NON-VOLLEY ZONE LINE
the farther away from it you are, you see less of the court and more of the net.
Benefit # 3: Finally, when you’ re at the non-volley zone along with your partner, you can literally create a wall, which gives your opponents very few options for winning angles.
THREE COMMON MISTAKES There are three common mistakes I see players make when they are at the non-volley zone line.
Mistake # 1: The first mistake is that they never actually get to the non-volley zone. They are about 2 to 3 feet away from that kitchen line, but they think they are much closer than that.
Mistake # 2: The second mistake I often see people do is that they get to the line and then they back up to take a shot but they never move forward again.
Mistake # 3: The third mistake is that people get to the line, but they’ re not quite conscious about where their feet are and they often will foot fault.
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THREE BENEFITS TO BEING AT THE NON-VOLLEY ZONE LINE
I’ m going to share with you three good reasons why you should be at the non-volley zone line.
Benefit # 1: First of all, being close to the net gives you an opportunity to hit the ball downward, which is a winning angle. Benefit # 2: The closer to the non-volley zone you are, the more options you have to see the entire court of your opponent. This gives you more options of where to place the ball. However,
Rusty: In summary, being at the non-volley zone line is an important part of a winning game. So, exercise the benefits of getting up there and staying there, but watch out for the three common mistakes people make which often result in losing the point.
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 visual examples of the benefits and mistakes at the non-volley zone line, visit Pickleball Channel online. And consider becoming a subscriber of Pickleball Channel for free to receive weekly pickleball videos just like this one by going to http:// www. pickleballchannel. com / subscribe.
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. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 | MAGAZINE 27