PICKLEBALL INSTRUCTION
7 ‘HIT TO
THE MIDDLE’
SECRETS
EVERY
PICKLEBALL
PLAYER
SHOULD
KNOW
(PLUS Skill LevelSpecific Targets for
Players of All Levels)
I
f you’ve been playing pickleball for any
length of time, you’ve probably been
told by some player to “hit to the middle.”
Hitting down the middle is often
an excellent strategy, but it’s also
frequently misunderstood and incorrectly
implemented.
First, let’s talk about WHY it is a good
idea to hit to the middle in general.
#1) Hit to the Middle Because the
Net is Lower There
Basically, you’ve got three options: hit
in front of you, hit to the middle, or hit
cross-court.
As long as you are hitting to the
middle, you’ll still be able to take
advantage of the fact that the net is up to
a full 2” lower in the middle, which means
8
you’re less likely to hit the ball into the
net. And that is always a good thing.
#2) Hit to the Middle Because it
Takes the Angle Off
There’s a time and a place for sharp
cross-court dinks or sharp angles down
the sideline, but unless you are VERY
accurate and can end the point with your
sharp angle, most of the time hitting a
sharp angle just leaves your partner’s
sideline wide open for your opponent to
take advantage.
When you hit to the middle, it limits
your opponent’s options and helps you
keep control of the point.
Now, let’s talk about what hitting to
the middle really means…
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#3) Hitting to the Middle Does
NOT Mean Hitting to the Middle
OK, to clarify: maybe when your
frustrated partner grumbles under his/
her breath “Hit to the middle!” they mean
to hit to the middle of the court. But
that’s only because they haven’t learned
this particular nuance.
I’ll say it right now: Don’t hit every
shot to the line in the center of the court.
It’s not that simple because your
shot placement MUST always take into
account where your opponents are.
Well, for some of you, especially those
with more racket sport experience,
this might be obvious; but, for many
players, especially when you are just
starting out or working on a new
skill, you focus so much on hitting a