sooner , you must bend your knees to enable your swing to help the ball clear the net and stay low at the same time . You don ’ t want to give a floater as you rush the net . Your knees control the height that the ball clears the net . If you raise up as you hit the ball , you will lift the ball up too . Do this and you are going to learn the meaning of hara-kiri . You do not want to be standing straight up having lifted the ball up to your opponents . Bend your knees !
Follow through . Use your backhand follow-through to direct the ball precisely where you want it to land . Extend your follow-through so that it pulls you toward the NVZ line . One fluid motion leads to better placement . If you develop consistent preparation , you will develop precision . Take the ball a little early and it will go crosscourt ; take it a bit later and it will go down the line . By preparing the same way every time , you can disguise your backhand . You could open your stance for the crosscourt , but your opponent will be able to read this and get into position much earlier . Better to prepare early , bend your knees , and sight the ball like you would if you were looking down the barrel of a rifle .
Your eyes are the key . You do not want to keep resetting your swing as your eyes refocus on an approaching ball . Cameras sit on a tripod for a reason . You are that tripod . Feet apart , head down , paddle back and stable . The swing should be back to front in a linear motion . You want all your force to go forward into the ball . The most important reason for the tripod and the linear swing is that you increase the area that you can hit a ball consistently into the court . Your swing is not an arc ; it is a drive . Think of a baseball player hitting a line drive . He does not scoop his bat . Your stable tripod allows you to be more consistent because you have greater margin of error with your linear swing . You now have a reliable backhand .
This stable swing also allows you to unload . Your weight transfer shifts from back foot to front foot and all your power goes into the shot , not up into the air . When you follow through you are able to direct the power with precision . You are not hitting a glancing blow ; you are transferring your weight into the shot .
Place a cone in the crosscourt corner . Using an old paddle , hit a backhand crosscourt drive at the cone and let go of the paddle so that it hits the cone as you finish
Top tennis players who come to pickleball already have strong backhands . These former Yale tennis team players exemplify the importance of having solid fundamentals in pickleball ( l to r ): Suzi Liebowitz , Ellen Markowitz , Pam Wolf , Stacy Pardue and Kathy Haigood .
your follow-through . That is what a follow-through feels like . Keep your head down so you don ’ t shank the shot . Extend while your knees are still flexed as you unload from back foot to front foot . Remember to use an old paddle . Now move the cone for a down-the-line backhand .
Learn to mix up your shots . Early goes crosscourt ; later goes down the line . In pickleball you want to get to the NVZ line , so practice taking the ball on the rise and driving your body forward . Make it one fluid motion as you prepare early , maintain a stable stance , and flow from your unloading into your follow-through approach to the NVZ line . Let the paddle draw you forward as you follow through . Remember it is a natural movement . Hit it like you are being videoed frame after frame .
Each player has a propensity to choose his own certain style . For example , the two-handed backhand is becoming popular among many of the pickleball pros . Each style has certain advantages and nuances . But there are basic principles that will help any backhand stroke and will make a player more consistent and more versatile . Pickleball is a game of consistency and placement . Discipline is required and discipline is rewarded . •
Alice Tym was ranked 13th in the world for tennis in the ‘ 60s . She ’ s been named USPTA Coach of the Year and is a USPTA Master Professional . As a 4.5 pickleball player , she won gold in Huntsman , NSGA Nationals , US Open , and USA Pickleball events around the country . Alice is an IPTPA member , SSIPA founding board member , Bainbridge Cup Originator and gold medalist in Spain , Italy , and Germany .
MARCH / APRIL 2022 | MAGAZINE 29