5 Common Backhand Mistakes Pickleball Players Make (At All Levels)

[@lotuszen4163]

I made all 5 mistakes. That’s why I am still at a beginner level after 3 years. Thank you so much. Your lessons are concise and effective. Wish I can take class with you in person. Best regards

[@susanquimby1853]

Well done. Very helpful to see the visual comparisons. Useful, clear. Thank you

[@primetimepickleball]

Glad it was helpful!

[@deanmarty5956]

You are so good at explaining things. You may be the best coach out there. Thanks!!! you are awsome!!!!

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you so much! Happy to help 😊

[@kimbolinaP]

I would give this video two thumbs up if I could! I have watched it multiple times and see improvement, yet with a long way to go. I’m happy to have this as a refresher when I feel my brain+body connection is ready to tackle one of these 5 issues. Thanks you bunches, Nicole!

[@primetimepickleball]

I'm so happy to hear that Kim! That's exactly how I hope this video will help players so it's very satisfying to hear that is happening 😁. Thanks so much for your comment.

[@jimkazmarek5302]

Excellent!! Backhand success is vital to improving my game. I let the ball get to close to me so gotta move my feet. Thanks Sara!

[@primetimepickleball]

It’s super vital! Yes, get some space, that is key. Thanks for the comment.

[@JackieBoykin-q4c]

excellent detail...best video I've watched in a long time!

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you! I appreciate the kind words.

[@stnick777]

When I teach about watching the ball all the way to the paddle I explain that looking to where you want the ball to go does not help it get there. I know he's tennis, but if you watch Roger Federer, he is the best example of looking where he contacted the ball well after he hit it, same applies to pickleball. I demonstrate this by never looking up when I demonstrate the serve yet they invariably are in. Great 5 common backhand tips!

[@primetimepickleball]

Great stuff! thx.

[@Thejoeb]

#5 is the most common overall mistake in pickleball. Backhand, forehand, volleys... every shot is hard to hit when you loose eye contact on the contact point! I truly think the difference between a very good player and a good player is how long the eye stays on the ball the better you are- a pro may have .002 seconds longer eye hold on their contact point, but those fractions of a second longer per shot are what makes their hits so clean and lower level players tend to miss hit the ball at a MUCH higher percentage than players who inherently know this skill.

[@primetimepickleball]

Great observation. Yes, pulling eyes off the contact too soon is common across the board. Thanks for the comment.

[@markjohnson7302]

Excellent backhand video. The camera work demonstrated proper technique beautifully.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you!

[@pamelasmith7538]

Some FANTASTIC tips! I think I'm inadvertenly doing at least 2 of the 5 common mistakes - excited to see the difference in my play.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks! So happy you picked up some useful stuff you can apply right away. That’s my aim. 🎯

[@glenngrendzinski6395]

Great lesson. And I love the statement, “The court is not moving. The ball is moving.” Really helps put the premise of eye contact into perspective.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks Glenn! Glad that made sense to you. It's an important point.

[@paulmcdevitt2038]

Perfect! Exactly what I needed to understand how to hit better backhands. Now off to practice

[@primetimepickleball]

Awesome! Thanks Paul!

[@blaisemolitoris6135]

Thanks for the backhand tips some great insights we’ll try and apply.

[@primetimepickleball]

You got it Blaise! Glad I could help.

[@charliegould2087]

Really good instruction. Nice and clear

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks Charlie!

[@Zenon-fg4dw]

Thanks, Nicole, for helpful and essential tips for improving pickleball strokes, not just in this video but all of videos. I am learning a lot from your instructions. I wonder if you were a tennis player once because your instructions for proper swing techniques are identical to that of tennis. I do have one question about the forehand and backhand swing. In tennis, the modern swing path on both sides is inside out. Is it the same in pickleball also?

[@primetimepickleball]

Yes, I was a tennis player. If you can swing inside out then yes, go for it but it's not always possible depending on how well you got setup for the ball.

[@zachcorenblum2]

This was so helpful. Thank you for making it.

[@primetimepickleball]

You're so welcome!

[@Mr.Martini549]

Finally, someone showing the proper form to hit a backhand. Thank you!

