Pro pickleball players have endless weapons in their arsenal, but everyone has a go-to.

Some of the game’s top pros shared their favorite shot right now, along with tips to help amateurs execute it at a higher level.

Ben Johns – Backhand roll

“A lot of players use too much wrist when they try and roll. Instead, you want to use more shoulder, rather than your wrist,” said Johns. “If you want to work on it, have someone stand cross-court with you and dink back and forth. Anything you think you can roll, try it, and you’ll start to get a feel for it.” 

Rachel Rohrabacher – Forehand and backhand dink roll

“You have to use your legs to get under the ball because if you want to use topspin, you have to make sure you get under the ball. If you don’t, it’ll be a recipe for disaster,”noted Rohrabacher. “There’s actually a lot of tennis tools you could use for learning how to hit topspin that can be super helpful when you’re learning how to get a feel for it. I would suggest that you make sure you lead with the top edge of your paddle, not the bottom edge.”

Kiora Kunimoto – Dipper 

“I love to hit dippers and work the angles, but it’s a shot you really have to train,” insisted Kunimoto. “I recommend going to one side of the court, then having somebody else hit in the cross-court and dipping it down so you can get used to the motion, get under the ball, and use topspin.”

Callie Smith – Forehand 

“You have to practice a lot, so go hit lots of forehands. But I also recommend doing a little weightlifting in the gym to get yourself stronger,” said Smith. “If you want to drill it, stand up at the kitchen line and have someone feed you just slightly elevated balls that are level with the net. Then practice getting right on top of it and pushing through as fast as you can. Get good acceleration, swing through it, and see how fast you can hit it without hitting it out, which is hard.”

Mary Brascia – Passing roll

“My favorite shot is a passing roll. They’re really fun to hit,” praised Brascia. “To get good at them, you have to practice and drill them a lot. Work on keeping your paddle low and brushing up from low to high from the baseline.” 

Yates Johnson – Overhead

“I think the forehand drive is my best shot, but I just love hitting overheads,” confirmed Johnson. “If you want to hit a good overhead, you really just have to hit it as hard as you possibly can. Turn sideways, trust it, and just rip it.”

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