Coach Jess | Athena Pickleball

Better defense with this one fix!

I’d tighten it quite a bit and make the core idea — the farther back you are, the lower your paddle should be — really easy to grasp: I see a lot of intermediate players struggle to get out of trouble when they’re pushed back toward the baseline. One of the biggest reasons? Their paddle is too high. Think about it: when you’re that far back, where are your opponents trying to hit the ball? At your feet. So as you move farther back from the kitchen line, let your paddle drop and get a little lower. That shortens the distance your paddle has to travel and helps you defend those balls before they get jammed between your feet. There’s also a bonus: keeping your paddle low makes you less likely to reach for balls flying past your waist or chest that are probably going OUT anyway. 🙋🏼‍♀️ Farther back = paddle lower. As you work your way forward again, your paddle can gradually drift north. Simple adjustment. Much easier defense.