Why is it important to watch the shoulders of your opponents?

One thing I hear over & over is how “relaxed” I look on the court.

Sure, part of it is just my personality — and a good ability to look like I don’t have the butterflies, even when I do.  But another important factor is that, most of the time, I have anticipated my opponent’s hit two, or even three shots ahead, rather than simply reacting to the shot they just hit.

Think about it: If you don’t know where your opponent’s ball is going until AFTER they hit it, you’ve only got milliseconds to react and respond. 

Whereas the further in advance you know (or can make a strong prediction) about what direction they are going to hit the ball, the more time you have to prepare, get in position, and plan YOUR next shot.

In this article, my hope is to give you at least an extra second of time to prepare for your shot.

Whether you’re a beginning player or an experienced tournament player, having even just this short amount of extra time is likely to have your opponents ooh-ing & ahh-ing over your “quick response times” when, secretly, you know that you were getting ready before they even hit their shot.

Here is best tip for how to “see into the future” and predict your opponent’s shot…

Look at their Leading Shoulder

There are other parts of the body (such as the foot and the wrist) that provide a “tell” as to where the ball is going to go, however for the majority of players, the majority of the time, the only thing you need to pay attention to is where their leading shoulder is pointing, and that will tell you where the ball is going.

What is a “Leading Shoulder”?

The leading shoulder is the shoulder on the opposite side of where they are hitting the ball. For right-handed players, the leading shoulder on a forehand is their left shoulder.  On the backhand, it’s their right shoulder.

For left-handed players, the leading shoulder is their right shoulder on a forehand and the left shoulder on the backhand.

What does the Leading Shoulder tell you?

The leading shoulder pretty much tells you exactly which direction they are going to hit the ball.  Wherever that shoulder is pointing, is where the ball is most likely going to go.

If the Leading Shoulder is pointing left, get ready for the ball to come to your left side.  If it’s pointing right, get ready for a ball at your right. 

(Even if many good players couldn’t consciously tell you that this is how they know where the ball is going, they probably pick up on it subconsciously.)

In the photo above, the most likely shot that I would hit would go to the near left side of the court.  Do you see why?

Why is This So?

It has to do with the mechanics of the arm and shoulder.  Once you are in position & your shoulder is planted, that’s virtually the only shot you can hit if your wrist is firm & in line with your forearm.

Does This Really Apply to EVERYONE?

As I said at the beginning, this is true for the majority of players, the majority of the time.

Chances are that anyone who is coming from a tennis, baseball golf, football, volleyball or basketball background is going to keep their wrist firm at the point of impact  and their shoulder positioning will be a perfectly reliable indicator.

The smaller percentage of pickleball players who come from a table tennis, badminton, racketball, squash or cricket background are the ones who are more likely to be able to disguise their shots by throwing in a wrist movement at the point of contact.

But again, that is for a minority of their shots. Looking at their shoulder should still give you a head’s up on the majority of their shots.

(BTW: There ARE other body mechanic “tells” for how predict where a wristy player is going to hit the ball, but that is highly advanced (I only know because of my background as a silver medalist in the French National Table Tennis Tournament) and I could tell you, but then you can guess what might have to happen afterwards…) Just kidding! 

So give it a try next time you’re on the court.

Sacrifice a point or two (or heck, a whole game!) for the sake of paying extra close attention to your opponent’s leading shoulder & then seeing for yourself how that predicts where their shot is going to go.

Once you get used to reading this valuable clue, you too, will be able to predict the future.  

Those pesky tennis players with such beautiful ball control, smooth strokes, good footwork and tricky spin… Do you ask yourself, “How ever do I play against them?” When you diagnose the problem, it’s quite simple actually, once you know these two secrets.

Secret #1: Wait until the ball is past the top of the arch and almost to the second bounce.   

This is similar to the strategy I talk about in my article, The 4 Secrets to Getting Your Dropshot to Go Where You Want (And Not Where You Don’t) in regard to how to hit a good drop shot.

In fact, I’m even going to use the same rough diagram.

If you hit the ball in the course of it’s arch between the blue & the red arrows, it will still have a strong spin on it, and it is likely to fly wildly out of your control.  But as the ball reaches the apex of the bounce, the spin has drastically diminished and you’ll have a MUCH better chance of hitting a decent shot back.  Also, the longer you wait (the closer you take it to the yellow arrow) the more control you will have over your shot.

Secret #2: Expect the Ball to Bounce Higher or Lower Based on How They Hit It

You don’t need to know a lot about HOW they hit their topspin shot or their slice shot, but you should know what to expect from the ball based on how they hit it.

If your tennis player opponent has not read my article The Top 3 Reasons You MUST Play at The No-Volley Line + 2 Lies You Tell Yourself When You’re There then chances are they are back in no-man’s land or at the back of the court, rather than playing up at the line.

Watch the motion of their paddle.

If they hit a top-spin shot, where their paddle moves from low to high over the ball, then you can expect the ball to bounce higher than normal.

Here’s a slow motion video example of a tennis player hitting a top-spin shot.   Look for the low-to-high motion.

If they move their paddle from high to low and hit the ball at a downward & cross-the-body angle, then they are hitting a slice shot, and the ball is likely to bounce lower than normal.

Here’s a video example of how a tennis player is taught to hit a slice shot.

Don’t pay attention to the fact that he finished with his racket back up by his other ear, but pay attention to the high-to-low motion of the racket as he hits the ball.

Just having that extra half-second head’s up to know whether to expect the ball to bounce lower or higher than normal, and then to wait that extra half second until the ball reaches (at least) the top of the arch will improve 80% of the shots you hit against someone who spins the ball.

