Outdoor Pickleball Paddles

How to use outdoor pickleball paddles?

2.1 Grip Techniques

• Continental Grip (Recommended for Beginners): Grip the handle as if shaking hands, align the paddle's edge with the tiger's mouth, keep the thumb relaxed on one side, and slightly separate the index finger from the other fingers for better control and quick shot switching.
• Eastern Grip: Rotate the hand based on the continental grip, place the knuckle of the index finger on the second flat side of the handle, which is suitable for groundstrokes and provides more power.
• Western Grip: Turn the hand more than the eastern grip, with the knuckle of the index finger at the bottom of the handle, suitable for advanced players to hit heavy topspin shots.

2.2 Basic Hitting Skills

• Serving: Stand with feet shoulder - width apart, the non - racket foot 15 cm forward, body at a 45 - degree angle to the baseline. Toss the ball 25-30 cm high, hit it when it drops below the waist, and the racket head should be lower than the wrist when hitting.
• Forehand Groundstroke: The hitting point is 30 cm in front of the body, the racket face is almost perpendicular to the ground, and power is generated through leg pushing, hip rotation, and arm swinging.
• Backhand: Can use one - handed or two - handed grip. For one - handed backhand, use the continental grip and swing the arm naturally. For two - handed backhand, place the other hand on the handle for more stability and power.
• Volley: Hit the ball in the air before it bounces, keep the elbow fixed 25 cm in front of the body, and push and block slightly when hitting to control the ball's direction.
• Dinking: A soft shot near the net. Use the continental grip, keep the wrist stable, and hit the ball gently to make it land softly in the opponent's non - volley zone.

2.3 Court Positioning and Movement

• Non - Volley Zone (Kitchen): No volleying when standing inside or stepping on the non - volley zone line (7 feet from the net). After hitting a volley, avoid stepping on the line due to momentum, otherwise, it will be a fault.
• Serving Position: In singles, serve from the right when the score is even and from the left when the score is odd. In doubles, the serving team alternates sides when scoring.