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September 8, 2023

Moving in Together

By Wayne Dollard

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Perhaps the number-one thing separating intermediate and advanced players is the ability to effectively and consistently make it up to the non-volley zone line when serving. Intermediate players struggle approaching the net—successfully making it up 25 to 40 percent of the points. At the advanced levels (4.0+), serving teams are very proficient in the use of drop shots and positioning. These players have an 80 to 98 percent success rate in approaching the non-volley line. The key to getting up to the line relies primarily on the serving team’s ability to move in together.

 

The first two shots of the pickleball point are generally a formality at the intermediate and advanced levels. For the starting team, get the serve in; for the receiving team, get the return back deep and run up to the non-volley line before the serving team hits the third shot. For intermediate and advanced players, the point truly begins with the third shot.

 

Most intermediate players do not understand how to work together. Often when one player is hitting a drop shot, we see the partner blindly kamikaze-charging toward the non-volley line. This is one of the trademark mistakes of the intermediate player. Advanced players understand that moving up to the non-volley area requires a consistent plan and teamwork.

 

As the serving team, we should see our side of the court in three zones: The baseline area is Zone 1, the mid-court transition area is Zone 2, and the non-volley area is Zone 3. Working through the zones as a team takes shot selection, ball placement, observation, and proper movement together, up or back.

 

Shot Selection

 

You and your partner need to be on the same page. The first thing you need to know is whether your partner is driving or dropping the third shot. It’s good to alert partners a second or two in advance so they are more prepared for the next ball coming back. For example, if your partner says, “I’m dropping the ball,” you know you have a couple of seconds to evaluate the point. If your partner says, “I’m driving,” you know that you need to prepare for the next shot a little sooner.

 

Ball Placement

 

At the intermediate level, the third shot drops should normally be hit back at the returner running in. The reason is that intermediate players generally fail to make it all the way up to the non-volley line. In contrast, your opponent’s partner is already at the line waiting to attack your third shot. So, for 3.0 to 3.9 players, we recommend wide drops to the returner running in.

 

Observation

 

Two of the most important things the serving team can do are: 1) recognizing early who will be hitting the third shot, and 2) evaluating the success of the third shot once it is hit. These two observations are extremely important to your success in the final stage—Moving in Together.

 

Moving in Together

 

The final stage in approaching the net is how we work our way in as a team. When serving and working your way in, you and your partner should rarely be more than one zone apart from each other.

 

At the beginning of the point, we are serving and standing in Zone 1. As soon as the return of serve is hit back to a player, the non-hitting partner needs to immediately walk into Zone 2—closely watching and awaiting the success of the partner’s drop shot or drive. The second or two after the partner hits the third shot, the teammate waiting in Zone 2 has the duty of observing the trajectory of the ball and the positioning of opponents.

 

If the ball is hit too high and/or the returning player takes the paddle back in an aggressive manner, retreat back with your partner to Zone 1; however, if the third shot ball trajectory seems low (dipping over and below the height of the net) and your opponent seems to defensively lower the paddle or back off the non-volley line, this is an opportunity to quickly move in. Recognizing a good drop allows the person hitting the drop to quickly move into Zone 2. The partner should also see the opportunity and move up to Zone 3.

 

The partner making it up to Zone 3 first can help the teammate get in by covering balls hit to the middle of the court. This forces the receiving team to hit soft, wide balls back to the serving partner waiting in Zone 2. This player will then proceed with a fifth shot drop or a reset volley from Zone 2 and then follow up by moving up to Zone 3.

 

This is the style of play used by most advanced players and virtually every player on the pro tour. Get good at moving through the zones as a team. When you do this, you will gain an advantage over other intermediate players and your level of play will greatly increase.

 

Two-Person Movement Drill

 

A great drill to practice working your way up to the non-volley line is to have one person feed a ball from the non-volley line on one side of the court to a friend behind the baseline on the other side of the court. Next, have the partner hit a drop shot and advance to Zone 2. The non-volley player should then cooperatively feed the ball back so that they can drop from Zone 2 into the kitchen. Have them hit, move in and play out the point. Next, do the same drill, but do so in a less-cooperative manner where the non-volley player more aggressively hits back at their partner in Zone 2. Practice crosscourt and down the line with drop shots and blocking balls out of the air into the non-volley zone.  •


Player B serves to Player C. The serving team waits in Zone 1.

 

Player C returns the serve deep down the middle of the court to Player B’s backhand and quickly runs up to the non‑volley line.

Player A observes the return going to Player B, and slowly creeps up to Zone 2.

 

Player A observes Player B hitting the 3rd shot drop. If the drop appears to be good, Player A will quickly move up to Zone 3 and Player B will quickly move to Zone 2. If the drop is bad, Player A will move back with Player B to Zone 1.

 

If the serving team hits a good drop and moves up to Zone 3, the receiving team should avoid the temptation to attack the 4th shot. Instead, the safest shot for Players C and D would be a soft crosscourt dink and then build the point from there.

Wayne Dollard is the publisher of Pickleball Magazine, a USA Pickleball National Champion and 5.0 US Open gold medalist.

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