What You'll Need
- Your regular paddle (no special equipment needed)
- Space to hit groundstrokes (baseline to transition zone distance)
- Practice partner or ball machine helpful but not required
- Wall for solo practice if no partner available
Step 1: Understand When Two Hands Help
The two-handed backhand excels in specific situations:
Backhand drives from the baseline or transition zone: When you're hitting hard off the bounce and need power and stability, two hands give you both.
Returns of hard serves: A powerful serve coming to your backhand is easier to control with two hands.
Passing shots: When you need to rip a ball past opponents at the net, two hands generate more racket speed.
Where it doesn't work well: the kitchen line. Dinking, blocking volleys, and soft game shots need quick paddle adjustments. One hand is faster and more maneuverable up close.
Step 2: Set Up Your Grip
Your dominant hand stays in a standard continental or eastern grip on the paddle. Your non-dominant hand goes above it on the handle, essentially a mirror grip.
If you played tennis with a two-handed backhand, use the same grip you're used to. The mechanics transfer directly.
The paddle handle is shorter than a tennis racket, so your hands will be close together or overlapping slightly. This is fine. You're using the second hand for stability and power, not reach.
Step 3: Position Your Body
Turn your shoulders so your non-dominant shoulder faces the net. This is more rotation than most one-handed pickleball shots use, but it's necessary to generate power.
Bend your knees and drop your weight. You're hitting through the ball, not poking at it.
Take the paddle back with both hands, keeping your elbows reasonably close to your body. The backswing doesn't need to be huge, but you need some rotation to build momentum.
Step 4: Execute the Swing
Start the forward swing from your legs and hips, rotating through your core. Your arms follow, not lead.
Contact the ball in front of your body, not beside or behind. This is the most common mistake tennis players make when transitioning. Pickleball balls are lighter and slower, so you need to get further in front.
Follow through across your body, finishing with the paddle pointing toward your target. Both hands stay on until well after contact.
Power vs Control
For maximum power, accelerate through contact and let the paddle finish high. For more control, compact the swing and finish toward your target.
In most pickleball situations, control is more valuable than maximum power. Don't muscle the ball just because you can.
Step 5: Practice the Transition
The tricky part is switching between two-handed groundstrokes and one-handed soft game. You need to recognize quickly what type of shot you're hitting and adjust your grip accordingly.
Practice drills: Start at the baseline, rally groundstrokes using two hands on backhand drives. When the ball comes short, move to the kitchen line and switch to one-handed dinks. Then back out and reset.
The goal is making the transition automatic so you don't have to think about which grip to use.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using two hands for everything: At the kitchen line, one hand is better. Don't force it.
- Late contact: Get in front of the ball. Pickleball timing is different from tennis.
- Over-rotating: More shoulder turn doesn't always mean more power. Find the balance.
- Holding too tight: Grip pressure should be firm but not death grip. Tension kills feel.
- Forgetting footwork: You still need to move your feet into position. Two hands don't compensate for poor positioning.
What to Expect
If you have tennis experience with a two-handed backhand, you'll probably feel comfortable within a few sessions. The technique transfers well.
If you're learning it fresh, expect a few weeks of awkwardness before it feels natural. The coordination of both hands takes practice.
You may get comments from other players. Some people are strongly opinionated that "proper" pickleball is all one-handed. Ignore them. Use what works for your game.