Unlock New Angles With This Shot

WEEK 35

Welcome back to the Road to Pro!

Each week, I answer one of your questions, give you one advanced tip, and walk you through one helpful drill. Here’s what I’ve got for you this week:

• Question: How to hit an Erne and what to look for?

• Tip: Take advantage of your unique shots

• Drill: Put the Erne to practical use

This week Aaron 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

Unlock New Angles

Answer: The Erne is a really fun shot that can surprise your opponents and be a strategic shot in the middle of a game. For those of you who don’t know what an Erne is, it’s when a player jumps or steps over the kitchen and makes contact with the ball over the non-volley zone. If you can master the Erne, it can give you an edge that opens up new angles of the court to attack, and it also adds an element of surprise.

Here are a few things to watch for when you're thinking about pulling off an Erne:

1. Watch your opponent's paddle face

   Take a look at how your opponent is holding their paddle. If the face of the paddle is angled toward your sideline, they're probably about to send the ball that way. This usually means that their shot will be close enough to the sideline for you to jump over the kitchen and make contact with the ball mid-air.

2. Look at their hips

   Body language will tell you a lot. If your opponent’s hips are turned facing the sideline as they are hitting the ball, it’s going to be difficult for them to hit the ball cross-court from that position. That usually means they’ll be going straight down the line with their shot, which could create a great opportunity for you to hit an Erne.

3. When you're being targeted

   If you are the weaker player on your team, your opponents will target you a lot. But, you can use this to your advantage! If both opponents are aiming only for you, start moving over towards your sideline. This gives your partner room to step in and relieve some pressure off of you. It’ll also shrink the portion of the court your opponents are aiming to as they’re trying to keep it away from your partner, so they are more likely to hit one close enough to the sideline for you to hit an Erne.

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For those of you just starting to hit Ernes, try stepping around the kitchen and keep your paddle extended into the non-volley zone. This movement doesn’t take a lot of effort, and you can start to get the feel for it. The thing you need to be aware of here is that simply stepping over the kitchen takes more time. So, you need to anticipate that shot and start to move a bit earlier than if you were to quickly jump over the kitchen.

Once you’re more of an advanced player, the games you play will be faster paced, so you’ll need to move quicker in order to hit an Erne. The best way to catch your opponents off guard and hit an effective Erne is by taking an explosive jump over the kitchen. If you’re a right-handed player, here’s how you do it:

• If you’re on the left side of the court, push off with your left foot so you land outside the court on your right foot. This lets you keep your paddle extended over the kitchen while you’re in the air.

• When you’re on the right side of the court, you’ll still push off with your left foot (see image below). This will allow you to keep your body squared towards the net as long as possible while you use your backhand to hit the Erne.

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Tip of the Week

Sneaky Reach

One of the coolest things about pickleball is how it allows every person to play in their own unique way. Each player can hit different shots depending on how they are built. For example, if you’re a taller player, take advantage of your height in pickleball. You’ve got more reach than others, and that opens up more opportunities for you, especially when it comes to hitting Ernes.

Think about it: you can reach farther into the kitchen than others. So, find out just how far over the kitchen you can reach, and don’t hesitate to take advantage of it. Your opponents might not expect you to go for certain shots because they might forget how far you can reach into the kitchen. It's a sneaky little advantage that's unique to you, so use it!

This means there could be several cross-court shots where you could hit an Erne. With that extra reach, you can jump over the kitchen and still return the ball. Start experimenting with hitting Ernes off of cross-court dinks and see what works best for you.

While this tip is geared towards taller players, every player should think about what kind of unique shots they bring to the table and how you can use them to your advantage.

Drill Highlight

Erne-Thing Is Possible

Here's a fun drill you can do with a partner for you both to start practicing Ernes. Start by standing directly across from each other and begin dinking back and forth. At first, just hit cooperative dinks to get warmed up. After a few of these, designate one player to set up an Erne for the other. The player that’s hitting the Erne can step or jump over the kitchen and practice hitting this shot. The player who’s setting up the Ernes can also practice defending against them. After one player has gotten several reps hitting an Erne, switch roles so the other player can practice the same thing.

Once you've got the basics down, try making it a bit more challenging. Instead of hitting cooperative dinks, make it more competitive by playing out a real point using only dinks. Don't intentionally set each other up for an Erne anymore. Instead, the new goal is to set them up for yourself. To do that, try hitting aggressive dinks to your partner. Move them around the court, aim faster and lower shots at their feet, and wait for them to pop one up. When you see them hit a shot that’s higher and close enough to the sideline, go for the Erne. Your partner should be trying to set themselves up as well. This will mimic what it looks like in a real game so that you and your partner are both ready to use Ernes against your opponents.

Videos You’ll Enjoy

• You can now go watch my most recent video on YouTube called, $1 vs $250 Pickleball Paddle Competition. Enjoy!

• Go take a look at Cracked Pickleball’s recent video where we give you 3 Easy Strategies To Stop Losing Pickleball Matches!

• If you want another chance at a new paddle, go enter my current giveaway on Instagram and Facebook!

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