Most Players Spin the Pickleball Wrong | How To Spin Pickleball Right Way - In2Pickle

In our last video (find it here: https://youtu.be/q2vFlCg76cI) we covered pickleball spins and their real impact on your shots. Will a spin shot give you a small marginal advantage? Perhaps. But there are costs associated with learning and hitting with spins. Check out Video 1 in this series to learn more about whether spins are right for your game.

In this week’s video, we cover a common misconception about how to impart spin onto the pickleball. This pickleball error can cause you to make many errors in your game and can result in your game moving backward – actually deteriorating. We made this pickleball video because we have seen too many players be negatively affected by this incorrect technique.

It is important to remember that pickleball is not tennis. The solid pickleball paddle and smooth hard pickleball are hugely different from the strung racket and fuzzy yellow ball used in tennis. Thus, the shot techniques used by tennis players to impart topspin to their shots do not translate onto the pickleball court. The idea of brushing up on the ball, which is of great value in tennis, is counterproductive in pickleball.

Want to be clear on three points:

1. Pretty much every shot you hit in pickleball will impart some spin to the ball. It is just how things work. As the paddle makes contact and pushes forward and through the ball to propel the ball along its intended shot trajectory, some of that paddle motion will make the ball (a sphere) spin in some direction.

Our focus in this video series is on players who are trying to impart extra spin to the ball. They move their paddle in a way that they think is necessary to impart that certain spin. This is where the additional errors stem from.

2. We are NOT saying that spins have no place in our game. Spins do, in fact, have a place in pickleball. What we are saying is:
a. any extra or additional spins that players seek to impart is generally not where they need to spend their time right now. There are 5-10-100 things that most players can spend their time on that are more productive for them and their games than learning to spin (NOTE – if you already know how to spin the ball, then go for it, just see b, below first).
b. Adding extra or additional spin to the ball can, and most often does, result in an increase in errors in a player’s shots. This is because the player’s shot mechanics have increased variability – more moving parts. So – if you are going to add additional spin to your shots you should expect to have more variability in your shots – when compared to the same shot without the extra spin motion.

3. Have fun out there. The advice we provide is intended to give you the information that will give you the best results when you play. For example, less variability = less errors = more won rallies. BUT … there are other considerations in the real world. If spinning the ball like crazy makes you happy, then by all means do it. Just make sure your expectations align with your chosen way of playing pickleball. More paddle motion (from the added spin) = more variability = more errors. That is the tradeoff and our job as your source for pickleball knowledge is to provide you with accurate information so that you can make informed decisions about how you play pickleball.

All this said, brushing up on a pickleball with a hard paddle will not give the you results you are looking for. If you are trying to impart spins into your shots by using the erroneous shot mechanics demonstrated in this video, we recommend pausing your work. Wait until you have a chance to watch Video 3 in this series, where we show you the proper technique to hit a spin shot in pickleball.

We also recommend watching (or rewatching) Video 1 in this series. It answers the question: Are spins worth it?

0:00 Introduction to Video 2 of the Pickleball Spins Series
0:43 Errors in hitting a Pickleball Topspin Shot
2:05 The error from brushing across the pickleball
2:59 Brushing the ball creates uncertainty in your shot

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Stay well out there.

Tony
WeArePickleball Player Development
Tony@wearepickleball.com
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