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Overhead smash

Pickleball / Popular

Put away high balls without hitting them out.

What coaches agree on

  • Generate your power by rotating your hips, core, and shoulder together into the shot, the same way you would throw a ball.
  • Raise your non-dominant hand toward the incoming ball as you set up, using it to track the ball and keep your balance through the shot.
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  • Get all the way behind the ball so you can make contact out in front of your body, at full arm extension.

Common mistakes

  • Backpedaling straight back with the torso still facing the net, instead of pivoting sideways and shuffling into position, which is unstable and risks a fall.
  • Going for a full overhead swing on a ball that's only chest-high instead of a shorter punch or block, which usually drives the ball into the net.