Players often struggle when they’re up at the kitchen line and the ball comes right at them on their non-dominant (non-paddle) side. Ideally, they should hit this shot as a backhand volley. Some players instead wave their paddle in front of them like a windshield wiper and hit it with the forehand side of their paddle. You’ll know you’re doing this if the palm of your hand is facing the ball, as opposed to the back of your hand (hence the term "backhand"). Most likely, this move is caused by muscle memory in your brain telling your hand that it needs to open and catch the ball. It may take a little time to retrain your brain to remember that you’re holding a paddle, not a baseball mitt!
 

You may see some players pull this shot off with decent results, but as we’ve said, it’s not ideal. It’s very difficult to get your paddle face pointed in the right direction when making that awkward twisting motion. From your default ready position, it takes twice as long to flip the paddle all the way around as it would to tilt to the backhand. Not only is it less consistent than a regular backhand volley, but it also places excess strain on your elbow, wrist, and shoulder. Nobody needs more strain in their lives! Straining is for pasta, not pickleball.

A great way to break the windshield wiper habit is to place the fingers of your non-dominant hand on the back of your paddle face. As the ball comes toward you, your non-dominant fingers will help you resist the temptation to flip your paddle over. (You can’t hit with that side of the paddle when your fingers are still on it!) Just push your paddle forward, away from the hand that is supporting the back, and hit a simple backhand block or punch volley. The windshield wiper backhand can be one of the most difficult habits to break if you’ve been doing it for a long time, but with practice and determination, you can do it!

Excerpted from Pickleball For Dummies – available now wherever books and audiobooks are sold.