Tipbit #41 – Depth is Crucial
A week ago today RFPBA member Pat Abair and I were sitting on the chairs at Greenwood discussing the Texas PPA Lapiplasty Pickleball Tournament. Pat stated that what he had both observed and heard from the commentators was just how crucial depth was in both your serve and return. In fact, I’d argue that having a deep serve and return are the two most important shots in pickleball. In this tipbit I’ll be focusing on your return of serve.
The major risk of a weak and short return is that it allows aggressive “bash and crash” teams to thrive. It allows them to drive their third shot from well inside the court leaving you vulnerable to their aggressive shot. Bash and crash teams feed off rhythm and confidence, and your weak and short returns fuel both, leading to multi-point runs that often decide a game.
The best return strategy in pickleball is to keep your opponents pinned to the baseline, forcing them to make the first error. Your goal should be to make a consistent return, regardless of the quality of your opponents' serve, and use it to maintain your initial court position advantage (they must wait until the ball bounces twice). But, your weak short return, gives your opponent unlimited options on their third shot, opening up both cross-court and down-the-line passing shots, allows them to go directly at your partner with a body shot or the option to drop the ball much more consistently. Remember, it’s much more difficult for your opponents to consistently hit winning drives and third-shot drops from deep in their own court.
Plus, a good deep return buys you time to advance to the NVZ line, establish a strong defensive ready position, enables you to read their shot and sets the stage for a successful rally. If you consistently have to stay back after your return, that allows your opponent to take the NVZ line and places the pressure on you.
So, the next time you’re playing at Greenwood, understand that Depth is Crucial and focus on deepening your return. Remember that a successful service return begins with a solid ready position. Position yourself behind the baseline, plant your feet shoulder-width apart, slightly bend your knees, use quick, small steps to adjust your position and move forward into your return! Last Saturday I was watching my grandson Brodie and saw him hesitate slightly after striking his return to see if it was going to land in. Be moving forward toward the ball as you strike it and keep that forward momentum until your opponents are about to strike your return; then split step. With this forward momentum you'll hopefully be at or very near the NVZ.