You may have done this once or twice (or dozens, or hundreds!).

You get one of those dinks just high enough, wind up, and crush that poor little pickleball!

Whether you meant to or not, it hit your opponent right in the chest! You immediately put your arm in the air and apologize profusely!

But were you really sorry?

Or maybe the better question is: is it a good idea to apologize for providing your opponent (for free!) a temporary pickleball tattoo?

Like many questions about pickleball, the answer is…it depends!

In a competitive game, with you and three other similarly skilled players, it’s accepted (or at least you may want to be prepared for it!) that there may be a number of shots coming to the body / chest area.

Not only that, you and those three other players may be expecting a fair number of body shots. As your pickleball skills improve, and you play with more skilled players, you’ll see that shots to the body are a strategic component to the game.

Are these body shots rude?

Absolutely NOT!

Should you apologize?

It’s up to you – there’s a lot of pickleball etiquette that varies from court to court (different types of paddle taps, “Sorry!” after you get that lucky dribble off the net for a point), so a quick apology may be the nice thing to do.

And Here’s When Moderation Isn’t Just a Good Thing, It Can Be a GREAT Thing

Some teenagers started playing pickleball at their local high school.

“Grandma! Grandpa! You’ve got to try this! You’re SOOOO going to LOVE it!”

So they try it a few times and come out to your courts for some fun.

You are the local MAPP (Most Awesome Pickleball Player)! Young, athletic, quick – and a good deal of power!

And you play all out!

It’s you and another player against the Grandparents – remember, they haven’t played much, so there’s definitely a skill imbalance!

Of course, you win easily, with a lot of points coming off quite a few body shots at the expense of Grandma and Grandpa.

Because you apologized after these points, everything’s alright!

Not so much…

In situations like this, I absolutely recommend that you moderate your game based on who you are playing against.

Sure – you’ve got plenty of easy winners available to you, but they’re against lesser skilled players – this may be a good time to work on other parts of your game (dinking, moving opponents around on the court, maybe even blocking body shots from Grandma and Grandpa!).

The Grandkids ask Grandma and Grandpa about their recent play at your courts.

“We didn’t like it all! It wasn’t fun! We ran into MR. P! He kept hitting us with the ball!”

“Mr. P? We don’t know him…”

“Most Rude Player.”

So that’s when you may be thinking about going for the body shots, AND when you may want to consider trying something else!

Next month – where on the body you should be aiming for, and how to combat those body shots!

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Last month’s newsletter article was Part 1 of To Drop or Not to Drop!

Yes, I’m a big proponent of developing a good drop shot.

If you’ve ever been to one of my clinics or bootcamps, you probably remember all the drop shots that you did.

In fact, at a recent clinic, one participant mentioned that he probably made more drop shots in one day than, well, ever!

Having a good drop shot in your toolbox will buy yourself some time – time to get to the line, time to get yourself reset for the next shot.

Last month, I recommended NOT using the drop shot when your opponents are back.

In other words: KEEP THEM BACK! Do not give them a reason to come in to their Kitchen line.

Now – two more instances NOT to make a drop shot.

Perhaps This Is an Obvious One…

When returning serve, your partner is (or certainly should be!) already at the line.

And he or she is patiently waiting for you to join him or her!

Which is why I don’t recommend making a drop shot on the return of serve! You want to buy yourself time to join your partner and get set at the line.

If you make a drop shot on the return, you’ve just given your opponents all kinds of time to advance to the line; time you needed to join your partner at the line!

So if I don’t recommend a drop shot, what do I recommend for the return of serve?

Certainly deep, and preferably high!

This will give you plenty of time to join your partner at the line! If it’s really high and really deep, you may also have the time to chat with your partner about what you’ll be having for dinner or the latest Game of Thrones episode!

You and your partner have the advantage of being the only team at the Kitchen – don’t give up that advantage!

A Perspective from the Other Side of the Net

So you served the ball. You expected a deep return. Instead, it came short, about mid-court.

In addition to time, now you’ve got options!

Did the player who returned the serve have time to advance to the Kitchen?

Probably not!

Now, you could try to make a drop into the Kitchen, but because one of your opponents is not at the line, you have the opportunity to drive at him or her, or make an easier shot at his or her feet!

If your opponent was able to join his or her partner at the Kitchen, he or she is probably not set, and you may have the opportunity to drive to the beautiful middle between your opponents!

Plus, a drive from mid-court has a greater chance of success than a drive from the baseline!

Yes, the drop is a shot I encourage you to develop!

And no, I don’t recommend it for every situation!