[@primetimepickleball]

My pleasure! Glad you liked it.

[@Mr.Martini549]

@@primetimepickleball My backhand has greatly improved.

[@aminemokaddem9951]

I can’t Waite to go to court and apply these tips. Thanks

[@primetimepickleball]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@paulmay6249]

All excellent. Video at 6:38 was shot extremely well. Demo terrific!

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks so much! Glad you found it helpful.

[@tennislite]

Great video on backhand. Having a strong backhand, what seems to set mine apart from most is a I hold a heavy eastern grip for ground strokes and at the net. I frequently maintain the eastern even for my forehand. I see so many beginners with a bad backhand grip and broken wrist. A bad grip is like hitting a punching bag with back of your hand instead of the front of your knuckles.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you! Glad you enjoy. Also, happy to hear you rock the backhand side. :) That's one way to do it. Do you change your grip to eastern FH grip on FH if you hit roll dinks? Using an eastern BH grip on all FHs at the net would be quite limiting on the forehand side.

[@tennislite]

@@primetimepickleball . With a small grip I roll my Eastern backhand to a western with my thumb. Hard to explain, but very effective. Paddle face control is much more important in pickle than tennis due to the hard surface of the face. If you have the face in the right angle the ball will go where it is pointed. This is where many falter by using too much wrist and poor grip. Sometimes my tennis habits come out and I use too much wrist.

[@romanhernz9209]

Excellent explanation thank you 🙏 so much !

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. ☺️

[@stevehennessey6648]

Thanks so much for such great advice, it really helps my game.

[@primetimepickleball]

You are so welcome!

[@jisforjoy3314]

Nicole, I have to admit, I stopped watching Prime Time videos after Jordan left. But today you wowed me! I resubscribed and also shared this video with a friend. Great job! Jin

[@primetimepickleball]

Welcome back! Thanks for your comment and for sharing :)

[@mariomangone8571]

Wow! Great advice that's easy to understand!

[@primetimepickleball]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fredbruno6546]

Great Video. I come from a tennis background and have some issues adjusting to Pickleball. The use of the non dominate hand in the backswing has been critical for me to get into position and ready to hit the ball. You showed that perfectly. Also the constant eye contact with the ball. Your video reinforced that I am at least doing this correctly in Pickleball. If only that damn ball bounced higher LOL. Thank you for a great video about the backhand. Fred

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks Fred! Glad you found it helpful.

[@leifatuesi5262]

This is very helpful, concerning i joined our local PAAS (Pickleball Association of American Samoa) January 2022. Luckily i play tennis so I was good after a couple of days. Struggling on my backhand only so this is a huge help for me. Will start practicing bh today. We’re also having our very first Pickleball tournament this coming April so i know it’s going to be fun.

[@primetimepickleball]

That's exciting! Hope the BH is getting better.

[@frank88ster]

Nice drive execution. Another great instructions. I think this is applicable from the back of court and if you are further in transition area, this is not easy. Better to do shorter push, reset or slice drive in absorbing a strong return or its going out.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks Francis! Yes, this is for back in the court. Front of court play is different.

[@Purple007]

Very helpful for my pb and tennis game too! I use 2 handed backhand for tennis and slice for pb because it's too awkward for a 2 handed backhand in pb.

[@primetimepickleball]

Glad it's helpful to you!

[@Josh49546]

Great explanation. I use to Consider myself as having one of the most powerful backhands in the area. Took a couple years off and i seemed to have lost some consistency. Your are exactly inline with what I recall on how to hit a strong consistent backhand. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the plane of the paddle at the top. I agree head up but perpendicular (straight up) to the ground or tilted toward your ear a little bit? If that made sense. Thx josh

[@primetimepickleball]

Hi Josh! Glad you liked the video. I think I understand what you mean but not 💯 % sure. Lol! The paddle shouldn’t be tipped towards your head if that’s what you mean. If so it means you didn’t fully release your wrist. That’s the key… released wrist which will put it mostly in a tip up position.

[@seanrivard1254]

Probably one of the weakest part of my game as a beginner. Will take these tips and practice practice practice! Thanks!

