Tip of the day

Learning Danni-Elle Townsend's Backhand FLICK (6.02 DUPR)

Most players hit the backhand flick by releasing the wrist, which caps your power and your reach at the same time.

Danni-Elle Townsend, who played pro table tennis before pickleball, barely uses her wrist at all. Her power comes from rotating her shoulder, which lets her generate force even at full arm extension.

The logic is simple: use the biggest muscles first. Your wrist is a small, weak joint, and your shoulder is far stronger.

Build the shot in layers. Start with the shoulder rotating externally from the cuff, then add a little elbow extension, then let the wrist come through at the end.

Keep the paddle more vertical instead of dropping the paddle tip way down. Less torque on the tip means more consistency and a ball that stays lower over the net.

The timing cue is to wait longer than feels natural. The longer you wait, the deeper the ball gets, and the firmer the contact you can make near the bottom corner of the paddle.

Then fix your feet, because this is the part almost nobody is taught. Turn your front foot out rather than pointing your toe forward.

Turning that foot out puts your weight into the front leg and lets you hinge over your hips, so you reach considerably further while staying balanced and getting your chest past the kitchen line.

Push your off arm back before the shot and keep it there as a counterbalance rather than throwing it back as you swing.

One last read: this shot is much easier off a backspin ball, because the spin is already running the direction you want. Against an aggressive topspin roll dink you have to reverse the spin, so the ball flies out more often.

Key points

Generate the flick by rotating your shoulder rather than releasing your wrist.
Keep the paddle more vertical instead of dropping the tip, for more consistency and a lower ball.
Wait longer so the ball gets deeper and you make firmer contact near the bottom corner.
Turning your front foot out puts your weight into that leg and lets you reach considerably further.
The flick is much easier off a backspin ball than off an aggressive topspin roll dink.

Watch the full tutorial here.