HOW to Hit a Topspin Drive | The Pickleball Clinic

Here Matt talks about the secrets to hitting an incredibly important shot that will help transform your offensive game, and something all players need to have in their arsenal to become an advanced player: the topspin drive.
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[@scooter8187]

Best description of grip impact on spin that I've seen. I had no idea that I should you needed to rotate the paddle in your hand that far from continental position to get good topspin.

[@dcapp550]

Fantastic explanation of the grips required!

[@sher9122]

This is one of the best explanations I have heard on KZbin. I have seems many videos but none explain better than this video.

[@mikerutherford4707]

Nicely done, Matt. You consistently impressed me with the way you explain things. No nonsense. Just plain simple explanations. Keep up the good work my friend.

[@TheThornton33]

Might be one of the best verbal explanations I’ve heard on the top spin drive. Particularly the importance of dropping the paddle head and not contacting parallel to the ground. Also flexing the wrist back for an initial flat contact and letting the grip do its work in the follow though.

[@Gilles-o9o]

I really appreciate that video. It’s clear and very well explained. I’m going to try that this morning. Thank you.

[@denisthibodeau3044]

Thank you for this video. You explain it so well. I'm a new player and play catch up with my friends skill level. This video will help.

[@lindag4999]

best explanation ever. plus I was able to practice while you were demonstrating, super helpful

[@richardwilliams3916]

Best explanation of top spin I ha e ever seen. Bravo!

[@DogDaize]

First one on the topic that I actually understood.

[@bluehenspecial]

Excellent explanation. You may be able to get more drop of you don't crush it. Top spin but smooth and easy drops like a stone.

[@yasim9435]

Thanks. Can you describe paddle spec which makes topspin generation easier

[@voltaquake]

Do you do anything differently if you're trying to drive from mid court (if the serve comes short)? I always hit it out.

[@davidschrag-pvd]

Quite a few of those drives got to your opponent well above net level, so this shot seems to be pretty difficult to pull off as planned. Also, you didn't mention how much force you put into the shot. If "1" is a drop into the kitchen and "10" is a flat drive that would bounce near the baseline, how much power are you giving a topspin drive?

[@oliver.schroeder]

How do you handle backhand shots with that „stronger“ grip?

[@christianegregoire8909]

Very well explained, but too bad that we could not see the full trajectory of the the top spins, on the video; the opponent was returning it all the time, and quite a few of those top spin drives got well above net level for your opponent to return it easily. Thank you!

[@dosa1]

There's a common misconception that the grip positions used in tennis for generating topspin can be directly applied to pickleball. This isn't effective because the mechanics of pickleball strokes-both forehand and backhand-bear a closer resemblance to those used in table tennis, not traditional tennis. For those familiar with both sports, the tennis terminologies like "continental," "Eastern," and "semi-Eastern" grips don't translate well to pickleball. This is due to the different spin conditions encountered in pickleball, which are more akin to those in ping pong. The angle of topspin in pickleball varies based on the spin characteristics of the incoming ball, similar to table tennis, rather than tennis which uses a stringed racquet. There's a helpful example of this in a KZbin video that discusses these differences in depth. Please remember that pickleball is more closely related to table tennis than it is to tennis. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2XUkKOIhq5pic0

[@Boogey3234]

Hey that’s Montclair State lol

[@robertcuomo7084]

For those having trouble achieving topspin, here is a tip. Use your mattress! Truth. If you aren’t swinging correctly and slapping the ball, the mattress will prevent the paddle to move forward. Start at the bottom of the mattress and work your way up swinging in a “C” path. In other words, low to high. The mattress will not inhibit that swing, only help it. THANK ME NOW!! 😊

[@soy_leche]

What do you mean by mattress?

[@robertcuomo7084]

@@soy_leche your bed

[@soy_leche]

@@robertcuomo7084 Still not sure what you mean about the mattress or what thats doing lol but I did think of 'slapping' the ball and it actually helped! Thanks.