Tip of the day

BUSTING Pickleball's BIGGEST Myths!

Ready position out in front sounds like textbook advice. Zane Navratil calls it one of his least favorite myths, and one he is super happy to see going away.

The idea comes from tennis. There you block and punch your volleys out in front, and you get there by moving your feet.

In pickleball you can't step into the kitchen, so you can't move your feet to get out there. Instead, bring your arms back in tight a little bit more, so you can punch outward at the ball.

If your arms are already all the way out, you can't really punch anymore.

Height matters too. Pros keep the paddle in ready position right around the waist, because opponents generally hit the ball fast around there.

If the ball is a little slower, you have time to come up. What he sees from amateurs is a ready position way down low, and then somebody bangs it at them and they are lifting up every time.

For 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 players he still says paddle up, because paddle up is better than paddle down.

Once you are at the kitchen line, a good generalization is not to change grips. You don't want to be changing grips when your opponent could hit that ball hard at you.

And keep your head up. Track the ball to where you expect to make contact, not all the way to the paddle, so you can still see your opponents in your peripheral vision.

In the video he holds the tennis position all the way out and shows why the punch disappears from there, which is easier to see than to picture.

Key points

Ready position out in front comes from tennis, where you get to volleys by moving your feet.
Bring your arms back in tight a little so you can punch outward at the ball.
Keep the paddle around your waist, where opponents generally hit the ball fast.
Once you are at the kitchen line, a good generalization is not to change grips.
Track the ball to where you expect contact, so you can still see your opponents.

Watch the full tutorial here.