Pickleball Magazine 3-1 | Page 41

SOME DO-NOTS OF THIS MOTION
is going to work out well for you . For the optimal setup , it ’ s best to be dinking crosscourt . A slice on your backhand dink is useful , as it can force a slight pop-up from your opponent . The other method to get a good setup is to volley the ball out of the air on a dink . This has a few advantageous effects : it takes away your opponents ’ time , making it more difficult for them to hit quality dinks ; it keeps you low and leaning forward into the kitchen , which is the ideal position from which to hit the backhand roll ; and it also disguises your backhand roll because your opponents see you volleying dinks and don ’ t expect a roll right at them .

2 . THE EXECUTION

Once you ’ ve set up the shot , you just need to execute the roll itself . The most important part of this shot , as you ’ ll hear me say about almost every shot , is stay low ! It can be tempting to pull up or stand lazily straight-legged , but if you want to hit this shot , you must stay low to the ground . The objective on the backhand roll is to both brush up on the ball for topspin and attack the ball with power .
To do this , you need to start the paddle from below your anticipated contact point and swing upward . The swing path from your starting swing point to contact point should be approximately a 40-degree angle , but some variation is OK . Your paddle face should not be tilted upward . It should be close to 90 degrees , or even a slight downward tilt is OK . Your swing path should be what gets the ball up and over the net , not an upward tilt of the paddle . The combination of an upward swing path with an even paddle face generates topspin .
However , that alone is not going to generate enough power for the shot . To generate power , start your swing with the portion of your arm from elbow to wrist tucked in so that it forms a 90-degree angle with the portion of your arm from elbow to shoulder . As you ’ re swinging , you should extend your arm until it reaches full extension right as you make contact with the ball . This motion creates that recognizable “ snap ” that makes the ball shoot off the paddle .
Many people ask about the placement of this shot . My favorite spot is at the right hip of the person down the line from me . There are a few reasons for this : the opponent down the line from me has a difficult time reading that I ’ m going to hit

SOME DO-NOTS OF THIS MOTION

Don ’ t pull up ! Finish your swing and follow through before coming up from your low position at all . A related do-not is when you ’ re getting low , make sure you ’ re bending your knees and not just bending at the hips . Lastly , don ’ t flick your wrist during the swing . A lot of people have the misconception that you generate power from snapping your wrist on this shot , but it will only make you lose control over the ball . Keep that wrist firmly locked in place !
down the line off a crosscourt ball ; he / she has much less reaction time than the opponent crosscourt does ; and aiming at the right hip jams righties — it ’ s difficult to hit a forehand or backhand in that spot , let alone with any authority . Of course , for lefties , I ’ ll aim for the left hip .
I hope you ’ ve enjoyed my tutorial on the backhand roll . Now get to it ! •
Here is an example of the roll . Notice how the position is almost identical to the one where I was reaching into the kitchen and dinking the ball . This is the primary reason the shot is difficult to read .
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 | MAGAZINE 39