Pickleball Resets | How To Make 100% Of Your Resets

James Ignatowich

Top 5 pro player James Ignatowich

Hey guys, this is James Ignatowich, now we are going to talk about hitting the backhand in the transition zone (figure 1). The final place where you should definitely be putting two hands on the paddle is when you’re in the transition zone and hitting backhand resets.

(figure 1) transition zone in green.

Some players do use a one-handed backhand reset, but I have personally found it to be significantly easier to use a two-handed backhand reset, especially as players hit the ball harder and paddles are getting poppier. In these situations, you definitely want more stability on this shot, and that left hand makes things a lot easier when trying to reset, especially if the ball is coming at you fast.

When to Use One Hand vs. Two Hands

Sometimes, when I’m in the transition zone, if the ball is slower and I have time, I’ll slice it with one hand. However, if the ball is coming fast, if it’s an over-the-shoulder ball, or if it’s an overhead, I am most definitely using two hands on that backhand reset.

The Role of the Non-Dominant Hand in the Two-Handed Backhand Reset

With the two-handed backhand reset, most of your stability—as with most two-handed backhands—is coming from your off-hand. A lot of players tend to overuse their dominant hand, but that is not what we’re trying to do on the two-handed backhand reset.

Two-handed backhands come from the non-dominant hand. With the left hand, we are just pushing through the ball (figure 2). We are not adding extra motion, and there is no unnecessary wrist movement involved.

(figure 2)

Keeping the Wrist Fixed but Loose

One key thing to focus on is keeping the wrist fixed but loose. When I tell players to keep the wrist fixed, they tend to get very tight and try to lock it in place, which is not what we want.

Instead, you want to keep it controlled but relaxed. It’s a tough balance to master, but once you get it down, you can be sure that your resets will be more consistent and effective.

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