What the Middle of the Pickleball Court Really Means
When I was living in France, I was fortunate to become friends with Bjorn Borg, one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
There’s’ no denying his greatness, but his style of play was, well, kind of boring.
I asked him about his style of play, and Bjorn replied that he was trying to get the ball over the net one more time than his opponent.
And pickleball is no different!
I always recommend that you take the high percentage shot, the shot that you are most likely to keep in play.
Which is why I recommend going to the middle.
But what is the middle?
The Middle You Are Looking For
Pickleball courts have that nice centerline that runs along the middle. But that’s not the middle that I’m talking about here! The middle I’m talking about is that oh-so-sweet spot between your opponents. There’s confusion between your opponents, and it’s an extremely high percentage shot!
The Pros Know This, Too
If you’ve ever watched pro matches, you probably remember a good number of Ernes and around-the-post (ATP) shots.
But the vast number of winners are those shots that go in between the players.
Even though the pros have amazing touch and placement, they know the best option is to go to the middle.
And the Biggest Myth in Pickleball
“Forehand takes the middle” is probably the biggest myth in pickleball!
If you’re following my recommendation for how to cover the entire court, you know that you have to move side to side to cover most of the court, leaving one alley exposed.
When you and your partner shift to the left, there’s probably a backhand in the middle third of the court!
So should the forehand move over to the shot?
No!
The person in the middle third of the court takes the shot!
And More…
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Want more information about the middle? Check out this webinar!