The two main techniques in hitting a pickleball are Topspin and Underspin. It is to your advantage to know how to hit both and to make a decision on which technique you will use for each shot.

Applying Spin to the ball is one of the 4 major factors of ball control and the placement of your shots. Many do not teach spin as they think that it is too complicated for beginners and intermediate players. However, these teachers say it is okay to teach spin to advanced players. My philosophy on teaching spin is that it’s not only easy to learn the basics but spin is essential in developing the different shots in the game. The sooner you incorporate spin into hitting the ball, the faster your development and advancement will be.

Applying Topspin to a ball is described as “brushing up” on the ball. The action of brushing up on the ball applies spin to the ball. We don’t, however, refer to shots by the actions they require. You wouldn’t say “I hit a brush up forehand”, even though brushing up is what your paddle is doing to the ball. Topspin is applied by having a vertical paddle face, which we refer to as a “closed face”, and swinging upwards on the ball. Your swing should be a pendulum with your shoulder acting as the fulcrum, moving from low to high. Both the point of contact and the position of your paddle face vary the amount of spin on the ball.

Likewise, the action of applying Underspin, (also called “Backspin”), is performed from the action of slicing the ball. In fact, the majority of players call this hit a “slice” backhand. This slicing action is what applies spin to the ball in motion. I describe it as a combination of backspin and Underspin. Just as many golf clubs have different angles, your paddle face is open to different degrees.

One way to hit the ball with Underspin is to hit the back of the ball and then complete the hit by cupping your paddle face so it comes up under the ball.

The three words we use for this technique (Slice, Underspin and Backspin) all describe the action of how the paddle face hits the ball. All three require spin.

The Slice is no different from hitting Drives, Drop Shots and Lobs - all of these require that you control the angle of your paddle face.

How to correctly hit a slice

1. Hit the back of the ball with an open face, as if you were hitting a drive.

2. Finish by coming up underneath the ball and adding spin which allows you to more accurately control the distance of your shots. This can also be achieved by varying the amount of spin and the angle of the paddle.

Just as golf clubs have different club faces with different angles which allow you to hit the ball at different heights and distances, you control the angle of your paddle face to hit different shots. You are incorporating the four factors: spin, height, pace and angle for placement. Frankly, just as the technique of “brushing up” isn’t called “Brushing up”, the act of slicing should not be called “slicing”. To keep the terminology consistent each technique should incorporate the word “spin” within its name.

Though it may seem complicated, applying spin to the ball is actually very simple.

In baseball, America’s favorite pastime, you wear a glove to catch the ball. To accomplish the catch, you simply squeeze the glove together, fingers moving a small amount in unison. This skill is easily learned, as evidenced by the millions of children who can catch a ball without thinking about it. The same is true for applying spin to the ball. By moving your paddle face a modest amount at just the right moment, you can easily put spin on the ball.