The Reality of "Paddle Up"

Reality is humbling...

We learned yesterday that Sarah Ansboury's "paddle up" technique is rarely used by the top pros - in a video from Mark Renneson. What Mark's video missed was whether Sarah herself uses the technique. Again, the reality might surprise you.

I reviewed some recent matches that Sarah played and found that she almost exclusively dropped her paddle to waist level and often to her side. The photos below show her typical positioning while waiting for her opponents' shot.

Sarah (lower left) in February's President's Cup

Sarah (upper) in April's US Open

Please do not interpret my pointing out Sarah's "reality" as criticism. Obviously, she is both a great player and a great instructor. She has the talent to use a technique that she has identified as a "deadly mistake" and still win against the best has. My intent is to highlight 2 other points that were made in previous post titles. 

• First, Sarah seems sincere in her videos when she teaches that the paddle up technique is the best position for everyone...even for her. But she also stated that dropping the paddle is "A Hard Habit to Break". In her latest tournament, she has not overcome the habit.
• Second, Sarah's style, as well as the other players' styles exposed by Mark, answer the question "Are Pros Different?" with a definitive "Yes".

We will talk more tomorrow about what this learning means to us.