“Pickleball 411” is a highly successful video show on Pickleball Channel that is dedicated to providing helpful information about the sport of pickleball. But we know it is sometimes nice to read something you can turn back to when you’re not on the court. A lot of people talk about transitioning to the net. In this article, we’re excited to feature Prem Carnot, the Pickleball Guru, as he shares some tips about getting up to the non-volley zone line. Prem is a 5.0 player and pickleball instructor as well as the author of the Amazon.com #1 best-selling book, “Smart Pickleball: The Pickleball Guru’s Guide.” Once you read through the article, make sure you watch the full-length video that gives you the visual tools you need to fully understand Prem’s advice.

THE NON-VOLLEY ZONE LINE
Prem: Today we’re going to be talking about the non-volley zone line (also known as the kitchen line). I’ll be sharing three important benefits to playing at the non-volley zone line, and I’ll also let you know three common mistakes people make once they get there. First, let me describe where you should be. The ideal position is to be about 2-3 inches back from the kitchen line. It’s OK for you to shuffle side to side along the kitchen line, but don’t move back and forth away from the line.

THREE COMMON MISTAKES
There are three common mistakes I see players make when they are at the non-volley zone line.

Mistake #1: The first mistake is that they never actually get to the non-volley zone. They are about 2 to 3 feet away from that kitchen line, but they think they are much closer than that.

Mistake #2: The second mistake I often see people do is that they get to the line and then they back up to take a shot but they never move forward again.

Mistake #3: The third mistake is that people get to the line, but they’re not quite conscious about where their feet are and they often will foot fault.

THREE BENEFITS TO BEING AT THE NON-VOLLEY ZONE LINE
I’m going to share with you three good reasons why you should be at the non-volley zone line.

Benefit #1: First of all, being close to the net gives you an opportunity to hit the ball downward, which is a winning angle.

Benefit #2: The closer to the non-volley zone you are, the more options you have to see the entire court of your opponent. This gives you more options of where to place the ball. However, the farther away from it you are, you see less of the court and more of the net.

Benefit #3: Finally, when you’re at the non-volley zone along with your partner, you can literally create a wall, which gives your opponents very few options for winning angles.

Rusty: In summary, being at the non-volley zone line is an important part of a winning game. So, exercise the benefits of getting up there and staying there, but watch out for the three common mistakes people make which often result in losing the point.

That’s your Pickleball 411 for today. We really hope this has been helpful. Now there’s only one thing left to do, and that’s go play!

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Rusty Howes is the Executive Producer and creator of Pickleball Channel. Rusty worked for the likes of Warner Bros and Disney before creating Pickleball Channel to develop and provide fantastic, professional video content for the pickleball community. He is deeply involved in promoting the sport of pickleball at home and across the country.