The evolution of the right side has become a hot topic in the pickleball world.

For years, the right has been saved for defense, resets, and setting up the left-side partner, but players like Gabriel Tardio and Hayden Patriquin have introduced a whole new variety of right-side offense in 2024.

They aren’t the only ones bringing the heat on the right, however.

I caught up with Tyson McGuffin following his and Jaume Martinez Vich’s victory over JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier in the semifinals of last month’s CIBC Atlanta Slam.

It was an impressive effort from both players that gave McGuffin his first victory over the pairing in five tries this year.

McGuffin played an extremely effective right side and spoke about some things to consider when playing that role on the court.

One of the most important tips he gave had to do with creating movement off the inside foot.

“I think if you look at any good right side player, they can really move the ball around off of their inside foot, whether it’s with the forehand or backhand,” he explained. “Tardio and Frazier use the forehand, but I actually prefer to lean in and use the backhand.”

He used that backhand to perfection in the match, shown in detail here:

At the beginning of this clip, we see McGuffin take two inside-foot backhands. He sends one to the inside foot of Frazier and then take the next one outside. A few shots later, he leans in to take consecutive backhands out of the air to go back behind Johnson. Taking those shots out of the air keeps Johnson out of the middle and eventually (later in the point) earns a dink that McGuffin speeds up off the bounce, inciting a hands battle that he and Martinez Vich win to set up a game point.

In this rally, McGuffin shows his ability to move the ball around to any spot in the kitchen from that inside foot position, which makes it difficult for Frazier and Johnson to anticipate where he’s going to go. That uncertainty makes them think twice about trying to take an aggressive position in the middle of the kitchen line and creates opportunities for Martinez Vich to shine on the left.

The next time you're thinking about how to play a better right side, consider where you're directing your dinks from the inside foot: are you hitting the same spot every time, or are you varying your targets like the best players in the world?