INTERMEDIATE by WAYNE DOLLARD
Moving in Together
Perhaps the number-one thing separating intermediate and advanced players is the ability to effectively and consistently make it up to the non-volley zone line when serving. Intermediate players struggle approaching the net— successfully making it up 25 to 40 percent of the points. At the advanced levels( 4.0 +), serving teams are very proficient in the use of drop shots and positioning. These players have an 80 to 98 percent success rate in approaching the non-volley line. The key to getting up to the line relies primarily on the serving team’ s ability to move in together.
The first two shots of the pickleball point are generally a formality at the intermediate and advanced levels. For the starting team, get the serve in; for the receiving team, get the return back deep and run up to the non-volley line before the serving team hits the third shot. For intermediate and advanced players, the point truly begins with the third shot.
Most intermediate players do not understand how to work together. Often when one player is hitting a drop shot, we see the partner blindly kamikaze-charging toward the non-volley line. This is one of the trademark mistakes of the intermediate player. Advanced players understand that moving up to the non-volley area requires a consistent plan and teamwork.
As the serving team, we should see our side of the court in three zones: The baseline area is Zone 1, the midcourt transition area is Zone 2, and the non-volley area is Zone 3. Working through the zones as a team takes shot selection, ball placement, observation, and proper movement together, up or back.
Shot Selection
You and your partner need to be on the same page. The first thing you need to know is whether your partner is driving or dropping the third shot. It’ s good to alert partners a second or two in advance so they are more prepared for the next ball coming back. For example, if your partner says,“ I’ m dropping the ball,” you know you have a couple of seconds to evaluate the point. If your partner says,“ I’ m driving,” you know that you need to prepare for the next shot a little sooner.
Ball Placement
At the intermediate level, the third shot drops should normally be hit back at the returner running in. The reason is that intermediate players generally fail to make it all the way up to the non-volley line. In contrast, your opponent’ s partner is already at the line waiting to attack your third shot. So, for 3.0 to 3.9 players, we recommend wide drops to the returner running in.
Observation
Two of the most important things the serving team can do are: 1) recognizing early who will be hitting the third shot, and 2) evaluating the success of the third shot once it is hit. These two observations are extremely important to your success in the final stage— Moving in Together.
Moving in Together
The final stage in approaching the net is how we work our way in as a team. When serving and working your way in, you and your partner should rarely be more than one zone apart from each other.
At the beginning of the point, we are serving and standing in Zone 1. As soon as the return of serve is hit back to a player, the non-hitting partner needs to immediately walk into Zone 2— closely watching and awaiting the success of the partner’ s drop shot or drive. The second or two after the partner hits the third shot, the teammate waiting in Zone 2 has the duty of observing the trajectory of the ball and the positioning of opponents.
If the ball is hit too high and / or the returning player takes the paddle back in an aggressive manner, retreat
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