The Forehand Drive

Having a solid forehand drive is a great way to increase the offensive side of your game. When done correctly, the drive can be a winning shot or set up the next shot for a winner - or cause a forced error by the other team.

The drive should be low to the net and fast and a drive with topspin will taper downwards.

The reason people are more comfortable trying to drive on the forehand is that the body can be in a semi-open stance towards the court, whereas a backhand pulls the person's body to a closed position and the motion can feel awkward for some.

So, let's talk about the forehand drive...

Photo credit: Sara McInnes

When It’s Useful

During a doubles game, a drive is particularly effective when hitting the third shot especially when the return of serve falls short on the court - this is because you can step into the drive - or when the return has a high bounce and you can track the ball easily, with less footwork.

Some people also use the drive on a return of serve or fifth shot. There are some players who do not like to drive the return simply because the faster the return travels the less time one has to advance to the net.

Driving the fifth shot is effective with the addition of topspin, without that spin causing the ball to taper down then chances are the drive will travel well outside of the opponent's baseline. Remember, that fifth shot is likely being taken in the transition zone, so there is less court to work with.

Body Positioning

You are looking to start with a low, wide stance that will keep you balanced and square to the net. Turn the body to a semi-closed stance with your non-dominant foot, also turn your non-dominant shoulder so it’s now leading the body; shift the weight of your body to the back foot and upon contact shift the weight forward in one fluid motion.

Be sure to stay low as you rotate through the hips, oftentimes I see players moving from low to upright which will cause them to miss the ball completely. You want to coil the paddle backward in a small, compact “c” motion, this will load power.

There’s a slight fine line between this coil and a wind-up, where you lose complete sight of the paddle. Finally, really focus on keeping the wrist locked to prevent it from flicking upon contact.

The arm should move as one, from shoulder to hand. That said, there are players with various styles and some players will engage the wrist, they could possibly be coming from another racquet sport like squash or badminton and have the muscle memory of a wrist flick.

Pro Tip: Track the ball with the eyes and keep the feet moving as the ball is coming towards you. 

Photo Credit: Sara McInnes

Contact Point

Look to make contact with the ball out in front of the body, after the ball has bounced and is sitting at its highest point - or - apex. If you’re just learning how to drive the ball, I highly recommend that you keep your eye on the ball as it moves towards your paddle - do your best to keep tracking the ball until you’ve struck it.

Once you’ve made contact, if the ball is traveling too high or ascends as it moves away from you, then your paddle is too open, so for the next shot re adjust to a more closed paddle face. On the flip side, if the ball tapers down into the net then the paddle is closed. All of this adjusting is done with your grip technique. 

The Paddle

Aim to point the tip of the paddle pointing anywhere from 3-5 o’clock (as a right-handed player) and as a left handed player 7-9 o’clock. Pointing it further down to 6 o’clock will cause too much lift and pointing the paddle past 3 or 9 will just cause trouble for you, as you’d be doing less of a drop and more of a chop shot.

Photo credit: Sara McInnes

Grip 

The most common grip to hit a forehand drive is the eastern grip. The knuckles will line up with the back bevel (1 o’clock) of the handle. This will keep the face open in a natural way. The continental grip is also popular because it’s the most neutral of grips. Either will work, but turning from a continental to eastern is the most advantageous option when hitting a drive. 

Photo credit: Sara McInnes

Set Up & Follow Through

There are many shots in this game that require a compact paddle motion, including the follow through. With the forehand drive, however, you want to ensure that your follow through is smooth and thorough, with your paddle tip ending near your opposite shoulder. Stunting the follow through could result in a high, flat ball that is easy for the opponent to handle. 

Court Placement

This is key, you don’t want to drive to simply smack the ball around, you want to focus on placing the ball in strategic places. Sending the drive cross court gives you more time and distance to work with, but on the other hand it will also give your opponent time to prepare for your shot.

Going down the line on someone is also a solid option and most people are comfortable with this shot because they have a clear sightline to their area.

Adding Topspin

Including some topspin onto your drive will make this a go to shot, once mastered. Top spin, which will send the ball downwards will prove to be effective as the intention with spin is for the ball to move away from your opponent and their paddle.

I recommend that you start by learning the drive properly before adding topspin, but to do so, instead of hitting the ball flat and even, you’re looking to brush the ball from down to up.

This will create the ball to spin forward as it moves through the air and will make it descend faster than a flat drive. I have found that tennis players require time to adjust to adding topspin to a pickleball ball, simply because of the paddle itself.

The paddle cannot absorb the ball the same way tennis racquet strings can hold a tennis ball. So, be patient in “feeling out” the amount of brush versus push that’s required in pickleball.

Photo credit: Sara McInnes

Drilling this shot will increase your consistency and confidence and like any other skill you’re looking to acquire, practice, practice, practice. To start, be sure to only use about 50%-60% and work on technique and precision. Once you capture that, then start to increase the pace and power.

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