How To Keep The Ball Low In Pickleball?
Playing a game of pickleball is similar to going on a rollercoaster joyride of emotions, it will put you in awe, shock, or surprise you and maybe make you want to pull your hair out for the little rookie mistakes you unintentionally commit along the way.
All credits are due to the tons of variable executions you or your opponent can pull during the match, giving each other a run for their money.
In that case, you must have an ace up your sleeve, especially in scenarios where you are facing a formidable foe while playing in leagues or tournaments such as keeping the ball low.
Now you may be wondering how to keep the ball low in pickleball. To answer that, let’s understand what exactly this terminology even means.
What Does “Keeping The Ball Low” Mean?
If you are already familiar with tennis rules, guessing the meaning of this terminology might not be hard. However, if you are new to this sport with little to no prior knowledge, as the name suggests, “keeping a ball low” implies when a ball is purposely hit in a manner that it crosses the net with minimal momentum.
With such a low force of momentum, it doesn’t have the chance to bounce higher, giving your opponent less window to react or repel the shot in its intended manner.
This strategy can be implemented by both teams, anywhere and anytime during the match.
How To Keep The Ball Low In Pickleball?
Here is how you can utilize this strategy and keep the opponent on their toes (no pun intended).
To achieve minimal bounce you need to,
1. Use Dink Shots
Dink shots, are the whole grail of pickleball, if you want to execute every other strategy while combining it with a dink shot, the chances of going wrong are little to none.
The best is, that almost anyone of any skill category can execute it, simply tap the ball on top of your wooden paddle and make sure the ball makes it across the net.
Dink shot is in the natural format a pretty tame strategy, however, when performed to keep the ball low, even a rookie player can work wonders.
2. Position Yourself
Make sure you’re holding the ball firmly and not clutching on it as if your life depended on it. This will ensure your wrists aren’t stiff. On the flip side, make sure you align the paddle just right above the net.
If you are tall and well above the net, try bending your knees to match the height of the net with your paddle, this will ensure the ball always lands parallel to the opponent’s playing zone with minimal bounce as the energy produced naturally through the force of gravity will be exponentially reduced.
3. Closed Paddle Angle
In addition to aligning your paddle to the height of the net, make sure you hold your paddle towards the ground when performing dink shots while bending your knees.
This will further decrease the momentum required to execute a shot and keep the ball from rising while it bounces off the floor.
4. Match the Consistency
You need to build a rhythm while performing these shots, never aim for stiffer or powerful smashes because that will propel the ball as high from the ground, causing an exact opposite effect which is the last thing you would want.
Make sure you constantly practice and find the sweet spot between keeping the ball and making sure it has enough energy to pass the net effectively.
Advantages Of Keeping The Ball Low
Here is why Keeping the ball will always put your team at Advantage.
Minimal Reaction Time
Lesser bounce time means less window to react which is exactly what you want if you are planning to score against a team.
To put it in a simpler perspective, keeping the ball low will not only lessen chances of your opponent reacting to it but it will also ruin their positioning, so you can lob or execute a powerful smash afterward.
Less Chances Of Errors
Less energy is required to keep a ball low which means you also have a considerably higher accuracy to execute a shot precisely.
So even if you are a rookie with minimal skill sets, you don’t have to hesitate, as the chances of accuracy will always be in your favor.
Bottom Line
As long as any strategy executed is within the bounds of rules and regulations, it’s perfectly legal, however, in casual or leisurely matches, make sure you do not overdo or try out newer variations as it is usually frowned upon because the whole point of a casual match is to have fun and enjoy with your buddies.
As for competitive settings, make sure you generate a rhythm to prevent predictability by the player standing at the other end of the court. Speaking of which, now that you know how to keep the ball low in pickleball, go ahead and practice as much as you can so you can easily dominate the field with your newly learned finesse.
