[ Lucy Kitcher on Covering the Net Together ]
Covering
THE NET Together
MOVE WITH YOUR PARTNER
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.”
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.
1
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
Left Side
Left Side
Right 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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