Instead of focusing on keeping your paddle up I want you to focus on two things:  1.  Maintaining a neutral posture which faces the ball, and 2.  Tracking the ball with your paddle.  Let’s review each of these:

Your Neutral Position

Here is a picture of me in what I like to call my happy, neutral zone.  You may have heard the term “ready position” or “compressed position”.  You’ll notice that my feet are a bit wider than shoulder-width apart.  You can’t see it here, but trust me I am not flat-footed.  Ideally, I feel light and agile on the balls of my feet.  I bend forward from my hips, not my waist.  I keep my chest and head up.  You’ll notice that I am holding the paddle in front of me at about chest height.

I should be maintaining this position whenever I am not running or hitting the ball.  I call this the neutral zone because it allows us to move in either direction, side to side, or forward or back.

When you assume the neutral position, I want you to face the ball. I am not suggesting you turn your head, but rather you angle your body so that you are facing the ball.   Imagine you were hitting a crosscourt dink.  You wouldn’t stand square to the net and attempt to hit the dink across your body.  Instead, you would angle your body so that you are facing where the ball is intended to go.  After hitting the ball, return to your neutral position, angling your body in the direction the ball will be traveling to you.

Use Your Paddle as a Tracking Device

Now focus on using your paddle as a tracking device.  Track the ball.  I’m not suggesting you point at the ball….rather concentrate on keeping the paddle in front of the middle of your body.  This will help you in two ways:

1. By focusing on tracking the ball, you will actually be less likely to drop the paddle.  In fact, when most people drop their paddle they lower it to their side.  Simply focusing on keeping it up in the neutral position, tracking the ball, will improve your ability to keep the paddle up.
2. Since your paddle, hand, arm, and body are all connected…when you shift to follow the ball, all your parts will move in unison.  This will help you shift your weight enabling you to move more quickly but remain balanced.  This, of course, makes it easier to maintain your range of motion while being aware of your neutral zone.

If you are in a neutral position, with your paddle in front of you tracking the ball, you will have room to attack when your opponent fails to keep their paddle up.  Watch the video I created which discussed using your paddle to track the ball.  I’m confident this will help you keep your paddle up!

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When Should I Volley

I want you to hit a volley when you have the opportunity.  I am not just suggesting you do this at the non-volley zone.  Hitting a volley, rather than a ground stroke, can be very effective when you at mid-court as well:

• First, it takes time away from your opponent and as we discussed in a prior post, time is your friend in pickleball.
• Second, you eliminate the possibility of getting a bad bounce caused by inconsistency in the court or spin imparted by your opponent.
• Finally, it is a more offensive shot.  So if you are on offense, go ahead and hit a volley.

Keys to an Effective/Solid Volley

A volley is hit when the ball is above your waist, or above the net.  There are three keys to hitting volleys effectively.

1. Focus on the Tip of Your Paddle – The tip of your paddle should be pointing upward.  Many instructors will tell you to create an angle with your wrist.  We want you to create a “V” shape with your wrist and paddle.  The paddle is above the wrist and the tip should be towards the ball.
2. Make Contact in Front of Your Body – You want the paddle in front of you so that you can make solid contact in front of your body.  If you are tracking the ball with your paddle, you will start in the correct position.  Often players find it easier to do this on the backhand volley because they use their shoulder more as they cross their body.  However, on the forehand side, players have a tendency to bring their elbows closer to their bodies and often catch the ball a bit behind them.  This leads to a “wristy” shot, which lacks power and control.
3. Grip Pressure – Also be aware of how tightly you are holding your paddle.  It is important to grip the paddle in your fingers rather than the palm of your hand.  If you want the ball to have some “pop”, you need to hold the paddle firmly so that it is stable when you make contact.  Conversely, when I want to deaden a drive hit at me, I relax my grip…allowing the paddle to absorb the speed of the ball just a bit.  Take time to experiment, finding the best grip pressure for each situation you encounter.

