David Zapatka
Let the bad ones go bad. This is a skill we all need to learn to improve our game.
How can we become more aware of balls that are traveling out of bounds? Any shot by the opponent that lands out of bounds ends in a winning rally for your side. Don’t give them free points or keep the opponents in the rally by hitting their out balls.
Letting balls go long is one of the most difficult things to do on the pickleball court. It’s almost always a split-second decision. At any level, you can learn to let the long balls go long.
A typical hard-hitter will blast the third shot and subsequent shots. Sooner than later, one of those balls is headed out of bounds. This happens as the hard-hitter gets closer to the net and runs out of space to hit into. How should you know the ball is going long?
1. Big backswings mean more power. When the hard-hitter takes a big backswing, get ready. The closer to the net this opponent is, the more likely the ball is headed out of bounds.
2. Your opponent will have to hit up on the ball to get it to go over the net when the ball is below net height. Hitting hard at this angle means the ball is going up and long. (S)he may be able to keep the ball in the court with enough topspin. Be prepared to play these balls. But, even the good spinners hit a lot of balls long.
3. Wind is another factor. It’s much harder to keep the ball in play when hitting hard with the wind at your back. Recognize that when the wind is in your face, it’s behind your opponent, pushing their balls deeper into your court or beyond your baseline. In these windy conditions, let more balls go long. On the other hand, when the wind is with you and against your opponents, more of their hard-hit balls will fall in your court as the wind will knock them down. Bottom line—be aware of the wind.
4. Most importantly, judge how high the ball is hit relative to your body height. If the ball is at your chest height or higher, it’s probably going out of bounds.
Remember this. Chest high, let it fly! This depends on how low you are with your knees bent, your height and the amount of topspin the opponent has hit.
A good partner will help by telling their partner when a ball is going long on their side of the court by yelling loudly something like, “No!,” “Out!,” “Up!,” or some other short statement that your partner will clearly hear in time to pull their paddle back.
Have a question about pickleball? Want to know more about the sport, the rules, equipment or have some pickilicious news you would like to share with our pickleball community? Email David Zapatka at dzapatka@wbhsi.net.