ALL LEVELS by COLLIN JOHNS
L Left-Handed Advantage
Lefties are among the most irksome and awkward opponents to face, and it often feels like everything is frustratingly backward when you come up against them. The good news is they are far more fun to play with than against. If you are lucky enough to be a lefty or have a left-handed partner, you want to maximize this enormous advantage by employing a specific strategy to increase the strength of the team unit. Efficient teamwork is important for any partnership, but it can be made even smoother by getting full use out of having a lefty.
Assuming most players know what stacking is and how to do it( position each team member on one specific side on every point), we will dig into why stacking the lefty on the right side gives your team a big advantage in a variety of ways.
Double the reach when covering the center.
As players rise to a higher level, they become aware that the most commonly hit attack is the one through the middle. But even when a hole is opened in the middle as one player is pulled wide, it becomes doubly difficult for the opponents to sneak an attack through the center with the player’ s partner covering the extra space with the added reach of a forehand.
Poaches in transition can be made with the forehand from either side.
This is especially effective during a shake-andbake combination( third shot drive followed by fifth shot poach) when you are attempting to apply maximum pressure on your opponents by setting up your partner to intercept the opponent’ s reply to your drive. The added reach and power supplied by a forehand coming across the court is a significant advantage when poaching.
TYLER LOONG IS WIDELY CONSIDERED THE BEST LEFT‐HANDED PICKLEBALL PLAYER IN THE PRO GAME.
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