Third Shot Drop

Forehands on the Outside - Attack from the Wings

January 14 2025


One of the commonly accepted beliefs in pickleball is that having two forehands in the middle is the best alignment for a team. A righty-lefty team where both partners could have their strength in the center of the court.

But what if we’ve got that wrong? On the PicklePod, Zane Navaratil explainsthe benefits of attacking from the edges of the court and why forehands on the outside might be more advantageous.

  • From the edge, you have the option to attack down the line, through the middle, or cross-court. Since you’re on the sideline, you have the benefit of being able to use the full width of the court which provides more angles.
  • Your opponents across the net are also put in a difficult situation. Your opponent straight ahead has to guard the line tightly. Their partner is then forced to shift to cover the rest of the court.
  • One step too far toward the middle leaves the cross-court attack open. Failure to close the gap leaves an easy target and plenty of court to work with.

But in the current alignment, it’s difficult to take advantage of these benefits. It’s challenging to attack with your backhand so we default into the pattern of backhand dinking.

Next time you’re on the court look for opportunities to attack from edges and see if it leads to better offense.

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