Forehand Flick in Pickleball: When to Hit It, How to Hit It and Where to Aim

The backhand flick gets most of the attention, and we’ve already broken it down in our backhand flick guide. But when I watch rec players around Leominster, the forehand side is where more of the free points go missing. The ball sits up, and they either pat it back or wind up and hit it into the parking lot. Here is when to use the forehand flick in pickleball, how to hit it and how to practise it.

What is a forehand flick in pickleball?

A forehand flick is a quick attacking shot hit from the kitchen line, on your forehand side, off a dink or a ball that pops up. It looks like a dink until the last moment, then the paddle speeds up and sends the ball at your opponent instead of into the kitchen.

It sits between two other kitchen-line attacks:

• The roll is a smoother low-to-high swing with a quieter wrist. It’s the safer way to attack a ball that’s a little below net height, because the topspin brings it down.
• The flick uses more forearm and wrist through contact, so it’s quicker and harder to read. It needs a ball that’s at or above the net.
• The speed-up is the umbrella term for any shot that turns a slow dink rally fast. The flick is one way to do it. See when to speed up.

The Dink’s recent breakdown of flick mechanics, built around a lesson with a touring pro, draws the same line between a flick and a roll. A roll goes up through the ball, while a flick goes through it with the wrist (The Dink, October 26, 2026).

How is the forehand flick different from the backhand flick?

The forehand flick is easier to power but harder to keep compact. Your forehand is the bigger, more natural swing, so the temptation is to let the paddle drift back behind your hip. That extra take-back is what makes the shot late and easy to read.

• The backhand is compact by default. Your body blocks a big take-back, so the backhand flick naturally stays short. On the forehand you have to keep it short on purpose.
• The forehand covers more of the court. For a right-hander on the left side in doubles, the forehand points at the middle, which is where a lot of attackable dinks land.

When should you hit a forehand flick?

Hit a forehand flick when the ball is at or above net height and you can make contact in front of your body. If either of those is missing, the smart play is another dink.

Green lights:

• The dink sits up. A ball that rises above the tape gives you room to hit forward and slightly down, or flat.
• Your opponent’s paddle is low. If they’ve dropped the paddle after their dink, they need extra time to get it back up.
• You’re balanced. Weight forward, not stretching.

Red lights:

• The ball is below the net. A flick from there has to go up, and anything that goes up gets attacked. Roll it or dink it.
• You’re on your heels or reaching wide. A late, stretched contact is the classic flick that sails long.
• You’re standing in the kitchen. You can flick a ball after it bounces from anywhere, but you can’t volley it from inside the zone. More on that next.

What does the rulebook say about flicking at the kitchen line?

The rulebook doesn’t mention flicks, but the non-volley zone rules decide whether your flick counts. Section 11 of the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook sets out three faults that catch players attacking out of the air:

• Rule 11.A: every volley must be started outside the non-volley zone. If you flick the ball out of the air, both feet need to be behind the line.
• Rule 11.A.2: if your momentum after the volley carries you into the zone, even after the ball is dead, it’s a fault. A big lunging flick is exactly how that happens.
• Rule 11.A.3: if you’ve stepped into the kitchen, both feet have to be fully back outside before you volley.

Off the bounce, none of this applies. Our kitchen rules guide covers every case.

How do you hit a forehand flick, step by step?

Here is how to hit a forehand flick in pickleball, from ready position to recovery. The whole motion should be shorter than you think.

1. Start with the paddle up and in front. A good ready position keeps the paddle at about chest height, out in front, so the flick doesn’t need a long backswing.
2. Use a grip between Continental and Eastern. That’s the same range you’d use for a forehand dink. Our guide to holding a pickleball paddle covers both.
3. Load the front leg and lean in. Shift your weight forward and let your chest come over the line. The Dink’s breakdown calls this the biggest fix for a flick that feels too far away, and it’s a common one in rec play.
4. Keep the take-back short. Your paddle hand shouldn’t go behind your hip. Think of the dink backswing, not the drive backswing.
5. Meet the ball in front of your body. Contact should be ahead of your front foot. Late contact is where the sailing flicks come from.
6. Accelerate up and through. Brush low to high with the face square or a touch closed. The topspin brings the ball down inside the baseline.
7. Finish toward the target and recover. Then bring the paddle straight back up, because a good flick often comes straight back.

