The game is faster and more aggressive than ever. To keep up, you need more than basic drops and dinks. Below are four master lessons drawn from pros Hayden Patriquin, Kate Fahey, Gabe Tardio, and Anna Bright. Each section breaks down the mechanics and gives you drills that start simple and build toward match-ready execution.
If you want the foundation that makes these patterns work, start with what pickleball is and how control at the non-volley zone shapes modern rallies.
1) The Two-Handed Backhand Roll (Hayden Patriquin)
The two-handed backhand roll is one of the cleanest counters to a slice dink. Patriquin’s key point is that amateurs miss because they treat it like a groundstroke and take a big backswing. This shot is compact, precise, and built on brushing contact.
The mechanics
- Grip: Continental.
- Motion: Compact upward brush. Think “cup the ball,” then brush up and through. It is not a slap.
- Contact point: Middle to front of your stance. If you take it behind your heels, you lose the ability to attack.
Drill 1: The Static Cup (foundational)
- Setup: Stand at the kitchen line with a basket of balls or a partner feeding by hand.
- Feed: Balls to your backhand side that bounce and sit up slightly.
- Execution: Start the paddle low. No backswing. Brush up the back of the ball with a high finish.
- Goal: Land 10 in a row at your partner’s feet without sailing long. Focus on vertical brush, not power.
Drill 2: The Slice-Counter Game (progression)
This drill trains the strategic trigger for the roll.
- Setup: Enter a live dink rally.
- Constraint: Your partner must hit slice dinks to your backhand. You must roll every slice with topspin.
- Rule: If your partner hits flat or topspin, neutralise with a slice reset instead of rolling.
- Why it matters: “Roll for roll” exchanges can get reckless. This teaches you to identify the slice as the green light and reset everything else.
This decision-making is the same principle covered in when not to speed up, even if it’s open. The shot is only “right” if the situation supports it.
2) The Forehand Speed-Up Off the Bounce (Kate Fahey)
Kate Fahey is elite at attacking from the right side. The aim is not always a clean winner. Often it is a jam, a rushed counter, or a pop-up you can punish. Her preference is to attack “dead dinks” or topspin dinks that sit up, not low slices.
The mechanics
- Disguise: Keep shoulder movement identical to your normal dink posture.
- Trigger: Dip the paddle slightly under the ball, then flex the wrist to flick forward.
- Target: Rib level or the right hip (a common jam target in mixed doubles).
Drill 1: “Show and Flick” (foundational)
- Setup: Dink crosscourt with a partner.
- Feed: Randomly, your partner feeds a “dead dink” that sits up.
- Execution: Show the dink posture with your shoulders, then use only a wrist flick to speed up down the line or at the body.
- Goal: Your partner should not read the speed-up until the ball leaves your paddle.
Drill 2: Speed-Up and Re-establish (progression)
Fahey’s warning is that many amateurs speed up off their back foot and are not ready for the counter.
- Setup: Start dinking.
- Rule: When you choose to speed up, take a small step back to re-establish balance before striking.
- Next ball: Your partner immediately counters back to you.
- Test: You must reset or counter the next ball. If you speed up and then lose the very next exchange, you lose the rep.
3) The Backhand Flick from the Right Side (Gabe Tardio)
Gabe Tardio uses the backhand flick from the right side to pinch the middle when opponents expect a standard crosscourt dink. It is a compact shot that turns a neutral exchange into instant discomfort.
The mechanics
- The drop: Drop the wrist and paddle head low, almost vertically down.
- The drive: Brush up while still pushing forward. A common mistake is lifting straight up with no forward intent.
- Pronation: Slightly close the face through contact to keep the ball in.
Drill 1: The Wrist Drop (foundational)
- Setup: Stand on the right side at the kitchen. Partner dinks wide to your backhand.
- Focus: Before you swing, the wrist drops so the paddle head points toward the ground.
- Execution: Flick toward the centre line.
- Key feel: Contact the sweet spot. If the ball feels dead, you are catching the edge. Adjust spacing until contact feels solid.
Drill 2: The “Pinch” Pattern (progression)
- Setup: Cooperative crosscourt dinking (right side vs. even side).
- Feed: Even-side player hits an aggressive wide dink to your backhand.
- Execution: Slide out, drop the wrist, and flick behind them into the middle.
- Win condition: You win the rep if the ball lands in the “T” zone or jams them in the middle before they can cover.
This also ties into team spacing and middle ownership. If your doubles partnership struggles with middle decisions, review who takes the middle and lock your roles in.
4) The Offensive Lob (Anna Bright)
Anna Bright treats the lob as an offensive weapon, not an act of desperation. From the right side, it can be especially dangerous because it can travel over backhands and create chaos behind the opponents.
The mechanics
- Preference: Volley lob when possible to steal time.
- Off the bounce: Use heavy topspin to create a kick that runs away from the chaser.
- Non-negotiable: Do not lob when off-balance or with a floppy wrist. That is how lobs become gifts.
Drill 1: Volley Lob Targeting (foundational)
- Setup: Partner stands at the kitchen line and feeds volley-height balls to you.
- Pattern: You may dink two or three balls back.
- Trigger: On the fourth ball, take it out of the air and push a lob over their backhand shoulder.
- Goal: Depth over height. Land within three feet of the baseline.
Drill 2: Lob and Clear (progression)
Bright’s key concept is that the lob must be paired with team movement. After a right-side lob, you clear the line for your partner.
- Setup: Play 2v2. Start all four players at the kitchen.
- Trigger: Right-side player initiates an offensive lob.
- Movement: As soon as the lob goes up, the right-side player retreats or shifts and calls “Switch” to hand off the overhead responsibility.
- Win condition: You only “win” the rep if your team transitions to a smashing position and finishes the point on the next shot.
How to train these shots without getting overwhelmed
Do not try to add all four at once. Pick one shot per week and do two things:
- Drill it with enough volume that the mechanics feel automatic.
- Use it intentionally in games, even if the early results are messy.
Modern pickleball rewards players who can change pace, disguise intent, and keep balance after attacking. If you tend to get carried away by speed, the mindset in why “drive everything against bangers” is misused advice will help you choose the right moments to go.
For official definitions around volleys and kitchen restrictions, 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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