How to Play a Backhand Drive in Table Tennis

Last Updated on April 25, 2024 by Alex Horscroft

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What Is a Backhand Drive?

The backhand drive is one of the first strokes you learn in table tennis. It is an attacking stroke played on your backhand side. You strike the ball with a slight angle to produce topspin. Most people find it slightly easier to master than the forehand drive. This is because it is played in front of your body as opposed to the side.

However, this does mean it tends to be a little slower than the forehand drive as you do not rotate your body for this stroke.

When Should I Play a Backhand Drive?

Should

You can perform backhand drives against any ball with topspin, sidespin, no spin, or light backspin.

Backhand drives are best utilized when you are near the table. This is because they have a short stroke length and are quick to execute.

Shouldn’t

Backhand drives do not produce a tonne of topspin, so avoid playing them against balls with a lot of backspin.

Also, try not to get into the habit of playing backhand drives far away from the table. They are not particularly powerful. Instead, either stick tighter to the table, loop (if you can), or move over to play a more powerful forehand stroke.

How to Perform a Backhand Drive

The forehand drive can easily be split into four clear sections: stance, build-up, striking of the ball, and the finish and recovery.

Step 1: Stance

• Stand within arm’s length of the table. The optimal distance for the stroke.
• Feet shoulder-width apart or more. This keeps you well-balanced.
• Both feet should be in line with each other or dominant leg slightly forward. If your dominant foot is too far forward you won’t be able to play forehand strokes very easily
• Weight on the balls of both feet. Help you move quicker.
• Knees slightly bent. Improves balance, control, and power.
• Leaning slightly forward. Aids balance and power.
• ~90° bend at the elbow. Anywhere around 90° works.
• Bat directly in front of you. In anticipation of the incoming ball.

Step 2: Build Up

• Position your paddle in front of your belly button. Backhand drives are played directly down the center line of your body.
• Close your racket angle relative to the incoming spin. The greater the spin, the more you close your bat angle.

Step 3: Striking the Ball

• Strike the ball with a slight upward motion to produce topspin. This propels the ball forward and brings it down.
• Contact the ball at the top of the bounce. As the ball is at its highest point you have the greatest angle to make the shot.
• Focus on generating speed with your forearm and elbow. The backhand drive is simple and controlled as most of the work is done by the forearm and elbow.

Step 4: Finish and Recovery

• Finish with your paddle at around chin level pointing in the direction you played the ball. Following through is best practice and ensures you deliver enough pace.
• Your racket should finish slightly on your dominant side. While the ball is struck at the center of your body, your paddle finishes ever so slightly on your dominant side.
• Return to the ready position. Ready to play your next shot.

Recommended Videos to Help You Learn

Tom breaks down the backhand drive in a very clear and concise way. In particular, I like how he demonstrates a common footwork mistake (point 6 in the common mistakes section below) to highlight how it hurts your game.

I’m a big fan of this high-production video. It’s short and to the point. The lady who performs the drive uses quite a bit of wrist action for her stroke which is fairly common. You don’t need to use as much, in fact, I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re a beginner.

The only part of the video I didn’t like was the explanation of spin: “all of the ball’s force goes into the ball’s speed, not into rotation. The goal is a still ball without rotation”. This is not true, while speed is the primary focus of the drive, topspin is ABSOLUTELY required to achieve your desired speed. Without it, the ball will go over the end of the table.

Common Mistakes

1. Using too much shoulder or wrist. You play the backhand drive predominantly with your elbow and forearm. This gives you the best balance of power and control for the stroke. Some beginners use too much shoulder equalling a slower and less powerful shot with poor spin, while others use too much wrist which leads to a lack of spin and power. (And a prodding wrist action rather than a controlled topspin producing one).
2. Finishing the stroke across the body. You play the stroke out in front of you with very little sideways motion. Your bat should finish on your dominant side, but if it finishes past the shoulder of your playing arm you have gone too far.
3. Opening your racket angle. Your bat angle is just as important as your stroke. Keep it adequately closed throughout the movement.
4. Striking the ball too early. Wait until the ball has reached the top of its bounce to give yourself the best angle to play the drive.
5. Not moving your feet. Remember when you play the drive that the incoming ball should bounce directly in front of you. This means you need to be ready on the balls of your feet to position yourself correctly for each drive. If you fail to develop the correct footwork it will hurt you immensely when you come to learn the backhand loop.
6. Positioning your non-dominant foot far behind your dominant foot. Your feet need to be roughly in line with one another or else your body will be too rotated to play a forehand stroke. You need to be ready to play both on the backhand and forehand side!

Next Lessons

If you haven’t learned the forehand drive already, that should certainly be your next step. You should also tackle the forehand push and backhand push. With these four strokes, you can tackle both topspin and backspin play.