Welcome, Gurunation!
In this quick tip video & post we’re going to talk about how to know when to return a hard ball hard or soft in pickleball…
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I often suggest that you hit the ball hard when you want to keep your opponents at the back and on the defense. So when you are receiving a hard shot, it’s the same thing. If they are hitting to you from the back of the court, keep hitting the ball hard at them. This will help you keep them on the back line and on on the defense.
When your opponents are UP at the non-volley line though, and hitting the ball hard at you, this is when you want to return with a soft shot. This is the case when it’s time for you to soften that ball so that you can actually take control of the point.
So remember, hit a hard ball hard when your opponents are back and soft when they’re up front.
Understanding this as a strategy is the first step. Learning to execute and implement it, will make a tremendous difference in your pickleball game. Admittedly, learning to soften a hard shot can be a little tricky, but like I said, it will have a really powerful impact on your game, so make sure you get out on the court and practice converting a hard ball to a soft one.
Warmly,
Did you miss my last post? Check it out here: The Pickleball Serve: What’s The Most Effective One?
Great tip as always Prem. It is nice to see that Pickleball is gaining more popularity because of people like you. Most of my readers are beginners in pickleball. Is your masterclass training program also applicable for beginners?
Hi Pierre,
Absolutely beginners can work on it too
Your ideas and suggestions are always helpful but I wish you could include a video showing your tips.
Thanks so much for taking the time to post your comment! I wish I could, too! My wife, Wendy does all the technical side and logistically, between my teaching schedule and our two young kids, it just isn’t feasible for invest the considerable extra time it would take to include the on court shots and demos for all our free videos. If you haven’t already checked out my Dropshot Masterclass, it is my premium video training program, and we did include examples and such for those videos. If you want more info, you can check it out at http://www.DropshotMasterclass.com
Again, I am sorry, too, that I can’t offer more but I will definitely keep your request in mind as we plan our future content and I do really appreciate you taking the time to post. 🙂
Warmly, Prem
In addition to keeping your opponent back, I always thought that you hit the ball hard when it’s above your waist, chest or head; meaning when you can hit down on the ball at an angle over the net?
Likewise I though that you hit the ball softly over the net when the ball comes to you below your waist or especially at your feet or the 3rd shot?
Thanks for your question, Henry. You are correct in that if you can get an excellent, sharp downward angle you have an opportunity to hit the ball hard, but even then, I don’t necessarily suggest that you do it 100% of the time that you have an opening. Often, you will set yourself up better by waiting one more shot, hitting the ball softer and placing it well so you move your opponents out of position.
Also, to clarify, I do not recommend hitting the ball hard when it is at waist height. that falls into the 50/50 probability of who is going to win the point, and when the ball is at waist height, I recommend slowing it down to get a higher ball the next time. As the ball gets to high chest height or head height, you are definitely in a good position to hit it harder, but again, I recommend being the crouching tiger and really setting yourself up for the right shot rather than just uniformly hitting ever high ball hard.
Hope that’s helpful. 🙂 Prem
I noticed on the Ernie shot after watching Weinbach he walked through the kitchen and gets ready for the return. So it is okay to stroll through the kitchen but at the time contact is made with the ball both feet are outside the sideline?
Absolutely