Paddle Positon II or is it III?

There is an older post that is a conversation between the Master and Po, the acolyte where the various paddle positions are noted and discussed.  Link: https://pickleballthoughts.blogspot.com/2021/10/paddle-up-or-down-yes.html

Since then I've run across one of the Pickleball Pirate's videos (YouTube) where a teaching pro gave a lesson on the same topic.  Surprisingly, his suggestions and explanations matched those of the Master, so you know it's all good.  :-)  Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0yQU2wOxZc

The reason for this post is that I've managed to get my paddle above the net line for the the last few days of play and I must say that it has been a tremendous help and has improved my ability to hit the third shot in a fire fight and to scare my opponents.  It's also a lot less work and has made the game simpler.

I was over at Robertson park watching some intermediate players today.  There were a lot of popped up balls with people at the net, but the paddles were down by players' knees and a lot of shots that should have ended the point led to longer rallies.  Nothing wrong with a long rally, but if you get a pop up you'd like to put it away.

The low paddle positions required a lot of movement to return the shot and by then the ball had dropped and the best shot opportunity had vanished.  If your paddle is up, it's easy to hit down on the ball, which is the filet mignon of the pickleball shot selections.  

To simplify the earlier posts, when you are at the net the ball has to come to you above the net.  Keep your paddle ready for a higher shot and that means your paddle should be higher than the net level.  If the ball is a low dink, you'll have time to drop your paddle and return it.  But if the ball is coming fast and hard or high, then your paddle is where it needs to be.

Give it a try, I think you'll like it.