“One of the biggest mistakes I see amateur players make, especially those lower in rating, is poor decision-making from the baseline.” Pro player Eric Roddy
As a pro player, Eric Roddy divides the pickleball court into three separate zones based on his likelihood of attack. In Zone 1he has the green light to pull the trigger, but in Zone 3 he knows that an attack is a low percentage play.
Zone 3
From the baseline, your entire goal should be to move forward and reach the kitchen. The kitchen is the only area on the court where you can consistently have opportunities to attack your opponents and play offense.
Zone 2
From a tactical standpoint, the midcourt is the yellow light on a stoplight. This means you have to make a decision based on your opponents’ shot to you. Should you attack the ball (run through the yellow light), or drop the ball(hit your brakes and wait for your next opportunity)?
“Let me make this easy for you – when in doubt, always hit a reset and drop the ball from the midcourt.”
Zone 1
The kitchen line is your greenlight zone, where offensive pickleball truly comes into play. The main strategy when reaching the kitchen line is to move your opponents around with accurately placed dinks. Eventually, they’ll surrender a ball you can attack, at which point you will want to hit down at their feet.
At any level, better decision-making skills will lead to more wins. Read more about what goes into a pro’s decision-making here.
Login with Facebook
