Two-handed Backhands - Be Curious

Ted Lasso said a lot of memorable things, but my very favorite one was "Be curious, not judgmental". I have lived my life being curious and asking questions. I have pissed off lots of people along the way, but I have learned and revealed tons of information by simply asking "Why?" or "In what way?" when I am presented with something new.

It's not that I don't believe people (like many have accused me of), but I have a bit of an analytic mind and I want to UNDERSTAND why something is being heralded as the next big thing. The understanding that I am looking for is always "That make sense!".

So the pickleball two-handed backhand is one of those things I am struggling to understand.

I have never taken a two-handed backhand and I have no plans to. It looks like a lot of work for what seems to me to be an unknown level of improvement. But I am open to all possibilities.

I innocently asked some questions on Facebook recently and when I kept asking "Why?", I got told that the greatness of the two-handed backhand was readily known to everyone these days and it was surprising that I didn't know that. Plus all the pros do it. As you may be able to guess, that dismissal didn't really work for me.

So I did the next best thing I could think of and I asked ChatGPT AI about it. ChatGPT searched the Internet for me and produced tons of information in seconds. It surprised me actually, with how much data it brought back and how strong the opinions were. I even got a chart listing in detail eight different advantages (but not the reasons why) of the two-handed backhand. Wow. I almost gave up right then and there.

But then it occurred to me to ask one more question. If the two-handed backhand is so good, then how about two-handed forehands? And again, I got a mountain of data. And remember that chart I mentioned that had eight strong advantages for using a two-handed backhand? That same chart came back again, except every one of the advantages was now a disadvantage for using a two-handed forehand. So I gave up.

And here's my take:

The two-handed backhand tennis stroke was developed because most women were having trouble stabilizing the racquet and controlling hard shots coming their way. Completely understandable. Makes sense. In tennis. This is typically NOT an issue in pickleball. The short paddle and a reasonably firm grip negate this issue for almost everyone immediately.

The sudden growth of the two-handed backhand seems to have happened along with the influx of ex-tennis players. Coincidence?

There might be more power with two hands, but it is impossible to measure. Even if it is more powerful, I doubt it is significantly more since there don't seem to be any complaints about it (remember when some new paddles increased the power?).

Getting two hands on the paddle can be a challenge in the heat of battle. It takes time and adjustments.

Pickleball paddle handles are not long enough for two hands, so it is an awkward grip.

The two-handed stroke is much more restrictive - the reach is significantly less than with one hand.

The two-handed pickleball stroke is a tennis stroke with power generated by a turning the torso. Most pickleball strokes are shorter and flatter with power from weight transfer. So now you have introduced a completely different set of mechanics to learn.

Finishing the two-handed stroke with both hands and the paddle up around your ear makes getting ready for the next shot much more difficult.

Overall, there is simply less flexibility and fewer options with two hands on the handle, and no discernable benefits that I can see. So why spend any time on it? Because the ex-tennis pro's do it? Is it solving a problem that doesn't exist?

Sounds like case closed for me. But I still want to know why there is no two-handed forehand.

Michael Gauthier
Rally Academy
Pickleball Strokes