Anytime Anna Leigh Waters wants to give a bunch of free pickleball advice, you know we’re locking in.
In a new video, she discusses a bread-and-butter shot that really got us thinking: On a forehand, instead of following through across your body to the opposite shoulder—follow through up and above your paddle arm.
An exaggerated version of this shot was made famous by Rafael Nadal, where he whips his forehand follow-through up and over his head like a runaway tornado. But the advantages are the same.
In her own words, here’s why ALW loves it — and why you should incorporate it into your own bag of tricks.
✅ “You can get a lot more spin this way.” Improved paddle technology has unlocked a world of new shot options and varieties. ALW uses this one when she wants to put added spin on her shot, as the condensed swing path allows for quicker acceleration through the ball. The resulting action is downright nasty.
✅ “You don’t [always] have time to get to the other side.” The same-side follow-through is a shorter range of motion than carrying your paddle arm all the way across your body. This lets ALW fire off this shot and reload to a ready position super-fast.
✅ “You can stay more balanced.” ALW also favors this shot when she’s in motion or fully on the run—which is common for her explosive style of play. Sometimes, a full, cross-body follow-through can pull or twist your body away from the direction of the shot. Instead, this approach helps keep ALW more square to the action.
The next time you’re watching the pros play, watch for this technique—it’s more common than you might expect at the highest levels.
And for good reason. As ALW puts it: “Any shot that I hit, I’m trying to set up a ball that I can be aggressive on.”
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