So give it a try & let me know how it goes.

Prem Carnot offers clinics, lessons & video analysis for pickleball players of all levels & especially for players of other racket sports who are new to the game. For FREE monthly pickleball tips & to find out what strategy the 2012 National Champion used to make his highly-skilled opponent look like a newbie (that you can use the next time you’re out on the court), go to www.ThePickleballGuru.com/usa

If you want to improve your game (and not just keep beating the same people you always beat) you HAVE to get up to the kitchen and play from right behind the no-volley line.

You life-long tennis players — Yes, I’m talking to you!

You’re not playing tennis anymore, and although the racket-skills you developed in tennis will serve you well, the physics of a pickleball game are simply different.

You. Must. Get. To. The. (No-Volley) Line.

Not ON the line, of course, but RIGHT BEHIND it.  I mean, plant your feet 1-2″ from the line and don’t move back.  Move side to side as needed.  Step one foot into the kitchen to take a ball on the bounce, but play from RIGHT BEHIND the line.

Reason #1: You Can Hit the Ball DOWN

First of all, a pickleball will never bounce as high as a tennis ball, and will rarely bounce as high as the net, so anytime you take it off the bounce, you’ll have to add some loft to your return shot and effectively hit the ball on an upward trajectory.

In pickleball, if the ball is going at an upward angle after it crosses the net, this is always bad news.  This is true at the the net, of course.  But the farther back you move from the line, the more likely you are to have to hit the ball at an upward angle.  (Until eventually, you’re forced to either lob or hit a drop shot and in case you missed that article, here’s why lobbing isn’t a great strategy.)

Because any shot you hit when you are not up at the line is either a defensive shot or is likely to go into the net.

Reason #2: You Drastically Reduce Your Opponents’ Options (And Have Less Court to Cover)

Here’s another tidbit to chew on:

Because a pickleball court is only 20′ wide, a doubles team at the net can effectively cover 50% of the court without moving an inch side to side (assuming even just a 5′ wing span for each player).  As you may know, in tennis, you can barely cover 25% of the net, so it makes sense to stay back and move laterally to cover the court, plus you have time after the ball bounces to get to where it’s going to be.

In pickleball, though, you don’t NEED to move back to cover the court and in fact, the farther back you are, the more angles you open up, unnecessarily giving your opponent many more options to play against you.

Reason #3: It Puts You On the Offensive

Why run around trying to get balls your opponent his past you when you can stay at the net and practically force them to hit a great shot or hit the ball right to you?

It’s a rare shot in tennis when a player can smash the ball down on the other side, or even at their opponent’s feet.  But this is the bread & butter of a winning pickleball game. (Assuming, of course, your opponent doesn’t make an unforced error first.)

The farther you move back from the net, the less of a view you have of the other side of the court.

That means the less likely it is you can hit a smash at your opponent’s feet when they pop the ball up.  Instead, you’ll have to wait to hit a less offensive shot off the bounce.  (And if you’re like a lot of tennis players, you’ll try for what amounts to a line drive, and swear under your breath as the ball hits the top (or even the middle) of the net.

The farther you are from the no-volley line, the easier it is for your opponent to drop a ball very short.

If you’re not very mobile, then you probably just lost the point.  If you ARE quick on your feed, then you’ll probably race in to get the ball.  But chances are, you will lose control of your shot & hit it up into your opponent’s wheelhouse, where you’ll give them a great put-away shot and if they have even a 20% clue about how to play the game, they will smash the ball at your feet.

End of point.

All because you chose to hang back instead of play up at the line.

I’m not saying you can’t run around like a headless chicken, make amazing defensive shots and potentially, eventually win the point.  I’m just saying it’s not particularly “smart” pickleball and you’ll never take control of the point when you’re hitting from mid-court or behind.

For those (few) of you who have speed to use instead of smarts, more power to you.  Many a singles player has gone far (and won national medals) on speed alone.  But doubles is a different game.

I Bet You’re Telling One of These Two Lies To Yourself  About Playing at The Line

Now, many players, have at least some sense that they should get to the line, so they head that way.  But they make 1 of 2 mistakes.

Lie #1:  I am “at the line” if I am within 36″ of the line.

No way, jose! Plant your feet about 2″ from the line, and get in the habit of never stepping forward except to hit a ball off the bounce in the kitchen, and then quickly stepping back out.  (Drill on that so you don’t get called on foot-faults, or worse, NOT get called on them & marvel at the excellent shots you’re hitting, only to find out in a tournament that they weren’t actually so legal as you thought.  At the most, you might step back 8″ or so to take a ball before it bounces, but being 2′ from the line is NOT considered playing at the line.

Lie #2: Getting up to the line at all is the same as staying at the line.

I always tell my students, never, ever, ever back up from the line to take a ball.  Because once you back up, it’s hard to come back, and it’s more likely your opponent will just keep hitting them at your feet to push you back from the line, shot by shot.

Instead, take the ball in the air.  Many people think that if they are standing at the kitchen line and the ball is bouncing at or near their feet, they HAVE to back up to take it off the bounce.  In fact, this is just because they are taking the ball later than they should be.  If the ball is going to bounce at your feet, then the trajectory is such that you probably could have taken it in the air.

The diagram above is relatively conservative.  Often the ball will be even closer to your body if you are right up at the kitchen line, so again, this is something you’ll have to drill on, but get in the habit of taking the ball in the air instead of backing up from the kitchen line.

So does that all make sense to you?  Any questions?  Comments?  Hypothetical situations?

Hit “Like” and then Post your comments at the bottom of this page.