Mastering Pickleball Topspin: 5 Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

By maintaining a stable face and letting the path of the paddle create the spin, you widen your margin for error and maximize consistency

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on a pickleball court lately, you’ve probably noticed that the game is getting faster, more aggressive, and—most importantly—spin-heavy.

Gone are the days when a simple, flat dink was enough to keep you safe. Now, if you aren't dipping the ball at your opponent's feet with some serious topspin, you're basically handing them an easy point.

Jordan Briones of Briones Pickleball Academy recently broke down the five most common mistakes players make when trying to master topspin. Straight up: you’re probably making at least three of them.

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1. The Wristy Business

We’ve all seen it. A player tries to "flick" the ball with their wrist to generate spin. It looks fancy, sure, but it’s a recipe for inconsistency (and maybe a trip to the physical therapist). Briones points out that amateurs often use their wrist as the primary engine for topspin, especially on dinks.

But if you watch the pros, their wrists are remarkably stable. The spin comes from the shoulder and a smooth, low-to-high motion. Think of your arm as a pendulum rather than a whip. A stable wrist means a predictable ball.

2. Stop Pushing, Start Lifting

One of the biggest hurdles for players moving from a 3.5 to a 4.0 level is the "linear" habit. When you’re under pressure, the natural instinct is to push the ball toward the target.

Briones notes this is particularly common with the two-handed backhand dink. Players set up well, but then they "push" through the contact zone.

The result? A flat ball that sits up.

To fix this, you have to start the paddle underneath the ball and swing up. It feels counterintuitive to swing vertically when you want the ball to go forward, but that’s the magic of physics—the spin pulls the ball back down into the court.

3. You’re Not Getting Low Enough

You can’t hit a low-to-high shot if you start at the same height as the ball. It sounds obvious, right? Yet, so many players fail to drop their paddle head early enough. Whether it’s a forehand speed-up or a topspin lob, the preparation is everything.

"In order to create topspin, we have to start beneath the ball," Briones says.

This is why footwork and knee bend are so vital—you have to get your body in a position where that vertical path is even possible.

4. The Paddle Angle Rollercoaster

Consistency is the name of the game in pickleball. If your paddle face is changing 180 degrees during your swing, you have to be frame-perfect with your timing.

Briones highlights the backhand flick as a prime example of this mistake. Many players roll their wrist so much that the paddle face flips completely over.

Instead, you want to keep that paddle angle relatively constant through the contact zone. By maintaining a stable face and letting the path of the paddle create the spin, you widen your margin for error. You don't need to be a magician; you just need to be a machine.

5. The 'Hero Shot' Syndrome

Finally, there’s the issue of balance. We all want to hit that screaming topspin winner, but you can’t do it while you’re falling backward or reaching out on your tiptoes. Briones emphasizes that aggression requires control.

If your base isn't set, you shouldn't be swinging for the fences.

At the end of the day, topspin isn't about how hard you can snap your wrist. It's about preparation, a vertical swing path, and the discipline to stay balanced. If you can stop "pushing" and start "lifting," you'll find that your balls start dipping exactly where you want them—right at your opponent's shoelaces.

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