be more aggressive roll volleys . The difference between the bump or roll will depend on where our opponents are standing and what we ’ re trying to accomplish . We use soft bump volleys to be safe , create angles and to take time away from our opponents . We use low roll volleys to keep our opponents pinned back at the service line and to attack our opponents when they are at the non-volley line with us .
Rolling to keep opponents back
The first occasion to use a roll volley is generally the fourth shot of the point for the returning team ( i . e ., after a serve , return and third shot drop ). If the serving team hits a deep third shot drop , and if you ’ re close to the non-volley line , you might be in a situation to hit a fourth shot roll volley . The purpose of this shot would be to keep the serving team back deep so that they are forced to hit a fifth shot drop . Again , if things go well , the returning team might be able to hold the non-volley line for the entire point — not allowing the serving team to make their way up to the net .
Attacking opponents at the non-volley line
The second time we use the roll volley is attacking our opponents when all four players are dinking at the nonvolley line . When choosing my target , I generally aim at the paddle shoulder of the person in front of me .
If I ’ m leaning 2 feet over the non-volley line with my paddle out , the opponent in front of me has 11 or 12 feet to react after I strike the ball . If I decided to hit a roll volley crosscourt , my other opponent would have as much as 16-18 feet to react to my roll volley . That ’ s way too much time , so straight in front is always going to be the target .
Next , I ’ m aiming at the paddle shoulder because that ’ s the toughest area to defend against . If you think about it , our backhand volley can cover most of our body , whereas our forehands can cover a very limited space . The paddle shoulder is the most difficult place to cover for players using a continental grip , so that ’ s where we aim the majority of the time .
When hitting a roll volley at the person in front of you , do not crush the ball . You want to hit just hard enough so that if your opponent moves out of the way , your roll will still land in bounds . Work on placement and a firm pace and you ’ ll quickly develop good roll volleys .
How do we hit the forehand roll volley ?
Staying close to the non-volley line , we set up with our paddle extended out using a neutral continental grip . Next , as the ball comes toward you , simultaneously bend your knees ( not your back ), pronate your wrist back , and open up your palm so that the butt cap of the paddle is pointing toward your upper chest . Remember to get your knees low so you can get under the ball .
For forehands , my wrist generally remains in front of my body or directly on the side of my right leg . I rarely take the paddle back much farther than that . From there , you can impart a topspin or a top-side spin depending on your follow-through . I tend to push up and out for about 3 feet and then roll my wrist over as if I ’ m hitting a top-side spin . Throughout the shot , my wrist remains pronated back . If I ’ m hitting all topspin , then I maintain a pronated wrist through the shot and follow through toward my target . Personally , I hit a lot of top-side spin forehands and mostly topspin-only backhand roll shots . A word of caution If your opponents are dropping from deep in the court and lack great speed , it is safe to lift high roll volleys making sure to clear the net . If your opponents are in the middle of the court , be careful with high roll volleys because they might have time to close in and attack your roll shot out of the air . If they hit a good drop and are moving in , sometimes it ’ s safest to respect that and just bump a soft volley back into the non-volley zone .
Roll Volley Intermediate Drill
Have a friend stand on one non-volley line , with you on the other . Place a paddle sideways on the ground in front of the non-volley line in your zone . Have your friend toss the ball — trying to land it on the paddle . Your goal is to protect that paddle by guarding any fly ball from hitting it . As the ball approaches the paddle , bend your knees , pronate your wrist and hit up on the ball with a brushing motion . Don ’ t swing so hard that the ball goes long . At the same time , make sure you clear the net every time .
If your friend can toss accurately , have them take a big step back from their non-volley line and toss from there . If still accurate , have your friend take another step back and toss again . Seeing the balls from different distances will help you learn to judge roll shots better .
Once you learn to roll those below-the-net balls consistently , you can become a much more aggressive player and a threat on the court . •
Lisa Dollard is a Director for LevelUp Pickleball Camps and a 5.0 women ’ s doubles and 5.0 mixed doubles US Open champion .
MARCH / APRIL 2023 | MAGAZINE 21