Connor Garnett didn’t just adapt to pickleball. He brought “TUI Nation” with him. As one of the loudest advocates of the two-handed backhand in modern pickleball, Garnett argues that the two-hander offers superior stability, disguise, and power compared to the slice or a one-hander.
In a recent masterclass, he broke the shot down into five distinct variations. “I came from tennis and started trying to bang everything,” Garnett admits, “and now I’ve had to really study the game.”
Below is the Garnett Blueprint for the two-handed backhand, including specific drills you can use to move from recreational habits to advanced execution.
If you want the broader tactical foundation first, start with what pickleball is and how early-shot patterns shape the rally.
1) The Compact Drive
The most common mistake on the backhand drive is a large, wrist-led backswing. Garnett’s point is simple: power comes from leverage, not swing speed.
The mechanic: “Feet as a Gate”
Visualise your feet as a gate. The paddle stays inside your left foot during the take-back.
“Once I’m out here [past the foot], I lose that power,” Garnett explains. “When I keep it in here, I can really pull.”
Basic drill: The Gate Check
- Setup: Stand at the baseline. Have a partner feed balls to your backhand.
- Goal: Focus only on the backswing. Ensure the paddle never crosses the plane of your left leg. Keep it compact and use your shoulders to carve around the outside of the ball, not your wrists to slap it.
Advanced drill: “Plant, Plant, Plant”
- Setup: Move laterally or forward before hitting the drive.
- Goal: Diagnose rushing. Before swinging, audibly say “Plant, Plant, Plant.” This forces you to set your feet before the stroke, preventing momentum from carrying you off-line during contact.
2) The Versatile Speed-Up
At pro level, Garnett believes versatility beats pure disguise. “It’s not about deceptiveness, it’s more about versatility. If you can hit four different shots, they can’t cover all of them.”
The mechanic: The “Poke”
This speed-up is not a slap. It is a poke. The swing is only a few inches. You are massaging the ball to a spot, usually the opponent’s body or back hip, rather than trying to blast through them.
This fits the same decision framework covered in when not to speed up, even if it’s open. The shot choice matters as much as the execution.
Basic drill: The Massage
- Setup: Stand at the kitchen line. Receive dinks to your backhand.
- Goal: Keep the swing extremely short, almost like a block. Prioritise placement over power. Keep the paddle tip slightly down and push the ball through the contact window.
Advanced drill: The Triangle
- Setup: Speed up crosscourt with your two-handed backhand.
- Goal: Train the recovery. After contact, follow the ball with your paddle toward centre. This creates a triangle movement pattern and prepares your forehand to handle the likely counter down the middle.
3) The “Recliner” Drop
Tension is the enemy of the third-shot drop. Garnett describes the right feeling as “chilling on the recliner” or “getting a soda.” In other words, calm and unhurried.
The mechanic: The Lift
Remove variables. Keep the body quiet. Let the ball drop. Lead with the paddle tip and lift out and around the ball to create a controlled arc.
Basic drill: Apex Avoidance
- Setup: Work from the transition zone.
- Goal: Do not strike at the apex. Wait for the ball to fall slightly, then lift gently. That extra fraction of a second makes the drop easier to shape and repeat.
Advanced drill: The Statue
- Setup: Hit drops while consciously freezing your lower body.
- Goal: Isolate the shoulders. “We really want to keep a lot of our body still, remove as many variables as possible,” Garnett advises. Practise drops where the only motion is the shoulder lifting the paddle.
4) The Counter
When hands battles speed up, amateurs tend to swing bigger. Garnett’s counter principle is the opposite: the best counters happen when you can see your own paddle.
The mechanic: The Left Hip Engine
Power comes from the left hip engine, not the arms. Keep the backswing short, then rotate the left hip to produce forward momentum. If your paddle disappears behind your head, the swing is too big.
Basic drill: Push the Bowling Ball
- Setup: Rapid-fire hands exchanges at the net.
- Goal: Visualise pushing a bowling ball. Extend and push through contact rather than snapping the wrists. Keep the paddle in your sightline the whole time.
Advanced drill: The Slow-Mo Counter
- Setup: Have a partner speed up the ball at you repeatedly.
- Goal: Return the ball slower than you think is necessary. “I like to go a little slower and hit a slightly less perfect one so that I really get the feel of it,” Garnett says. Slowing down forces clean mechanics instead of panic swings.
5) The Directional Curl (Down the Line)
Taking a dink and attacking down the line requires a different angle of attack and a different timing window.
The mechanic: The Late Slot
To curl the ball down the line or threaten an ATP, you let the ball travel slightly deeper into your stance. “I’m just waiting on the ball more,” says Garnett.
Basic drill: The Forward Tip
- Setup: Dink at the kitchen line.
- Goal: When preparing to attack down the line, keep the paddle tip pointed slightly forward. Do not drag the tip back. This keeps the swing efficient and repeatable for the sideline lane.
Advanced drill: The “Behind” Contact
- Setup: Partner hits crosscourt dinks to your backhand.
- Goal: Let the ball get behind your front foot before striking. Practise the timing difference between taking it early (crosscourt) and letting it travel (down the line or ATP). The later slot changes the direction of the swing and opens the sideline.
How to use this blueprint in real matches
Do not try to add all five in one session. Pick one variation for a week and apply it in two ways:
- Drill it with volume until it feels automatic.
- Use it with intention in games, even if you miss early.
The two-handed backhand is not a gimmick. Used well, it gives you stability under pressure and clearer options in the soft game. For players who tend to over-hit when the pace rises, this approach pairs well with the mindset shift in why “drive everything against bangers” is misused advice at 3.0.
Final thought
The modern game rewards compact mechanics, early preparation, and repeatable patterns. Garnett’s five variations are not separate tricks. They are a toolkit. Build one, then another, then another, and your backhand stops being something you protect. It becomes something you use.
For official rule context around volleys, the kitchen, and live-ball situations, refer to the USA Pickleball Official Rules.
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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