Question: I have heard people tell me my ready position isn’t right. How high should I keep the paddle? I’m a decent 4.5 but can’t seem to win many hands battles.
- Donna, NJ
Hi Donna, Great question! The right ready position can make all the difference in the game of pickleball, where points are very often won by the quickest hands. Let’s dive in!
Height relative to the net, not the body
This is one if not the most important factor that will help you maintain efficiency during fast exchanges at the kitchen.
At the lower levels of the game, balls are often coming fast and high, so I would typically suggest keeping the paddle a few inches above the net height. However at your level there is good reason to actually have your paddle’s default “ready for anything” position to be a few inches below the height of the net. There’s a few good reasons for this: Firstly, this provides optimal two way coverage on fast attacks that can often be dipping below the height of the net, and also a few inches above the net.
Why not keep it higher than the net?
At your level, being able to continually counter attack well revolves around having minimal investment in swing length on each volley. If you were to have your paddle above the net height then you will often find yourself having to “chase” low balls. With the aid of gravity and large, more powerful muscle groups working, a paddle drops 15-20 percent faster than it rises.
You may be thinking: “Well, then I should be able to get it down in time to deal with those attacks right.” It’s not that simple unfortunately, as the extra speed that your paddle has when dropping makes it more difficult to brace the paddle and find the right face angle prior to contacting the ball. The act of braking and controlling a rapidly falling paddle is not that simple and often leads to pop ups. Having your paddle just below the net also allows you to punch, or lift through the ball, a mechanically stronger and steadier motion.
Sometimes you will see elite players with a paddle height above the net. These players are taking an educated gamble that they are fast enough to control the downward motion and are actively trying to impose themselves by putting the paddle “in their face.”
Long-term goal
Ultimately, what you want to achieve is an adaptive paddle height. Think about what we all learned from Top Gun (the original): “A good pilot is compelled to evaluate what's happened, so he can apply what he's learned.” (I’ve been dying to use that reference so just bear with me, OK?)
- Do your opponents hit with a lot of topspin? A lower paddle position will certainly help.
- Do your opponents hit hard and flat from baseline or mid-court? A higher paddle position will get the job done more efficiently.
- Do your opponents like to simply out-dink you? A lower paddle position will help here also.
- If you or your partner have just popped up a ball, then quickly dropping your paddle height is a great idea — as their attack will likely get below net height when it arrives.
- If you receive a popped up ball, then keeping your paddle higher after your initial attack will help you maintain the upper hand.
Thanks again for your intriguing question, Donna. I hope I’ve been able to help you and anyone else curious about the all important ready position.
See you at the kitchen!
Cheers,
Morgan.