The Dink’s piece makes a point I give students too: put the effort into speeding up the paddle through contact, not into swinging harder.

Where should you aim a forehand flick?

Aim a forehand flick at your opponent’s paddle-side hip or shoulder, or at the gap between the two players. Both targets make the defender choose quickly.

• Paddle-side hip or shoulder. Shots at the dominant shoulder are hard to block cleanly, because the paddle has to fold back across the body.
• The middle. A flick between the two opponents can cause hesitation over who takes it.

Hitting your opponent is legal. Under the rulebook, a ball that hits a player (other than the paddle or the paddle hand below the wrist) is a fault on that player. Our guide to body shots in pickleball covers the rule and the etiquette, including how hard to go in a friendly rec game.

Why does my forehand flick go long or into the net?

Most forehand flicks go long because of late contact, and most go into the net because the player decelerated. Each miss has a usual cause:

• Long: contact behind your body, an open paddle face, or leaning back. Fix the contact point first.
• Into the net: slowing down at contact, or flicking a ball that was already below the tape. Commit to the swing or don’t hit it.
• Easy to read: a big take-back. If your opponent sees it coming, they get their paddle up first.

How do you disguise a forehand flick?

You disguise a forehand flick by making it look exactly like your forehand dink until contact. Same stance, same paddle height, same short preparation. The difference only appears in the last few inches, when the paddle speeds up.

Dink with the same compact prep every time, so the flick has nothing to give away. Building it into offensive dinking patterns makes it far less predictable.

What drills build a reliable forehand flick?

These three drills build the forehand flick in steps, from contact point to live decision-making. Each takes about 10 minutes.

1. Feed and flick. Your partner tosses or dinks a ball that sits up on your forehand. Hit 20 flicks at their paddle, focusing only on contact in front. Then switch.
2. Dink, dink, flick. Cooperative forehand dinks cross-court. On every third ball that sits up, flick it. Your partner blocks it back and the rally restarts.
3. Flick or reset. Live dinking. Either player can flick any ball at or above the net. The defender tries to block or reset it. Count how often you chose a ball that was really attackable.

The third drill matters most: choosing the right ball is the hard part, and it sets up the hands battle that follows.

The New England angle: building the forehand flick indoors

As the outdoor season winds down in New England, a lot of play moves indoors to school gyms, rec centres and dedicated clubs. The flick needs repetition, not a full court, so a 10-minute feed-and-flick block before open play is ideal. If you want eyes on your mechanics, our New England coaching directory lists coaches across the region, and the dinking guide covers the shot you’ll be disguising it as.

Frequently asked questions

What is a forehand flick in pickleball?

It’s a short, fast attack from the kitchen line on your forehand side. It starts like a dink and speeds up at contact, sending the ball at your opponent instead of into the kitchen.

When should I use the forehand flick?

Use it when the ball is at or above net height and you can make contact in front of your body with your weight forward. If the ball is below the net, dink or roll instead.

Can I flick the ball while standing in the kitchen?

Only after it bounces. USA Pickleball Rule 11.A requires every volley to be started outside the non-volley zone, and Rule 11.A.2 makes it a fault if your momentum then carries you into the zone.

Why does my forehand flick keep going long?

Usually because contact is late, behind your body, with the paddle face open. Lean in, meet the ball in front of your front foot and brush up through it.

What is the difference between a flick and a roll?

A roll is a smoother low-to-high swing with a quiet wrist, used on balls slightly below the net. A flick uses more wrist and forearm through contact and needs a ball at or above net height.

Sources: 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Section 11 (non-volley zone) and Rule 10.C.3 (ball contacting a player). The flick-versus-roll distinction and the acceleration cue draw on The Dink’s flick breakdown (October 26, 2026). Technique and drills are from my own teaching. By Jason Regan, USA Pickleball Ambassador, Leominster, MA.