Types of Spin
There are three main types of spin you'll encounter and use in pickleball.
Topspin
The ball rotates forward. It dips faster and kicks up after bouncing. Useful for keeping drives in the court and making your shots harder to handle. The ball jumps toward your opponent after bouncing.
Backspin (Slice)
The ball rotates backward. It floats longer and stays low after bouncing. Good for drop shots and dinks that don't pop up. The ball tends to die after bouncing or skid low.
Sidespin
The ball curves left or right in the air. Used on serves mostly. Can also be combined with topspin or backspin. Adds unpredictability but harder to control.
How to Generate Topspin
Topspin comes from brushing up the back of the ball.
Low to High Swing
Start your paddle below the ball and swing upward through contact. The steeper the upward angle, the more spin you generate. Think about lifting the ball rather than pushing it.
Paddle Angle
Close the paddle face slightly, angling it toward the ground. This forces you to brush up to get the ball over the net. Combined with the upward swing, it creates topspin.
Wrist Action
A little wrist snap at contact adds more spin. Don't overdo it or you lose control. Subtle wrist rotation from low to high.
When to Use It
Drives and passing shots benefit most from topspin. The ball dips into the court even when hit hard. Also useful on third shot drives to keep them from sailing long.
How to Generate Backspin
Backspin comes from cutting under the ball.
High to Low Swing
Opposite of topspin. Start the paddle above the ball and swing down and through. You're slicing under the ball rather than hitting through it.
Open Paddle Face
Angle the paddle face slightly upward. This exposes the bottom of the ball to your swing path. The combination of open face and downward motion creates backspin.
When to Use It
Drop shots, dinks, and returns where you want the ball to stay low. Backspin makes the ball die after bouncing instead of sitting up for an easy attack.
Serving With Spin
The serve is where spin often matters most.
Topspin Serve
Kicks up after bouncing, pushing opponents back. Good for keeping them deep. Brush up the back of the ball with an upward motion.
Slice Serve
Stays low and skids. Can also curve in the air. Useful for pulling opponents off the court. Cut under and across the ball.
The Chainsaw Serve
That pre-spun serve that was popular for a while. Now banned by rule changes. You can't spin the ball before the serve anymore. Just mentioning so you know not to try it.
Paddle Surface Matters
Your paddle affects how much spin you can generate.
Rough vs Smooth
Rougher paddle faces grip the ball better and generate more spin. Smooth faces produce cleaner hits but less spin. Carbon fiber paddles often have textured surfaces for this reason.
Surface Wear
Paddle faces wear down over time and lose their texture. If you rely on spin, your older paddle might not perform like it used to. Something to consider when your spin shots aren't working as well.
Practice Suggestions
Spin takes repetition to become reliable.
Wall Practice
Hit against a wall focusing on brushing the ball rather than hitting through it. Watch how the ball reacts when it bounces. You'll start feeling the difference.
Feeding Drills
Have someone feed you balls while you focus purely on spin. Remove the pressure of rallying and just work on the motion.
Start With Dinks
Dinks are low pressure and give you time to think about your swing path. Practice adding backspin to your dinks before moving to faster shots.