LEAVE SOME OF THE COURT OPEN
To recap, if the ball is on the left side of the court, one
player covers the line and the other partner covers the
middle. But who is covering the right side of the court?
We’re able to leave the right side (about a third of the
court) open. If our opponents hit the ball to that side
of the court, they can either hit it hard or soft. If they
hit the ball hard, it will go out. If your opponents hit a
good cross-court dink to the right side of the court, my
partner will be able to take one or two steps over and
easily get to the ball—as it will be traveling slowly.
WHEN THE BACKHAND IS THE BETTER SHOT
Assuming you’re both right-handed players, when you
and your partner hit the ball to the left side of the court,
the person on the left will cover the line and the person
on the right will cover the middle. This means that the
person on the right will be covering the middle with his/
her backhand. The person on the left will need to be
focused on the line and stand quite close to it, as that will
be his/her backhand.
MORE REACH WITH FOREHAND VS. BACKHAND
Stand facing the net and put your paddle in your right
hand. Move the paddle to the left side of your body like
you’re hitting a backhand. Think about how far you can
reach. Now move your paddle into your left hand and
see how much farther your paddle will reach. You have
much more reach with a forehand than you do with
a backhand. Keep this in mind when you’re deciding
where to stand on the court.
If you’re covering the line on the left side, hold your
paddle out like you were going to hit a backhand. If
you can reach the balls that are coming down the line,
you’re standing in the right place. If you’re on the right
side of the court and covering the line, reach out with
your forehand. On this side you’ll be able to stand a little
farther away from the sideline and still reach the balls
that come down the line.
Keep this in mind when the balls are coming between
you and your partner as well. The person who is on
the right side of the court has less reach (backhand), so
the person on the left will be able to reach more than
halfway to his/her partner (see diagram 1). If you both
put your paddles in your playing hand and reach out
toward each other like you’re going to hit a ball, you’ll be
able to check that you’re standing a good distance apart.
The tips of your paddles should reach but not cross.
TAKING YOUR PARTNER’S SHOT
It’s extremely common for the wrong player to hit
the ball. One frequent error is when a ball comes above
the net halfway between you and your partner, and the
player on the right hits the ball with his/her backhand.
The player on the left would have had a much better
shot with a forehand. Taking your partner’s shot can also
leave you and/or your partner out of position.
WHEN YOUR PARTNER GETS MOVED OFF
THE COURT
It’s important to pay attention to where your partner
is on the court. If your opponents hit a great shot and
your partner ends up off the side of the court, you’ll have
to keep following the ball over toward your partner and
cover more of the center of the court.
PLAYING WITH A LEFTY
If you’re playing with a lefty, the only thing that
changes is the distance between you and your partner.
You have a lot more reach on your forehand side than
you do with your backhand. When you’re playing with
a lefty, you’ll either have both of your forehands in the
middle or both of your backhands. When you both have
your forehands in the middle, you’ll probably find it
quite easy to get the balls in the middle as you have a
lot more reach. You may be able to stand a little farther
apart. When both of your backhands are in the middle,
you have a lot less reach so you’ll want to pinch in closer
together to avoid balls passing you down the middle.
WHEN YOUR PARTNER DOESN’T MOVE
After you learn how to move correctly on the court,
it can become frustrating if your partner does not
understand this strategy. There are a few things you can
do—explain the moving philosophy and give him/her this
article, deal with it, or find a new partner!
COMMUNICATION
Finally, communication is key. It’s important to talk to
your partner, especially when the balls are hit down the
middle of your team. This starts with the third shot and
continues until the point ends. Be sure to say “me” or
“you” as soon as you see the ball heading down the middle
so that you and your partner can remain on the same page
when executing all shots. •
Lucy Kitcher is a professional pickleball player and instructor
and runs affordable all-inclusive pickleball trips. You can find
her at ZeroZeroStay.com. She represents GAMMA Pickleball,
SofiBella and KITCH. A 5.5-level player, she’s won numerous
medals in Women’s and Mixed events, including Nationals, US
Open, Great Lakes Regional, Great Plains Regional, GAMMA
Classic and the So Cal Summer Classic.
JUNE/JULY 2020 | MAGAZINE 51