:00 | Wall: backhand dinks and volleys, 2 sets of 20 each. No wall? Drive shadows, 2 x 10 | Same height every time |
| 11:00 to 12:00 | 5 slow shadow backhands, the best form you have | Finish and hold |
For 15 minutes, add a second round of wall dinks and the hit and block. Do it three or four times a week. A short session you repeat beats a long one you skip.
How ShadowSwing helps
The hard part of practicing the backhand at home is knowing whether a rep was any good. ShadowSwing gives you some of that feedback on each shadow swing, within limits we want to be clear about. It measures the swing, not the ball. It does not track the ball, your body or spin, and it cannot see your grip, your footwork or whether contact was out in front.
ShadowSwing is free to download, and Pro removes the limits. For how it compares with apps that film you, see the best pickleball training apps.
Questions
Should I use a one- or two-handed backhand in pickleball?
Use one hand for dinks, drops, volleys and resets, because it gives you reach and touch at the kitchen line. Add a second hand only if you drive hard backhands or return serves, where the extra stability helps. If you play tennis with two hands, keep it for drives and try one hand up front.
How can I practice my pickleball backhand alone?
Shadow swing the backhand: dink pendulum, drop lift, drive and punch volley, 10 to 15 reps each with one cue. Then hit backhand-only dinks and volleys against a wall, and rehearse the side-step and split step. Twelve focused minutes, three or four times a week, beats an hour of random hitting.
What grip should I use for a pickleball backhand?
Most players use the continental grip for every backhand shot, because there is no time to change it. An eastern backhand grip, with the hand turned slightly toward the top of the handle, gives a firmer face on drives. For two hands, your paddle hand stays on the handle and the other sits just above it.
Is a two-handed backhand legal in pickleball?
Yes. Pickleball rules do not restrict you to one hand on the paddle, and plenty of players, including tennis converts, hit two-handed backhands. It adds stability on drives and returns but costs reach on wide balls, and a short handle leaves little room for two hands.
Why is my pickleball backhand so inconsistent?
Usually one of four things: the paddle gets back late, the wrist flicks at the ball, the shoulders open before contact, or the backswing is too big. Prepare early on the backhand side, keep the wrist firm, make contact out in front and shorten the swing until the ball lands where you aimed.
Can I practice my pickleball backhand against a wall?
Yes, a wall is one of the best ways to practice it alone. Stand about two meters back, tape a line at net height, and hit backhand-only dinks and volleys above it. Keep the paddle up between hits. Use a quiet ball and a wall without windows, and ask first if it is not yours.
Where should I make contact on a pickleball backhand?
Out in front of your body, ahead of the lead hip, with the arm slightly bent and the paddle tip a little above the wrist. Contact beside or behind you forces a flick and opens the face. Move your feet so the ball arrives in front instead of reaching back for it.
Can a phone app help with my pickleball backhand?
It can help with the swing, not the ball. ShadowSwing measures how you move the phone held like a paddle handle, so it can play a sound at the whip, show paddle-head speed with Pro and replay a backhand drive or volley in 3D. It does not track the ball, your body or spin.