Hey guys, it’s Kyle from ThatPickleballGuy.

Strategy 1: Wide Stance, Paddle Up

Number one—wide stance, paddle up in front of you. Be ready to block, ready to counter, and ready to play in an athletic position. Here’s the main thing: so many players, when they’re at the kitchen line, are standing tall with their paddles down. If you’re standing tall and your paddle’s down, you’re not ready to play.

If a ball gets sped up at you, what are you going to do? You’re not going to be ready. So, we want to be in a stance—feet wide, shoulder-width, paddle up, ready to play (figure 1).

Before we talk about any of these other strategies, how you stand matters. Just like John Wooden, the famous basketball coach, taught his players how to tie their shoes, I’m teaching you how to stand so everything else I’m about to teach you will work.

Strategy 2: Dink Placement

Where should you hit your dinks? If we’re in a rally and dinking, balls are moving around. So many players get to the kitchen and then say, “Kyle, you told me it’s important to get to the kitchen, but now I don’t know what to do.”

Here’s the first strategy: dink to the player on the left side’s backhand (figure 2). Why? Because when players start playing pickleball, they typically have weaker backhands. They don’t feel comfortable cross-court dinking with their backhand.

The more you target their backhand, the greater the chance they’ll:

1. Miss into the net,
2. Pop it up, or
3. Get uncomfortable and speed up a bad ball.

I tie this back to Strategy #1: I’m in a wide stance, paddle up, leaning in, and able to take the ball out of the air. This takes away time from my opponent and puts them in an uncomfortable position, often forcing errors.

WIN THE PADDLE OF YOUR DREAMS!

Sign up now for a chance to win any paddle of your choice currently in stock at JustPaddles. Plus, receive expert tips from pro players and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.

Strategy 3: What to Do When You’re Being Picked On

So, what happens when you’re clearly being targeted? Let’s assume I’m picking on someones’s backhand. If they want to get out of this situation, what should they do?

First, try dinking it down the line (figure 3). Why? When you dink down the line, the opponent will often take their next shot cross-court, giving you some relief. Most players prefer cross-court dinks because there’s more room for error and the net is lower in the middle.

But what if they keep dinking it back down the line? Then, you have another option: step over early into the Ernie position (figure 4).

By squeezing the court and taking an aggressive stance, you shrink the space your opponent has to work with. This puts a lot of pressure on them and often forces them to hit cross-court.

That’s a wrap. See you guys next time.

Think you know pickleball inside and out? Challenge yourself with ThatPickleball IQ Test and see if you can score a perfect 10 out of 10! 

This post was originally published on this site