When an Off-Hand Forehand Helps in Pickleball, and When It Costs You Points
Pickleball pro Ben Johns has spent years making pickleball look suspiciously easy. Recently, he decided one forehand wasn’t enough.
Ball after ball drifted wide to his backhand side in singles, and instead of the usual two-handed swing, the paddle hopped into his left hand and a lefty forehand drive came back.
A champion used a second forehand to cover a known weakness. An amateur might use the same trick to avoid ever fixing one.
Why Johns Brought It Back
The swing isn’t new. Johns relied on a left-handed forehand in singles around 2016 and 2017, when pro singles was mostly baseline driving. As the game moved toward dropping and charging the net, he needed backhand slices and soft drops more than passing shots, and the lefty swing faded out.
During Worlds, he explained why it’s back. The current tour ball bounces high, and opponents generate so much spin with their paddles that the patient drop-and-approach style gets harder in singles, so more rallies stay deep. He also said plainly that he doesn’t generate much power on his backhand. “When I do play singles, you can expect to see it,” he said, describing it as a singles tool.
For newer players, here’s the plain version. A right-hander normally hits balls on the left side with a backhand. An off-hand forehand means passing the paddle to the left hand and swinging a forehand there instead. Switching hands mid-rally is legal and more common than you might think — and it’s different from the lasting lefty advantages a natural lefty builds into their game. Whether an occasional off-hand forehand helps you is a separate question.
Where It Earns Its Place
1. Slow, wide balls in singles. From the baseline, you get more time to recognize and prepare for a wide ball than you ever do at the kitchen. That time is what makes a hand transfer possible. If your backhand drive is weak, a passable off-hand forehand can keep you alive in rallies you’d otherwise lose. Our guide to making the jump from doubles to singles explains why those deep exchanges decide so many singles points.
2. Reach. A one-handed swing can offer more reach than a two-handed backhand, so a ball pulled well wide can become a real swing instead of a lunge—provided you have time to make the switch without losing your balance.
3. Surprise. An opponent feeding your backhand expects a defensive reply. A sudden forehand from that side changes their read, at least until they adjust.
The Payoff for Doubles Players Who Never Switch
This is the part worth stealing even if you never play singles. For a right-hander, the left hand does much of the steering in a two-handed backhand. Hitting gentle forehands with that hand in practice may help develop the coordination the two-hander depends on.
You can practice the off-hand forehand without ever using it in a match, and your backhand may be the shot that improves. Think of it as giving your supporting hand a promotion. If the two-hander is your project, pair this with our breakdown of the two-handed backhand dink.
Seattle coach Emily Wong, in her tips for moving from 3.0 to 3.5, recommends repeated practice of drops, resets, dinks, serves and returns, and filming your games to drill the weak spots those patterns reveal. A switch that lets you dodge your backhand forever runs the other way.
Where It Costs You Points
1. The kitchen rarely gives you time. In a fast hands battle, volleys can come back in well under a second. Switching hands at the kitchen line is a lovely way to hand your opponent a point and an anecdote.
2. Beginners can end up with two forehands and no backhand. Every switch skips a backhand repetition. Lean on the habit for months and the backhand stays fragile, useful mainly on slow balls — better to build a reliable backhand instead.
3. Your off hand usually lacks touch. Drives often forgive rough technique. Dinks, drops and resets don’t, and your non-dominant hand probably hasn’t earned that feel yet.
4. Body shots turn into a committee meeting. When the ball comes straight at you, both hands vote, nobody wins, and the ball hits you in the hip.
Picture a weekday morning singles game. A player who has started switching hits a clean lefty drive from the baseline and grins. Two shots later, she’s moving forward when her opponent drives the ball hard at her left hip. She’s halfway through transferring the paddle when it arrives. Same side of the body, two very different outcomes, decided by how much time she had.
When to Switch, and When to Stay Put
| Situation | Switch hands? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Singles, slow ball wide to your backhand, feet set | Worth trying | You have time to transfer, and a drive tolerates rough technique |
| Volley exchange at the kitchen | No | The transfer is too slow for fast hands battles |
| Dinks and resets | Rarely | Soft shots need feel your off hand likely lacks |
| Ball aimed at your body | No | Hesitating over which hand costs more than either choice |
| Your first months of play | Drill it, don’t rely on it | Build a real backhand first so you’re never stuck without one |
Three Drills That Keep It Honest
1. Off-hand wall rallies. Stand a comfortable distance from a wall and hit gentle forehands with your non-dominant hand for five minutes, aiming for steady height and a relaxed grip.
2. Off-hand forehands for your two-hander. Take your normal two-handed backhand stance, release your dominant hand, and swing slowly with the other alone. Add soft partner feeds once it feels smooth. This trains the off-hand forehand and the two-hander together.
3. The slow-ball switch game. With a partner, rally from near the baseline at moderate pace. You may switch hands only on a slow ball that goes wide to your backhand side. Everything else gets your normal backhand. The rule trains the judgment that matters more than the swing: recognizing which balls deserve a switch.
Johns brought the shot back because he knew exactly which weakness it covered and in which format. That’s the part to copy. If an off-hand forehand fits your singles game, drill it until it holds up. If you’re mostly reaching for it to escape your backhand, the backhand is the better use of your court time.