Three mistakes you could be making with the padel backhand

Just like the forehand, the backhand is one of the most basic shots of padel. One of the most common errors that people make has to do with their left hand. If people know that most of the time they should hit a one-handed backhand, either they don’t use their left hand anymore or they put their left hand on the top of their racket. If people don’t use their left hand at all, there is no rotation in the shot and therefore players are more likely to hit an uncontrolled shot. If players put their hand on top of the racket, they are more likely to pull the racket back and their wrists will end up in a bad position. This will be less beneficial for the backhand.

The purpose of the left hand should only be guidance when hitting the ball. The left hand can also be used to give your single-handed backhand a little bit more power. This happens when you put your left hand back when hitting the ball because you put your hands away.

The contact point is the second common mistake. Beginning players are more likely to hit the ball way too early in front of them. This is because these players are not yet comfortable with their backhand. Therefore they are hitting their backhand too early and end up hitting it far in front of them. With this shot, the wrist is bending and that’s never a good sign. Always make the swing with your whole body and hit the ball in front of your right hip to get as much power in the shot as possible.

The third common mistake is the selection of spin when hitting the ball. You want to learn how to play a flat ball from the beginning. Not all balls should be hit with slice. A really low ball is better to hit flat rather than hitting it with slice. If you hit it with slice, the margins to get it over the net are way smaller. Anything beneath waist height, you want to hit as flat as possible, and everything above waist height you want to give some slice to give your opponents a harder time.

Bonus tip: if you bend your elbow slightly, you are able to give more power to your shot. Also if you bend your elbow, you are more likely to hit the ball in a more natural place rather than far in front of you.