SOFT RETURN
you might hit it in the middle of the court and too short. That
doesn’t allow you to get up to the kitchen line.
BENEFIT: MORE TIME
BENEFIT: KEEPS YOUR OPPONENT BACK
Gail: As you work on your soft return, focus on getting it
toward the back three feet of the baseline. This will give time
for you to get up to the non-volley zone, and it will keep your
opponent stuck in the back court. It’s always an advantage for
you to be at the non-volley zone while your opponents are back.
You have the whole court in which you can place the ball.
That’s your Pickleball 411 for today. We really hope this has
been helpful. Now there’s only one thing left to do, and that’s
go play! •
To watch the complete video version of this article and
to see the soft return demonstrated live, visit Pickleball
Channel online.
Bob: One benefit of the soft return is that you’ll have more
time to get from the baseline up to the non-volley zone and not
be rushed. You have plenty of time to get up there and be ready
for your next shot.
BENEFIT: SLOWS THE BALL
Bob: Another benefit is that when you hit a soft shot back
to the server again, they’re going to have to use the third-shot
drop. And that becomes very difficult with a ball that has no
pace. Now they have to create their own pace, meaning that
they have to hit the ball very hard versus blocking a shot that’s
just been hit to them.
And consider becoming a subscriber of Pickleball Channel
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by going to pickleballchannel.com/subscribe.
Special thanks to Bob Youngren and Gail Dacey.
Rusty Howes is the Executive Producer and
creator of Pickleball Channel. Rusty worked for the
likes of Warner Bros. and Disney before creating
Pickleball Channel to develop and provide fantastic
professional video content for the pickleball
community. He is deeply involved in promoting the
sport of pickleball at home and across the country.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 |
MAGAZINE
39