[@primetimepickleball]

Awesome! They work :)

[@hungarymagistra5666]

Hello, thanks for the great video! What grip do you use for backhands and forehands? Do you change grip between?

[@primetimepickleball]

You're very welcome. For forehands drive...Eastern forehand grip. For backhand drive... Eastern backhand grip. We have a few grip videos that cover this and are worth checking out. Search our channel for "grip"

[@hungarymagistra5666]

@@primetimepickleball Thank you, I'll watch them!

[@just_fishfish]

helpful! I switch hands to hit backhands most of the time since hitting them with my dominant hand is difficult for me, so this helped me a bunch!

[@primetimepickleball]

Glad to hear it! :)

[@edverish1620]

Very helpful! I probably make all these mistakes at one time or another

[@primetimepickleball]

Glad it was helpful!

[@williehiew3475]

Great video! I'm just learning pickleball and an intermediate tennis player. Grip is what I'm trying to figure out. Especially for the one handed back. Same as tennis or is continental grip fine? I find that continental is a good compromise as I don't have as much time to switch back and forth as in tennis but not sure if I should use the tennis grip to maximize my one handed back hand instead. Thanks!

[@primetimepickleball]

I use both. As much as possible and when I have time I will use the Eastern backhand grip because you can hit a drive more easily out of that grip. If I’m a bit shorter on time but still want to drive it then I may do it out of continental.

[@jeangitlin9620]

@@primetimepickleball 0:00

[@garybenk]

Thanks, Nicole for a great explanation of the back hand mistakes. Any thoughts as to using the continential grip for both fore- and backhand? I always seem to change my grip for a backhand stroke and have been told to use the same grip on both sides. How do I fix this? are there practice drills to ingrain this in my mind. I don't seem to be able to move past a 3.5 and I feel that to move up to 4.0+ this is the thing I need to fix.

[@primetimepickleball]

On driving (flat) and topspin groundstrokes, I definitely use a different grip on the forehand vs the backhand. All the pros do. You can do so much more when changing your grip. example: NOBODY hits a topspin with a continental grip and all the good pros hit topspin. You can hit a lot of shots with continental but hitting ever shot with that grip would very much limit your game. I would not strive to make that your goal. When you don't have a lot of time to be changing grips, like when you at the net, then stay in continental almost all the time, especially on defense. But, if you have time to change your grip and it would help your shot then do it. Don't let anyone tell you that you ALWAYS have to use continental. Not true.

[@alohaleslie9407]

Aloha Nicole! Another great tutorial. I am one of those players "stuck" at a 4.0 level. Many of my weaknesses come from improper court positioning. My backhand isn't bad, but if I receive a ball that bounces up and angled, finding it really difficult to hit the ball in front of me, I struggle with that. I'm not sure how to practice other than finding another player to work out the kinks with. Perhaps you can put together instruction for that. Thanks so much!

[@primetimepickleball]

Aloha Leslie! Your answer is already in there "find another player to work out the kinds with". You can also get a ball machine. I think I understand the shot you're referring to. Get your feet moving early (earlier than you think) and fast. Some balls will just get past you but you can work on minimizing the ones that do. For the ones that you're a bit late. Turn your shoulders and think more to "knock it" back low rather than a strike. Hope that helps.

[@alohaleslie9407]

@@primetimepickleball Aloha Nicole! Thanks so much for your quick response. The shot I'm referring to is when I'm at the back line and either it is served to me or otherwise, and the shot is extremely angled, high (I'm standing on the left side facing the net). My return is often very weak. It's tough to take early, but if that's what I need to do, I will practice, practice, practice!!! Or just pray I don't get that shot. ;)

[@billkatealicerosalin]

Excellent explanation

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you!

[@kimanderson9075]

Great tips! Thanks

[@primetimepickleball]

You’re very welcome! 😄

[@andyapsay8220]

Nicole, I just love your channel!

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks!

[@StrongMindandBody]

The "court is not moving".... brings a chuckle to my mind--yet I understand ur point

[@primetimepickleball]

😂 Sometimes you have to state the obvious because it gets overlooked.

