The Around the Post Shot

Some shots just slip under the radar...

The very first sentence of the very first section of the pickleball rule book states:

Pickleball is a simple paddle game played using a special perforated, slow-moving ball over a tennis-type net on a badminton-sized court.

Did you notice the "over a tennis-type net" phrase? Maybe that is the source of confusion about the legality of one of the most indefensible shots in pickleball - the around the post shot.

The rule book clarifies the legality with rule 12.K:

12.K. Shots Around the Net Post. If a ball hit at an angle bounces in the court and travels beyond the sidelines, a player may return the ball around the outside of the net post. The ball does not need to travel back over the net. In addition, there is no restriction on the height of the return. For example, a player may return the ball around the net post below the height of the net.

Let's look at some examples of the shot. The first is a Pickleball Channel video called Unique Around the Post Shot - Captured in Slow-Mo!.

The second is also a Pickleball Channel video called Amazing (and Legal) Around the Net Post Winner.

The third is yet another from the Pickleball Channel and shows that the show is not impossible to defend.  It is called US Open Pickleball - Multi-Camera Breakdown of an Around the Net Post Shot with Spectacular Return.

Tomorrow, we will talk about some of the techniques of hitting the shot.