The rule for letting “out” pickleballs go has always been “shoulder high, let it fly.” But with advanced pickleball technology and increased skill levels, this is not always the case anymore. We will teach you four cues that will tell you if pickleball balls will be “out” or “in,” plus two different drills to help you practice these new skills.
Tip #1: Look at your opponent’s backswing & position
The first thing to help you determine whether a ball should be “out” or if you should hit it is your opponent’s backswing in relation to their court position.
- The further back that someone is on a court, the bigger backswing they can have while still keeping the ball “in.”
- When your opponent is up at the kitchen line, they need a short backswing to keep that ball “in.”
If you see somebody at the kitchen line, close to the net, and they take a big backswing, the ball is very likely going to go out of bounds.
Tip #2: Look at the pickleball contact point
Another tip that's important to consider when letting “out” balls go is the contact point: how high is the ball off the ground when your opponent strikes it? Two things will affect the ball: The lower the ball is towards the ground and where your opponent is standing on the court.
- The closer you get to the net, the lower your contact point, and the more speed and spin you will need to keep the ball “in.”
- The further you are away from the net, and if your contact point is low, you will need more speed and less spin to keep the ball “in.”
- If the ball bounces a little higher and the contact point is higher off the ground, it will be easier to keep in than a low ball.
Tip #3: Determining the forward momentum & balance of your opponent
Another thing to consider when assessing if a ball will be “in” or “out” is determining the forward momentum of your opponent hitting the ball, or if they're off balance.
- If your opponent is hitting a ball and they have a lot of momentum (they're running through their shot), that added momentum could push the ball off the court.
- Your opponent is not likely to hit a power shot when they're off balance, because there's a lot of room for error.
Tip #4: The “Prove It” principle
If there is a lot of wind on the pickleball court, your opponent will have a harder time keeping the ball in. That’s a good time to make them “prove it” — make them prove that they can keep that ball “in.” You should be more likely to let the ball go because your opponent is more likely to hit it “out.”
Another thing to look for is if your opponent is consistently making contact with the ball at a low position, you should make them prove that they can keep that ball in with spin.
Early in a game, it's a great time to make your opponents prove that they can keep the ball “in” and once they pass that test you can be a little more aggressive with your response.
Drill #1: Targeted speed-up drill
You can drill and train on letting “out” balls go, and one of those drills is the targeted speed-up drill.
- Start with your partner right across from you at the kitchen line.
- Begin dinking back and forth.
- Pick a target beforehand — your partner will know where you’re speeding the ball up (for instance, your partner’s arm or hip).
- Your partner doesn't know when the speed-up is coming, but they know where it's coming.
- Your partner will not have to guess where the speed-up is going to be, they just have to decide whether the ball's going “out” based on the above ideas.
The targeted speed-up drill is a great way to train to let the ball go “out” and your partner can also work on their speed-ups.
Drill #2: Rapid fire drill
For the next drill, you will want a ball caddy with multiple balls, so you can rapid fire balls across the net. Your opponent is going to be trying to read where the ball is going based on where and how you make contact with the ball.
- You will want to revert between making low contact with the ball and higher contact with the ball.
- Your partner should read where you make contact with the ball, the ball's speed, the ball's spin, and the ball's flight path.
- Your partner needs to decide: “Do I block the ball? Do I counterpunch the ball? Or do I let the ball go?”
To learn more, and to see these drills in action, watch the video above.