To The Backhand

Most players are less powerful and less accurate with their backhand than forehand strokes. Once you become sufficiently accurate to place balls where you want them, you might notice before each game whether your opponents are left- or right-handed. Going a step further, if you have seen these people play pickleball, you might determine that some are good at backhand returns, and some are not so good. Of course you want to pick on the ones who are not good at their backhands. Right, place the balls so they have to use a backhand stroke to return them. Better yet, make the balls very low, so they have to do a low backhand almost sweeping the floor.

This can be especially amusing when you get into a soft diagonal non-volley zone rally. In this situation, it is the second or third time that you relentlessly place the ball at a player’s backhand that they start to crumble.