The 30-second version
- Groundstrokes are shots hit after the bounce — your forehand and backhand from the baseline and mid-court.
- Keep swings compact: pickleball rewards control, not tennis-length swings.
- Preparation wins: turn early, move your feet to the ball, contact out front.
- Master these before the fancy stuff — they’re graded on every skill assessment for a reason.
Part of our guide to improving your pickleball game.
Before the dinks, drops, and Ernes, there are groundstrokes — the forehand and backhand you hit after the bounce. They’re on every coaching certification’s skills test (IPTPA grades them directly), because everything else is built on top of them. Here’s how to build clean, reliable ones.
What is a groundstroke?
A groundstroke is any shot hit after the ball bounces, typically from the baseline or mid-court — your returns, drives, and rally balls. In pickleball they matter most on the return of serve, the drive, and any time you’re pushed back and rallying.
The forehand
- Turn early. As soon as you read forehand, rotate your shoulders and take the paddle back — a short, compact takeback, not a tennis loop.
- Move your feet to the ball so you contact it at a comfortable distance out front, around waist height.
- Swing low-to-high through contact, brushing slightly for topspin (see the spin guide), finishing toward your target.
- Use your body — legs and core rotation, not just the arm. It’s more power with less strain (and protects the elbow).
The backhand
- Turn your shoulders more than feels natural — good backhands are hit sideways-on.
- One hand or two? Both work. Two hands add stability and power; one hand adds reach. See our full backhand comparison.
- Contact further out front than the forehand — a late backhand is a weak backhand.
- Don’t run around it. Hiding your backhand shrinks your court coverage and good players will find it anyway. Drill it instead.
The keys that fix 90% of groundstroke problems
- Compact swing. The court is 44 feet long — big tennis swings sail long. Short takeback, clean contact, controlled finish.
- Contact out front. Late contact is the root of most netted and sprayed balls.
- Feet first. Most “bad swings” are really bad positioning — move early so you’re balanced at contact.
- Height and depth over power. A deep, medium-paced ball beats a hard one into the net every time.
Groundstroke drills
- Rally to 10: cooperative baseline rallies — count consecutive balls in, forehand and backhand.
- Deep-target rallies: a towel in the back third; every groundstroke aims past it.
- Backhand-only games: play points where you may only hit backhands after the serve — the fastest fix for a weak side.
- Wall work: alternating forehand/backhand against a wall for contact and footwork reps.
Common groundstroke mistakes
- Overswinging — the #1 issue; pickleball punishes big swings.
- Late preparation — turn as soon as you read the ball.
- Arm-only swings — use legs and rotation.
- Running around the backhand — drill it until it’s a weapon, not a liability.
Which levels this skill helps
This skill shows up on these rungs of the skill ladder:
The forehand, in five checkpoints
Run these in order and most forehand problems disappear: (1) Ready: paddle up at chest height, knees soft, weight on the balls of the feet. (2) Turn: the instant you read forehand, rotate shoulders and hips together — the paddle goes back because the body turned, not because the arm swung back. (3) Step and load: a small step to position, weight loading the back leg, ball lined up a comfortable arm’s length away. (4) Contact: out in front of the front hip, waist height, with the hips opening through the ball and a low-to-high path. (5) Finish: compact, toward the target, paddle ending around shoulder height — then straight back to ready. Say the checkpoints while shadow-swinging ten times before a session; it grooves faster than hitting alone.
The backhand, without the fear
Most rec backhands fail at the shoulders, not the arm: players face the net and push at the ball. Turn until your back is partially toward the net — more turn than feels necessary — and the swing fixes itself, because now the paddle can travel forward through the ball rather than across it. Contact is even further out front than the forehand. If your one-handed backhand collapses under pace, the two-handed version is a legitimate fix, not a crutch: the off-hand supplies the stability and lets you take balls later. Either way, volunteer for backhands in warm-up — ten deliberate backhands before every session compounds fast.
Depth: the groundstroke skill nobody drills
Between two players of equal consistency, the one who hits deeper wins the baseline exchange, because depth controls the third-shot decision. A return that lands in the back three feet takes the drive away entirely and makes even good drops harder. Train it explicitly: lay a towel at the back third and score rallies — a ball past the towel is 2 points, in play but short is 1, out is 0. Play to 21 against a partner. Depth is a habit of intention (aiming past the towel) plus shape (net clearance of two to three feet, not one) — both trainable in a week.
Troubleshooting
- Late on everything: your turn starts when the ball bounces. It should start when the ball leaves the opponent’s paddle.
- Balls spraying wide: contact drifting behind the hip. Exaggerate meeting the ball early and out front for ten reps.
- Netting low balls: straight legs. Bend the knees so the paddle gets under the ball with a level face rather than tilting up.
- Strong forehand, hiding the backhand: opponents will find it in games, so find it first in practice — backhand-only rallies twice a week.
Frequently asked questions
What is a groundstroke in pickleball?
A groundstroke is any shot hit after the ball bounces — your forehands and backhands from the baseline or mid-court. Returns, drives, and rally balls are all groundstrokes, and they’re the foundation the rest of the game is built on.
How do I hit a better forehand in pickleball?
Turn your shoulders early with a compact takeback, move your feet so you contact the ball out front at a comfortable distance, swing low-to-high with a slight topspin brush, and drive with your legs and core rather than just the arm.
How do I fix my backhand?
Turn your shoulders fully so you’re sideways-on, contact the ball further out front than your forehand, and consider a two-handed grip for stability. Then drill it — backhand-only rallies fix a weak side faster than anything.
Why do my groundstrokes go into the net or long?
Almost always late contact or overswinging. Prepare earlier, shorten your takeback, meet the ball out front, and prioritize depth and height over power — a compact swing with clean contact is far more consistent.
Should I use topspin on groundstrokes?
A light topspin brush helps — it adds margin over the net while bringing the ball down in. Keep it subtle at first; the compact, controlled swing matters more than heavy spin. See our spin guide for the technique.
Want a coach to fast-track it?
Reading is one thing — grooving it under pressure is another. I run private lessons and clinics in Central Mass that drill exactly these fundamentals. Your first session is half off.