Pro pickleball is an ever-changing sport. Shots that are common one day fade over time into near obscurity. Similarly, the unknown shot will over time become commonplace. Watch a video of a pro pickleball match from prior to 2020 and what do you see? Lots of third shot drops; relatively few drives; cut shot dinks; little use of topspin; occasional ATPs, but virtually never an ATP successfully defended; fairly soft serves; and resets but few strong counters. Certainly, changes to the ball and to the paddle have lead to changes in playing style. But, players also continue to develop athletically and strategically. It is the same in any other sport. Just compare NFL passing statistics over time, or the prevalence of the three-point shot over time in the NBA.

 

The development of the two-handed backhand is an interesting example of change in pro pickleball, especially on the men’s side. Because men can generate more natural power with one hand, women have always tended to rely more than men on the two-handed backhand. If we go back even 10 years in pickleball, about the only person employing the two-handed backhand on the men’s side was Dave Fleming. I remember playing against Fleming at Nationals many years ago, and seeing that oddity of a two-handed backhand. It stood out so starkly as he may well have been the only player in the entire event that was using the twoey.

 

Fast forward to PPA circa 2022-23. We now have several players using two-handed backhands, but the shot is still a relative rarity. Riley Newman, Connor Garnett, and James Ignatowich are some of the players using the twoey. Newman would use it on all backhands, while Ignatowich would dink the twoey, but volley one handed. But the vast majority of players were still employing a one-handed backhand on all shots.

 

 

Now jump to PPA Bristol in August 2024. Quang Duong vs. Ben Johns in a men’s doubles match. Duong was a player exclusively using the twoey, but he did it differently. His two-handed backhand dink was aggressive, not a simple pop-up roll. His dink was an aggressive roll, almost a mini passing shot. He drove those dinks crosscourt, and several of them were hard enough to bounce and get behind Johns. That shot was an eye-opener for the entire pickleball world. The shot literally changed the game. After that, everyone saw the twoey’s potential and they started to work on their twoey.

 

At the end of 2024, I wrote a column predicting that by the end of 2025, the twoey would go from a shot employed by a small minority of pros to being a shot that nearly everyone used. That prediction has proven to be spot on. We have gone in three years from being able to count on one hand the number PPA pros using the twoey, to today where you can count on one hand the number of PPA pros who do NOT use the twoey. Players with great one-handed backhands, such as Ben Johns and Federico Staksrud will now hit lots of twoey dinks.

 

But in what can only be described as an unusually ironic twist, the twoey has now gone from unused to underused to overused! We can see it most clearly by watching junior play. The PPA Tour now often has junior championships played at PPA events. If you watch the top juniors, they almost all use a two-handed backhand, and not only for dinks, but also for volleys.

 

 

And this is where the problem arises. The twoey is a great shot, when used correctly. It is great for drives; a Hunter Johnson passing shot is better with two hands than one. It is great for defensive play, blocking and resetting. It is great for crosscourt roll dinks when your feet are correctly positioned; just watch when Ben Johns does and doesn’t use it. But, the twoey is not good for most, if not all volleys, and this is where the shot has become overused. The two-handed backhand limits a player’s reach. It also does not generate any needed additional power for men.

 

Too many players, especially juniors, are using the two-handed backhand on all or many volleys. As a result, we are seeing a growing number of players with singles expertise who are not nearly as accomplished at doubles. Chris Haworth, John Lucian Goins, and Gabe Joseph are all top 10 singles players. Yet, none of them are even in the top 60 doubles players. A two-handed backhand volley is just too limited of a shot. The best player who volleys two-handed is #17 ranked Riley Newman, and he compensates for the twoey’s limitations with his pancake grip which gives him the ability to counter forehand on shots at his body, a skill that virtually no other top pro uses.

 

When I watch many of the best teenagers play, I am struck by their relative lack of volleying talent. These players will struggle at doubles. Keep in mind that the best teenage player on the entire planet is Hayden Patriquin. He uses the twoey correctly. He hits roll dinks with two hands. But, he volleys one handed. He generates a ton of power with one hand and hits great angles. He is also better able to counter with one hand on the backhand.

 

 

The two-handed backhand is here to stay in pro pickleball. But for the men, it is important to recognize the limitations of the twoey. It is simply not a good shot for volleys. When you see up and coming juniors, watch to see if they volley with one or two hands off the backhand side. Success will come earlier and easier for those who volley with a one-handed backhand. Be like Patriquin and you will be the beneficiary.

 

Follow me on X @pickleball_jim.