[@mikefixac]

I'll bet my #1 problem is that I never watch the ball all the way to my racket. BTW, thanks, you're a very good teacher. Sometimes I wonder what makes PB so much fun. I think there's a paddle and a whiffle ball, but not much to it. But it seems like I'm learning something new everyday.

[@primetimepickleball]

Yes, hold your eyes on the ball all the way into contact and it will do wonders. It’s a simple game at its core but yes, it can get very nuanced if you really want to master it.

[@kabnis2022]

Should you also have this paddle head drop for the two handed backhand? My one handed backhand goes into the net often and I’m wondering if this is due to not dropping the paddle head

[@primetimepickleball]

Yup, always drop the paddle head some on groundstrokes.

[@ZhanaZee]

You are soooo amazing thank you😃

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you!!

[@taylorbryant6345]

Love it!

[@primetimepickleball]

Lol! Hey Taylor! It's all you... :)

[@andyapsay8220]

Thank you!

[@primetimepickleball]

😊

[@philminion4705]

aha, i was doing #5, will correct asap, thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

[@primetimepickleball]

Awesome! 😎

[@garywasik8875]

The great tennis coach, Vic Braden, says dropping the paddle head leads to scooping or swinging across your body. Better to keep a firm wrist and bending your knees more to let your leg raise create the topspin.

[@primetimepickleball]

You have to get the paddle head under the ball, there's no way around that and it's best to drop your paddle head at least some so that you can roll over your forearm to help with the spin. Love Vic and I'd have to hear more in detail about what he said because getting low with the knees alone doesn't get it done in my view.

[@shelkatz]

#5 is for everything! My biggest problem!!

[@primetimepickleball]

You're absolutely right!

[@bobmalack481]

Basically hit your forehand and backhand shots Tennis style. Ex Tennis and Table Tennis players have the best form and are generally fitter. I'm flabergasted at the poor form, footwork, raquet prep, popping the ball up 2-4 feet over the net for your opponant to smash that even the 'advanced' Pickleballers do. How many of you can hit a viable Pickleball topspin lob?..off both sides?..few if any. I have a tough time taking Pickleballer's seriously..and THAT name...Ex Tennis player and current Table Tennis player Robert at 67.

[@primetimepickleball]

ok, Bob. We'll keep working to get better.

[@michaelboano7183]

Chill out a bit; no need to be demeaning. Moreover, lobs r not usually high % shots. Usually better to master the drop shot instead.

[@JimSoderborg]

Nice tennis footwork, stepping across instead of forward into the ball. Great paddle follow-through up and out instead of across the body to the shoulder. Almost there.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks Jim!

[@sunsetrider45]

Thankfully my backhand is my strength, I need help with the top spin forehand!

[@primetimepickleball]

Nice! You're one of the rare few. Noted about the topspin FH.

[@sunsetrider45]

@@primetimepickleball I would love a video on the top spin forehand, mine lands in either the net or the court behind my opponents.

[@mikeiz6944]

Very nice backhand. Some of the others I've seen from teaching pros are hideous. You gotta be ex tennis player. LOL. As am I thinking of trying this pickleball stuff.

[@primetimepickleball]

I appreciate that! Yes, I am a former D1 college player. Give it a try...so much fun!

[@kbotelho27]

Another well scripted and illustrated lesson. I'd caution to attack these issues one at a time. Video yourself or take a lesson so you know what mistakes you might be making. Then work to correct that. Many times one or more of the five mistakes identified here are really a result of what Nicole identified at the beginning of this video; late preparation.

[@primetimepickleball]

Excellent points Ken! Thanks for the comment.

[@Largecanyondog]

The butt of your paddle grip needs to open up and point toward your target.

[@primetimepickleball]

Sorry, I'm not able to visualize what you mean here. I do lead with the butt of the paddle for a portion of the stroke.

[@Largecanyondog]

@@primetimepickleball this is a tennis picture so pickleball will be much more compact but same principle images.deccanchronicle.com/772458a3b3709729bc7df7b5e82b453fd7327750-tc-img-preview.jpg

[@Largecanyondog]

To maximize topspin and get a deep driving backhand.

[@bethboyce367]

That’s weird we have the same last name

[@primetimepickleball]

😎