One of things that I see in the PB-101 class is where the students feel comfortable standing. And that position is about 4 feet into the court from the baseline, not quite to the middle of the transition area, but a couple of steps into the court.
After you've played a bit, you will realize that that location is the absolute worst position from which to play. I'll return to this in a moment.
A good player will seek to spend 10% of her time behind the baseline, 80% at the kitchenline and the remaining time trying to get to the kitchenline by moving through the transition area. You might also have to retreat into the transition area as a point develops, but you don't want to be there. The difficulty is that your feet are most exposed when in the transition area. (Pro tip: in the transition area, keep your paddle positioned near your feet!) An opponent can try to hit them with no fear of hitting long and you are too far away from the net, so you'll get no help from the net. Net help? Yes, that's why dinks and drops are so powerful, a low ball close to the net requires a very good shot to get the ball up and over the net, but not too high to create a sitter.
Beginners don't like the kitchen as it's probably scary and they are not used to the speed of the ball and there also seems to be an occasional fear of being lobbed. And that's fine. When teaching a class I push for them to get to the line and stay there, but it doesn't affect what they usually do. I hope that as they become players that those words will come back to them and produce a better player.
And they don't like to be behind the baseline. I think the fear here is that they are too far from the action and they won't get to the ball when it's hit towards them.
So they find their comfort area and while it's comfortable, and maybe a good place for a true beginner in a beginner game, as soon as you start playing regularly, you have to learn to face your fears and become comfortable with being behind the baseline and being at the net. And you must learn to want to be at these two positions. They are powerful and give you maximum control of the next shot. If you are not where you should be, you empower your opponents.
I frequently see a service returner refuse to move up when they hit the service return. This is very common even with pretty good players who have played for a couple of years, and it's the worst play in pickleball. By staying back, you will allow the serving side to return deep to you and then move up to the line. Your side will be split and you will have turned an advantage to a deficit. The big difference between PB and tennis is the two bounce rule. The service return has to bounce and this rule is there for the sole purpose of allowing the service returner to advance. It's a huge deal. If you don't come up, you are not playing pickleball. You can still have fun and be comfortable by staying back, but in a intermediate game, you will be expected to be moving up every time you return a serve. Watch a pro match on YouTube and see what they do. They will sprint to the kitchenline every time. Now in rec play, the sprint is not needed, but at least try to trot a bit!
Let's talk about staying behind the baseline after your side has hit a serve. The error here is to move into the court and then find the service return is so deep that they have to run backwards to field it. Had you stayed behind the baseline, you won't have to move much for a deep return, and you'll only have to move forward for a shorter return. You will, of course, be keeping a sharp eye on how your opponent hits the serve and if they hit a short one or a soft one, then you can move forward to deal with it efficiently. Don't worry about a service return that is so short you can't get to it. It does happen and usually from a mishit but it won't happen often. Worry about and be prepared for deep shots!
These are the two things that really separate beginners from a true intermediate player. Being in the proper position is the most important part of the game. Good positioning allows more time to hit better shots, less stretching to the side, and less hitting a ball while moving. Make sure these two items are part of your play -- they are the most important things to learn about this game.
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