The backhand flick has long been a powerful shot in men’s doubles pickleball, but in recent months, it’s become increasingly common in the women’s game as well.

“The backhand flick is coming into the women’s game because it takes away time from opponents,” explained Alix Truong, who has been developing her backhand flick for women’s doubles. “People used to take a step back off the line and rip the ball, which is great, too. I still do that sometimes depending on the shot, but to be able to have that reach and take the ball early is an advantage.”

Mari Humberg was among the first professional women to incorporate the backhand flick into her game.

“When I first started playing pickleball, I was naturally hitting a backhand flick and I didn’t even realize it,” mentioned Humberg. “It was always something that came naturally from tennis, and I feel like I lean in a little bit more. I saw the local guys doing it and I copied them.”

While mastering the flick can be difficult, Truong views it as an exciting new challenge in the pro game and a valuable addition to her skill set.

“Everybody can develop a flick, but I think it becomes who’s going to be the best at developing a flick combo because if you’re reaching to flick the ball and your arm is stuck out there, you’ve got to be able to come back fast and stay compact at the same time,” she explained. “That’s something I’ve been working on.”

Since the men’s game adopted the backhand flick earlier, Truong turned to her brother, Jonathan, for additional tips and insights.

“For some of the girls, that flick movement feels unnatural for their wrist, so it’s becoming more of a poke rather than a flick, which I think is great,” she shared. “I feel like as long as you can get the ball out in front of you quickly and down, it’s a good alternative.”

Another key to executing the flick is reading the ball correctly and deciding which shots are best to attack with it..

“It depends on the ball. You have to assess which balls you can actually flick, get down, and maneuver on the court, and decide which balls you can take out of the air just to throw your opponents off. A poke can be right at my opponent’s body if they’re jumping all around, but a flick would be more of a putaway or an angle shot, so I’m really figuring out when and where to use both in game situations,” said Truong. 

“I actually started experimenting with the flick out in Vietnam because the ball is slower out there, so it gave me time to get to the ball and figure it out. In the US, the Life Time ball is a lot quicker and harder to adjust to. It was helpful to be able to experiment with the flick in the slower environment,” she added.

Truong has been working on the shot for a few months, but has yet to debut her flick in a pro match. 

She hopes to unveil it soon.

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