Keys to Domination at the Net
One reason pickleball is such an interesting and challenging game is that it demands a combination of finesse and power. It’s fun to bamboozle your opponents with a deft array of dinks and drops. However, there’s no denying that pickleball has become a faster, more aggressive game in recent years – so you had better learn to attack when called for and do unto others before they do unto you. Let’s start with the most common attack shot in pickleball – the volley.
Volley
Position and Paddle Movement
Volleys are one of the most fun strokes in pickleball. Many of us love the quick back and forth up at the net as we try to outduel our opponents from close range. The most important part of volleying is keeping the paddle in front of you. It should be about a foot in front of your chest so your slightly bent arm can extend through contact and create power. Keeping your body low allows you to extend your paddle closer to the net, taking away reaction time from the other team.
Playing the Ball Out Front
Playing the ball out in front enables you to play the ball instead of the ball playing you. Always extend your arm fully through the stroke rather than weakly pushing at the ball. This technique applies equally to forehand AND backhand volleys.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
A common mistake I see with novice, or even intermediate players, is bringing the paddle back behind the kitchen line to hit a hard shot. You don’t need to reach back for more power. Position the paddle in front, push your wrist forward, then release the paddle aggressively to the target. This creates a snapping motion when you strike the ball, like cracking a whip.
Also, keep the paddle face square to your target at and through impact. Feel like you’re hammering a nail or swatting a pesky mosquito. If the paddle face (or hammer, or fly swatter) isn’t square to your target, you’ll end up with lots of mishit shots (or bent nails, or mosquito bites).
More on common mistakes here.
Ready Position and Tactics
Remember to keep your paddle chest high in the ready position, always expecting a hard shot first. You have time to lower your paddle to play a soft shot. Just don’t get caught with your paddle down or off to the side. That’s an engraved invitation for an aggressive player to give you a free chest tattoo.
Playing Against Opponents in Different Positions
If you are volleying when the other team is back in the court, the smart play is usually to keep them back with deep volleys. Alternatively, you can angle the ball off the court or drop it softly into the kitchen. You don’t want to hit short, high volleys that they can get to and follow into the net.
Volley Strategy and Tactics
When you volley with all players at the kitchen line, keep the ball low and usually aim for the middle. If you get a ball that is high enough, be aggressive and hit down at the feet, down the middle or at an angle. Avoid hitting balls directly at your opponents’ paddles. Sometimes when we practice, we get in the habit of feeding each other on volleys. Don’t fall into this habit during games! If you’re hitting at the other player, it can also be effective to target the right armpit of a righthander as this can handcuff them as they try to flip the paddle from backhand to forehand.
Compensating for Lack of Power
If you don’t have the snap on your volleys that you want, remember that location is your best weapon. Keeping the ball low and hitting it where your opponent must lunge for it can make up for a lack of power.
Importance of an Active Lower Body
Stay low and keep your lower body active as you volley. Don’t stand and reach! When you have time to slide in front of a ball that is to the side, you put yourself in a more powerful position behind the ball instead of reaching for it. Again, keep your paddle in front, body low and balanced, up on the balls of your feet and ready for battle!
Overheads
The Struggle with Overheads
You do all the work to get to the kitchen line, deftly mixing drops and dinks. Looking good! Finally, you force your opponent to hit a high, juicy ball that you can crush, and… “ARGHHH!!!”. You botch the put-away.
Refining the Overhead Technique
Nothing is more frustrating. How do you make your overhead a consistent, potent weapon? The key is making a more compact stroke, especially at the kitchen line. Some players develop a habit where they bring the paddle way back, almost scratching their back with the paddle as they prepare to hit. By the time the paddle returns to hitting position, it might be facing anywhere but square to the target, resulting in a variety of wayward shots. Instead, shorten the backswing and snap through as you strike the ball, feeling the wrist do the work. You can still turn your shoulders and rotate your lower body to generate power, just shorten the stroke.
Avoiding the ‘Jack-knife’ and Proper Targeting
Also, avoid “jack-knifing”. Keep your chest up and aim for a spot around 5-10 feet inside the baseline. Unlike a tennis ball which will compress and bounce high and out of play, a pickleball will actually sit up when you hit down hard on it and make for a relatively easy return when your opponents are deep in the court. On a forehand volley or overhead, extend your non-hitting hand in front of you, almost pointing at the ball. This turns your hips and chest just the right amount to put you in a powerful position to punch the volley, just like a boxer’s left jab sets up a potent right cross.
Mastering the ‘VolleyPop’
Finally, learn to execute the “VolleyPop”. On a ball that is hit to your forehand from just above your head down to around chest level at the net, you can squat down with your paddle vertical and in front of you and pop the ball down the middle with a short, wristy stroke. (It feels like swatting a fly or hammering a nail – and you wouldn’t take a big backswing to hammer a nail unless you don’t mind crooked nails and smashed fingers). It’s more effective and powerful than hitting a standard volley because it’s actually a quasi-overhead. When the other team is back, this short stroke also makes it easier to angle the ball off the court. For older or less powerful players, this technique may be more effective at ending the point.
Advanced Shots for Future Learning
There are other aggressive shots you can play at the kitchen line that require a decent skill set such as flicks, rollovers, ATP’s and Ernes. Let’s save those for another day. For now, focus on the above fundamentals and make your opponents pay the price for hitting high balls into your attack zone with compact, powerful strokes that make you a force to be reckoned with at the kitchen.
