Frank’s Coaching Corner
By Frank Palladino
When drilling or when the ball is hit right to you, most everyone can hit a forehand, backhand, serve, return and dink. BUT, during a rally, if you or your partner are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you will struggle to consistently execute some or all of those shots.
The pickleball court is a large rectangle (44' x 20') divided into smaller rectangles and triangles which you and your partner have to cover with very short reaction time.
Our goal, "besides having a ton of fun", should be to move from location to location in coordination with your partner, using geometry, angles, percentages and time to your advantage so as to MINIMIZE your mistakes and take ADVANTAGE of your opponents mistakes. THAT'S PICKLEBALL !!!
Questions to ask yourself (sometimes I talk to myself 🤣):
Where should I be?
How should I get there?
What do I do when I'm there?
First of all……..are you ready for the ball to come your way?
The Serve: (minimal movement for you and your partner...SERVE AND STAY!!!)
Stay behind the service line, feet and upper body pointed to where you are aiming, have a plan on what kind of serve you're hitting and call the score BEFORE you start your service motion! (that’s actually a rule) If you are calling the score at the same time that you're starting your motion, YOU ARE NOT FOCUSED!
After you make contact with the ball, NEVER step into the court!! (Stay out of the No Go Zone). You should be behind the baseline, weight down and ready to move to where you SHOULD BE after the ball is returned to you or your partner.
Return of Serve: (where do I stand?)
You should be behind the baseline, wide stance and weight pushing through the balls of your feet…....looking for an opportunity to get to the kitchen.
How far back? Depends on the strength and style of serve you expect from your opponent.
Should I always stand in the same place? No…...you should always be adjusting to your opponent.
Should I always crash the kitchen? No…...only on good or decent returns.
Should I always come to the CENTER of the kitchen line? No…...it depends on where you return the serve. If you return left, come to the left center of the kitchen line. If you return center or right, come to the center of the kitchen line.
Shadowing the Ball: (reducing angles, reducing gaps, playing percentages)
Pretend the pickleball court is a HUGE teeter totter and the pickleball is Very Heavy!! When the ball bounces on the court on your side OR your opponent’s side, the court should appear to lean that way.
So.….in general and on average, BOTH PARTNERS should:
Stay back when the ball’s deep on your side
Move up when the ball’s deep on your opponents’ side
Move right when the ball’s on the right side of either court-side
Move left when the ball’s on the left side of either court-side
Shuffle back and forth, right and left during dinking to reduce angles and to keep the ball right in front of you.