The two-handed backhand—better known as the “twoey”—is quickly becoming a must-have shot in pro pickleball.

And if you want to learn it the right way, start with Connor Garnett. It’s his signature weapon, backed by countless tutorials and highlight reels showcasing just how lethal his twoey can be. Here’s what he recommends.

“To hit a good twoey, you want to start at the baseline and work on the drive,” said Garnett. “It’s all about the kinetic chain. Work up to it, and then when you’re getting pulled wide, really lean into it with your right shoulder and let it fly.”

For Garnett, the two-handed backhand starts and ends with the kinetic chain.

“Everyone wants to get power from their arms,” he noted. “But really where the power comes from is the legs, hips, and core.”

Garnett keeps his arms quiet through contact, letting them simply follow the swing, while all the power is driven from those key areas.

Kate Fahey also leans on her twoey and echoes Garnett’s emphasis on the kinetic chain.

“You really have to train your quads and put your whole body into it,” insisted Fahey. “A drill I recommend is that you have someone on the same side of the court as you drop feed you balls so you can get the form down and get more comfortable with the motion. The more repetition, the better.”

Riley Newman noticed a common mistake amateurs make when working on their two-handed backhand.

“For hitting a twoey, use your top hand to control the shot of it,” emphasized Newman. “I think a lot of players will use the bottom hand too much. With the trained backhand, you want to use your top hand to help control it.”

Will Howells shared an unconventional tip to help develop your twoey. 

“I recommend hitting a left-handed forehand if you’re a right-handed player, and vice-versa,” mentioned Howells. “When you hit lefty forehands, it develops coordination with your left hand. I used to do that all the time in tennis and it really helped my backhand a lot.”

If you want to build your twoey at home, Garnett points to two go-to drills.

First, use a ball machine. Set up at the baseline and work on a dipping two-handed backhand drive.

“We want the ball to have a little bit of a margin over the net, but drop with topspin as it gets over the net,” he said. “We’re not trying to overhit this, but we’re trying to get a consistent 70% pace.”

The second drill requires a partner. With your partner at the net and you at the baseline, focus on returning with your two-handed backhand, targeting below their chest.

“For level one of this drill, you just want to hit straight ahead and my partner is volleying it back to me,” Garnett advised. “For level two, I’m going to hit one down the line, he volleys it back to me, then I hit one cross-court and he volleys it back. I’m working on moving that shot, and my partner is working at the kitchen line.”

Grab a partner and start dialing in your twoey.

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