The Most Important Position in Pickleball

Author

Shea Underwood
September 01, 2024

WEEK 31

Welcome back to the Road to Pro!

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week:

  • How to switch from defense to offense in midcourt

  • A tip for singles play

  • A drill to help you effectively transition to the kitchen

This week Eli asked our featured question, so I’ll be sending him a new Selkirk paddle! If you want a chance to win a paddle, click on the button below to submit your pickleball questions. Anyone whose question is featured in my newsletter will automatically win a new paddle!

Now let’s get to it!

Q&A Spotlight

Breaking Midcourt

What is the best way to transition from a defensive position into an offensive position? Would this be different for doubles and singles?

Eli

Answer: There are many different scenarios in a pickleball game where you find yourself on defense. However, this week I’m going over one specific spot: midcourt. This is naturally a defensive spot because it exposes you to aggressive plays from opponents positioned at the kitchen line, who will likely aim their shots at your feet.

When positioned in midcourt, your goal is not necessarily to attempt to score. If it happens, great! But typically, you’re in too much of a vulnerable position to hit an attacking shot and score a point. So your primary focus is to remain strong in a defensive position in order to transition to offense. The strategy here is to reset the ball to the kitchen and look for an opportunity to move up towards the kitchen line. Your resets don’t even have to be perfect; just keep the ball in play until you can make it to the kitchen and regain control over your side of the court.

An easy way to be ready for the attacking shots you receive when in midcourt is to keep your paddle lower to the ground. Your opponents are going to aim for your feet, so by lowering your paddle to this area, you won’t have to move as far a distance to get to the ball. Another advantage of this is that when your paddle is lower, you can easily decipher any shots your opponent hits out. If you’re at midcourt and your paddle is higher, you know that if an opponent drives a ball that travels at or above your paddle height, it’s going out of bounds.

Keep your paddle lower to the ground

In the tip section below, I give you a strategy for when you’re in a defensive position in singles.

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Tip of the Week

Singles Defense

Another challenging defensive situation arises when your opponent attempts to push you wide off the court. This happens in both doubles and singles. However, since you have more court to cover in singles, you need a different strategy for aiming your shots than if you were playing doubles. If your opponent hits an aggressive shot that pushes you to the side, it’s important not to hit a cross-court shot directly after. If you’re off to one side and you hit a cross-court shot, you leave most of the court open for your opponent to hit to. This gives them so many options, including an easy shot down the line that would be difficult for you to get to while you’re still recovering from the previous shot.

Instead, the smarter play is to send your returning shot into the kitchen more towards the center of the court or directly down the line. This move limits the angles your opponent can use, giving you more time to recover and position yourself well for the next shot.

Drill Highlight

Midcourt Mayhem

This drill will help you master the art of resets from midcourt so that you can move to an offensive position. Start by positioning yourself at midcourt with your drilling partner at the kitchen line on the other side of the court directly in front of you. Using only half the court (skinny singles style), your partner at the kitchen line starts by hitting a really aggressive overhead to your feet while you’re at midcourt. Reset the ball into the kitchen while your partner continues to hit aggressive, attacking shots.

Look for opportunities to advance towards the kitchen line as you continue to reset the ball. If you make it to the kitchen, continue to play out the point until someone wins the rally (still using only half the court). Whoever wins the rally will start the next one at midcourt with the opportunity to then win a point. The goal of the drill is to be the first to get 3 points, but you can only get a point if you’re in the midcourt position.

This kind of practice forces the midcourt player to react quickly to shots, keep their paddle low, and hone their defensive skills under pressure. With this drill you can become more accustomed to transitioning from defense to offense.

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