Pro Footwork at the NVZ Line

The kitchen is not for dancing...

Today's post is short and sweet - just like NVZ line movements. Yesterday, we discussed 2 alternative views from experts. Today, we will watch 4 pros in action. Focus on their footwork. The video comes from Poach PB and is called Pickleball Kitchen View.

Note that the foot movements are short and quick with calm between shots. The movement shown by these players is typical of top level players and aligns with Deb Harrison's techniques shown yesterday. The quick movement gets the body positioned for a smooth balanced shot.

How to Hit the Around the Post Shot

Knowledge of geometry is advantageous...

After watching the around the post shots in yesterday's article, the technique seems pretty obvious - wait for a wide shot and hit it to a target along the sideline. The obvious is true but there are some fine points to the shot that makes it easier. A couple of videos will help us learn some of these techniques.

The first video is from Mark Renneson and is called Pickleball Strategies: Around The Post.

A Video - Kitchen View Only

Today's post is interesting because it shows the play of top players by isolating only on the kitchen. It comes from Poach PB and is called Pickleball Kitchen View.

The first thing you will notice is how little play is missed by not showing the rest of the court. Almost all play occurs in the area between the kitchen lines. Obviously the serve and return and return of serve are hit beyond these lines. But the return of serve is almost always answered with a third-shot drop to allow the serving team to join the other team at the kitchen line. Some other key points to note:

• Once all 4 players are established at the kitchen line, the dinking game ensues. As discussed in the dinking series, many dinks are not just tapped across the net but are targeted to get opponents off-balance or out of position. A couple of examples follow (the red arrow shows the position of the ball).

The Basic Volley

Let’s start with a definition. A volley is a shot where the ball is struck before it bounces. While a volley can be struck anywhere on the court, it becomes an offensive weapon from the kitchen line. That is the shot that will be discussed here.

First, we need to review the preparation for a volley by revisiting the discussion on The Ready Position at the Kitchen Line. When at the kitchen line, you must be prepared for a fast shot and quick movement in any direction. That means having your feet shoulder-width, knees slightly bent and the paddle held up and in front with the face parallel to the net. The following Norm Davis video called Pickleball volleying reviews the positioning for a volley. 

Dinking Drills

Drilling is the best method to master any skill. Dinking is a skill that must be mastered and is easily learned in a 2-person, 3-person, or 4-person drill. While drills can be tedious and boring, some of these are easily turned into games that make learning a lot more fun.

Drill 1 for 2 players

The 2-person drills range from simple to complex. The simplest is to have the players stand across the net from each other and hit dinks back and forth as shown in Diagram 1 below. Try landing your dink 3 feet from the net. Start by hitting directly at your partner and then vary the direction to his left and right. Remember the objective is to keep the ball in the kitchen area.

Diagram 1