Paddle Position and Movement to the KL

Dear Readers,

I'm a big proponent of the proper paddle position (PP) and have written about it frequently.  Let me extend some thoughts for PP when not at the kitchen line.

Let's think about the fifth shot.  The first shot is the serve, the service return is the second, third is by the serving side, the fourth is hit by the service returners, who should be at the net at that point.

In a game with good shots, the serving side should be moving into the transition area or at least want to.  The fifth shot is the first shot that the servers can volley and in most cases you would prefer to volley than let the ball bounce.   

Finally a good team will usually try to keep you deep in the court and not allow you to advance to the kitchen.

We've recognized that a good shot will be low, maybe going out, and usually will be deep.  Where is our paddle at this time?  

A good player will be split stepped, stopped and have the paddle about knee level.  Low balls and foot shots can be fielded with the paddle in this position.  And, as an added bonus, any shot that is above the paddle and has not bounced, is going long.  A knee high paddle is a great rule of thumb for allowing out balls to, well, go out.

The closer to the net that you get, the higher your paddle should be, so gradually raise it up based on position.  When you get to the kitchen line, the paddle should be above the net and protecting your chest.

Pro tip: when you get to the kitchen line you are interested in two things, one is hit a good dink if that is best shot you have based on ball height, or two, you want to hit the ball down into the court, not trying for the base line, but more the foot line of the opponents.  You have to be ready to hit down on a high ball from both forehand and backhand positions.  The usual error I see is a scooping motion with the paddle handle pointing to the body and an upward stroke on the ball.  That results in a pop up and usually the end of the point.  The paddle handle should usually be parallel to your body and to the net.  Usually setting up for a backhand shot is a good ready position for net play.

Below is a link to a good video talking about the paddle positions and few other things.  It's highly recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oobjlzCSY0c