Covering
THE NET
Together
BY LUCY KITCHER, TEAM GAMMA 5.0 PRO
MOVE WITH YOUR PARTNER
1
Do you ever find the
ball passing through
openings between
you and your partner?
You’re not alone. This is
a common problem in
pickleball—especially
at intermediate levels.
Keep these tips in mind to improve
your court position—you’ll cover
more ground and close those gaps.
DON’T BE REACTIVE
In a basic sense, everyone moves
to the ball. When the ball comes
toward us, we quickly move toward
it. Then, one of three things
happen—we hit a good shot, we hit
a bad shot, or we might not be able
to get to the ball at all. This is called
being “reactive.”
Left Side
Right Side
As you move from right to left or left to right at the kitchen line, it should look as
though you and your partner are tied together with a 7’ to 8’ rope. When one player
moves to the right, both players move right. And when one player moves to the
left, both players move left.
2
BE PROACTIVE
When you or your partner hit the
ball, you should move to a more
desired court position. After you
move, you might still have to react
to hit the ball, but it will be much
closer to you than if you hadn’t made
a proactive move. By being in the
correct position, you may even force
your opponents to try to make a
more difficult shot. Being proactive
and moving toward the ball as it
approaches should be your goal on
nearly every shot.
18
Left Side
Right Side
If you or your partner hit the ball to the right side of the court, the player on the right
side needs to shift to the right to cover the line. The person on the left will be covering
the middle. If the ball is hit to the left side of the court, the person on the left needs
to shift to the left to cover that line and the person on the right will shift to cover
the middle.
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