The pickleball block shot is a defensive shot that allows you to take an attack from your opponents and neutralize it. If you can get good at blocking the ball back into the kitchen, you can frustrate your opponents and win more games.
Tip #1: Your blocking paddle grip
One of the most important techniques to remember when you're blocking in pickleball is to have a very loose grip on the paddle. Think of your grip on a scale of 1 to 10:
- 1: the paddle falls out of your hand vs.
- 10: you can see your veins because you're gripping the paddle so tight.
On this scale, you will want your grip to be at about a 3 to 4: it will be very loose. A loose grip is what is going to absorb the ball and bounce it into the kitchen.
If you have a very tight grip on the paddle, the ball will hit your paddle and transfer with the power going towards your opponents. They then may be able to counterattack or even hit a put-away.
Tip #2: Your blocking follow-through
It's important to keep in mind that when you're hitting the block shot, you want to absorb that power and put the ball down at your opponent's feet. Unlike a counterattack, you want to eliminate having a big follow-through.
If you do have a big follow-through, the ball could sail or pop up instead.
Bonus tip: Ball pace
You will also want to pay attention to the pace at which the ball's coming at you. If the speed-up is off speed or a little slower, you might want to add a little pace — but the quicker that ball's coming to you, the less follow-through you need to have a successful block.
Tip #3: The direction of your pickleball paddle face
One of the most common mistakes people make when they're learning the pickleball block shot is their paddle face and the direction that it's facing: Your paddle face should not be flat — meaning that it should not be straight up and down with no angle.
You need to be able to give the ball a little loft. When you have your paddle face flat, it will look like it’s falling into the net. Keeping your paddle face angled will help get the ball over the net and bouncing into the kitchen.
Drill #1: Double Hit Volley Drill
The Double Hit Volley Drill is a good way to teach you how to block.
Steps to the Double Hit Volley Drill:
- Line up across from your partner.
- Work on catching the ball on your paddle, letting it bounce, and then volleying it back.
- Count how many you can get in a row, and see if you can beat it in your next round.
With this drill, you're going to work on developing a feel and touch for the volley
Drill #2: The Human Wall Drill
The next drill is called the Human Wall Drill and translates well to kitchen play.
Steps to the Human Wall Drill:
- Line up across from your partner at the kitchen line and start a dinking battle.
- Only your partner can speed up the ball.
- For every speed-up they hit, you have to block.
This drill will help you work on having an open paddle face and translating what you just learned into blocking in a real-game scenario.
Drill #3: Pickleball Banger Drill
The Pickleball Banger Drill will help you against pickleball bangers. Players love hitting the ball hard from the baseline, and this is where your blocks come in handy.
Steps to the Pickleball Banger Drill:
- Feed the ball to your partner who's at the baseline.
- Your partner will be driving the ball.
- You should work on blocking their drive into the kitchen.
- This should make them come up to the kitchen line and have to play the short game.
The Pickleball Banger drill is a great drill to do if you play a lot of bangers that love to drive the ball.