I get a lot of questions about spin in pickleball. And it seems some people are obsessed with it. Today we consider when imparting spin on the ball can help you and when it is too much of a good thing.
Pickleball Spin: The Basics
As I had a strong foundation in tennis and many years of practice, I tend to use spin quite a lot. When my paddle moves from low to high, it creates topspin. This can be helpful when you are hitting a lob, that you want to land deep, just barely inside the baseline. It can also help you when serving, causing the ball to bounce hard toward the player.
I also utilize backspin, or slice, quite a bit. Using a continental grip, which is the most common grip in pickleball, you move your paddle from high to low. Your paddle face is open and your contact creates the majority of your spin.
Both of types of spin should be a natural transition in your shots. Often I see people trying to create spin with a heavy chopping motion. This exaggerated movement most often results in the ball going to the bottom of the net or creating a high ball that the opponent can put away.
Pickleball Spin: Side Spin
I sometimes run into pickleball players who were ex-racquetball players. These players often try to impart sidespin on the ball. They utilize a lot of wrist action and can create some crazy bounces that are difficult to respond to. However, this is not always effective.
A few weeks ago I played an ex-racquetball player. He had this crazy serve that could spin away from you when it bounced. Unfortunately, of the 8 times, he attempted this serve only one went into the service box. Missing 7 or 8 serves is not a reasonable trade-off.
He also went for a lot of sidelines, attempting crazy angles throughout the game. But again, only about 10% of these shots were in. The pickleball is very light. It is harder to control. So attempting a difficult shot and aiming for the lines just isn’t high percentage pickleball.
When hitting any shots we want to make sure we aren’t forcing something to happen. I do think learning how to control spin is an important part of growth. but it is not something to be worried about before you develop a good foundation. Many people find when they work on their fundamentals and learn how to hit a solid shot and control the ball, they will naturally create spin. Work on making solid contact with proper fundamentals and you will create spin without even realizing it.
