Pickleball players trust their forehands. The stroke feels natural, powerful, and reliable under pressure. Many coaches even encourage players—especially at lower levels—to step around their backhands and use the forehand whenever possible. In the short term, that advice builds confidence. In the long term, it can quietly limit a player’s development.
This habit is known as forehand bias. When players rely on the forehand even in poor positions, they disrupt spacing, weaken teamwork, and expose the court to simple tactical pressure. The result is not just missed shots, but a ceiling on improvement.
Why players favour the forehand
For most athletes, the forehand is the first comfortable stroke they learn. Tennis, table tennis, and many other racket or paddle sports reinforce the dominant-side swing as the primary attacking tool. The motion feels open and controlled, especially in stressful moments.
Because of that comfort, players default to the forehand whenever possible. Early coaching advice to “protect the backhand” can reinforce the pattern. While useful at beginner stages, this shortcut eventually creates technical and tactical problems.
Overreliance on the forehand often disappears once players apply the Two-Foot Rule in doubles positioning.
What forehand bias looks like in real play
Forehand bias is rarely obvious. Instead, it appears through repeated small decisions that slowly damage court balance.
- Reaching across the middle: A player takes balls their partner could handle more easily.
- Crossed or tangled footwork: Stepping around the backhand creates late, off-balance contact.
- Avoiding backhands at the net: Players wait too long, forcing awkward forehand swings in tight spaces.
- Unplanned poaching: Constant forehand takeovers confuse partner responsibilities.
- Mistimed volleys and resets: Extra movement leads to rushed or unstable contact.
Each moment seems minor. Together, they shrink effective court coverage.
Why forehand bias hurts doubles performance
Doubles pickleball depends on spacing, timing, and shared responsibility. Overusing the forehand weakens all three.
Middle confusion
When both players expect the forehand to dominate the centre, hesitation appears. Clean contact disappears, and opponents gain easy targets.
Lost timing and balance
Running around backhands requires extra movement. In fast exchanges, that extra step is often the difference between control and error.
Stalled skill development
Avoided backhands never improve. Without a dependable backhand block, dink, or counter, progress slows dramatically at higher levels.
Broken partner trust
Automatic forehand poaching creates uncertainty. Partners hesitate, spacing collapses, and communication weakens.
How opponents exploit the pattern
Experienced players recognise forehand bias quickly. Once identified, they begin to:
- Target the backhand repeatedly
- Play soft balls into the middle to provoke overreaching
- Pull the biased player wide with angled dinks
- Aim body shots at the paddle-side hip
What feels like strength becomes predictability—and predictability is easy to defeat.
Breaking the forehand-bias habit
1. Train the backhand deliberately
Dedicate practice time to backhand dinks, resets, and volleys. Confidence grows only through repetition.
2. Clarify middle responsibility
Agree with your partner who takes which balls. Clear rules prevent hesitation and restore rhythm. This connects closely with who takes the middle in pickleball doubles.
3. Simplify footwork
Choose the shot that keeps you balanced and ready for the next contact, not just the most comfortable swing.
4. Develop the backhand volley
A compact backhand punch is one of the most reliable defensive and counterattacking tools in pickleball.
5. Review match footage
Video exposes habits that feel invisible in real time. Many players are surprised by how often they abandon efficient positioning.
Trust the complete game
A strong forehand is valuable. Dependence on it is limiting. The best players trust every part of their toolkit and choose shots based on balance, spacing, and timing rather than comfort.
If you are building your overall foundation, revisit what pickleball is and how positioning shapes strategy across the court.
Final thought
Great doubles teams do not win by favouring one side. They win by covering the entire court together. Replace forehand bias with balance, and your movement, partnership, and results all improve.
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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