Less is More

We often have a tendency to do too much!  We swing the paddle back and often forward too far.  The most effective, most solid, pickleball volleys are hit with a compact stroke.  Point the tip of the paddle at the ball as you track the ball.  For a forehand volley, I will turn my body to the right (since I am right-handed), pointing my left shoulder toward my target.  I allow the ball to come to my paddle, and I punch it towards the target.  After the moment of contact, I freeze my paddle in place for just a moment.  I don’t swing across my body or allow the paddle to pull me off-balance.  I want to be ready for the ball that is coming back.
As you practice, take note of your paddle position.  Are you keeping the paddle in front of your body?  Are your shoulders relaxed and are you keeping your arms away from your sides? (You don’t want to get jammed…i.e. you don’t want your elbows stuck inward toward your body.)
Are you keeping a V in your wrist, i.e. keeping the tip of the paddle up?  And what is your grip pressure?  How does the grip pressure effect your pickleball volleys?

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NVZ Pickleball Mistake

Though we can do this anywhere on the court, we most often see it at the non-volley zone line.  After making contact with the ball we drop that paddle down pointing at the ground.  As we watch the ball fly over the net, our paddle drops down and our body is pulled down with it.   Now in order to get to the next ball, we have to go twice the distance.

Pickleball Mistakes have Consequences

Instead of our paddle being in a forward tracking position making our stroke a simple A TO B motion we now have to go A to H in order to get to the next ball.  Often times I see players making a big circle with their paddle.   You may think it only takes a second, but that second has consequences:

• Time:  Split seconds are crucial in pickleball.  Don’t waste a second returning your paddle to the proper position.
• Excess Motion:  Every unnecessary motion you make increases the chances of errors.
• Less Time/More Motion:  This is a deadly combination!  You want to be set, in position before the ball is returned.

Tough Habit to Break

This is a tough habit to break.  However, if you learn to look with your paddle instead of your head you can improve.   To practice keeping your paddle up and forward, get a partner to play a simple game of catch with you.  Stand 12-14 feet apart. Get into your happy, ready position and play toss with the ball. Pretend your hands are the paddle.  After you release the ball from your hand, keep both hands up in the center of your chest.  Not at your side…not resting on your body.
Toss the ball underhand from your shoulder.  Freely move your arm forward away from your body.   You want to catch the next ball near where the tossed ball left your hand.  If you watch skilled players, you will note that their paddle handle follows that same line.
Start watching the people you play with and see where their paddles are finishing. Does the paddle drop to the ground after every shot or is it following the ball?   The more you start to recognize it around you the more you will see it in yourself. The more your paddle stays up and forward the more direct route you will have to the ball. Keeping it as simple as you can from A TO B will minimize this deadly pickleball mistake.

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Watch the Balls:  See the Holes

To ensure you are really watching the ball, I want you to focus on the holes.  As we have discussed before, the smaller your focus the more likely you will be able to achieve the desired outcome.  When you try to see the holes, you will see the ball more clearly.
To learn how to do this, begin by focusing on the holes in the ball when dinking.  I bet you will be surprised at how much more consistent you become.  You will also likely improve your balance and coordination.
If you are having difficulty returning a fast serve…again, focus on watching the ball.  All the way from the server’s paddle to your service area.  Watch the ball carefully, and it will appear to actually slow down.

Watch the Ball with Your Peripheral Vision

To improve your ability to watch the ball, use your peripheral vision.  Too often we move our heads up and down or side to side, and loose sight of the ball.   Try to keep your head up and forward.  Track the ball with our peripheral vision.  We don’t want to become a bobblehead on the pickleball court.
Again, using our paddle to track the ball will also help us watch the ball without too much excess movement.  Let your body shift with the paddle pointing towards the ball.  As we discussed before, this gives your paddle a job and encourages us to keep the paddle up in front of us.
Think about looking with your eyes and your paddle, not your head.  Watch the ball…it may seem simple, but often times the simplest things have the biggest impact on improving our games.
 
 

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