Overhead Advice from the Experts

There are a couple of shots that have been little discussed here. One of those shots is the overhead smash. While mentioned in several posts, it has only been extensively discussed in one - The Overhead Smash. We will remedy that lack of discussion by reviewing 2 videos. The first is from Sarah Ansboury and is called Three Tips For Overhead Smashing.

Sarah's video is intended to provide the 3 most fundamental factors to attain good contact and make a good overhead smash. Before the overhead keys, it is important to start in the ready position (as discussed in The Ready Position at the Kitchen Line).

Overhead Drills with Lobs

Overhead drills work in conjunction with lob practice. An effective overhead drill requires a good lobber to feed the ball properly. But these drills benefit both players as one gets to practice overhead smashes while the other gets to practice a lob return off the overhead smash.

Drill 1 for 2 players – The lobbing feeder stands at the baseline and hits lobs to the overhead player across the net. The feeder tries to hit high lobs that land between the kitchen line and ¾ court. The other player tries to hit overhead shots back at the feeder so that the ball can be lobbed back. The overhead shot should not be hit at full power. The focus should be on form and control instead. Rotate the feeder and overhead roles often.

Drill 2 for 3 or more players – Two lobbing feeders hit lobs to a single player across the net as in Drill 1. The overhead player practices hitting shots to the center and both corners of the court. After 4 consecutive successful shots, the overhead player can try to win the rally with more emphasis on power and angles. Players rotate roles regularly, including rotating in from the sidelines.

The Overhead Smash

Recent posts have discussed raising the level of controlled aggressiveness in your game. It is time to talk about the single most aggressive shot in pickleball – the overhead smash (or slam). While balls hit above the net can be volleyed aggressively, even to the extent of a swinging volley, nothing compares to the overhead. This is due to one factor – the height of the ball at contact point. A high ball allows the overhead to be hit downward using the leverage of a full arm extension and wrist snap (or pronation).

Overhead shot opportunities always result from an opponent’s mistake, generally a lob that is either too low or too close to the kitchen. An overhead should be hit only when the ball is high enough that you can reach it with the center (sweet spot) of your paddle using a full arm extension. A volley should be used on any ball below that height. Hitting an overhead on a lower ball will usually result in a ball hit into the net.

The overhead is a forehand shot and, therefore, a forehand grip is necessary. The continental grip is recommended because it naturally allows the paddle to slice through the air during the swing and then to open in order to hit the ball squarely at the contact point. See The Grip for a proper continental grip position.