In pickleball, understanding the significance of positioning on the court is paramount to mastering the game. One key principle for success involves moving up to the kitchen line as soon as possible, rather than hanging back at the baseline. Let's explore why embracing this approach can elevate your gameplay and help you and your partner dominate the court.
The Non-Volley Zone line, or kitchen line, is the white line that is located 7 feet from the net on either side. The kitchen line marks a strategic zone that allows players to exert pressure on their opponents and maintain control of the game. Most points in pickleball are won at the kitchen line. This is the case for a few key reasons:
- Advancing to this area enables you to dictate the pace of play and take advantage of opportunities for aggressive shot placement. Making plays from the kitchen line leaves your opponents with less time to react to the next shot, since it places you closer to them. This in turn puts pressure on them, which makes it more likely that they will make errors.
- It is easier to hit down on the pickleball when you play at the kitchen line, thereby causing your opponents to make forced errors.
- Positioning yourself and your partner at the kitchen line limits the angles that your opponents have to hit shots. There are fewer openings and opportunities for your opponents to attack you and your partner. Being up at the kitchen line enables you and your partner to return more shots from your opponents.
- By being up at the kitchen line, you and your partner will have less distance to cover on your side of the pickleball court. You won’t have to run all over the court to track down your opponents’ shots, enabling you to use your energy more efficiently and effectively.
Playing from the baseline puts you and your partner at a disadvantage for a few reasons:
- You are generally forced to rely on defensive play, rather than being able to seize opportunities for offensive volleys and overheads.
- Because you are significantly farther back from the net (22 feet) than your opponents at the kitchen line (7 feet), your opponents will have more time to react, set up their shots, and control the points.
- Your shots will also be easier for your opponents to return and put away, since you will usually have to hit up on the ball.
- Because you and your partner are 22 feet back from the net, it will be relatively easy for your opponents to win points by hitting soft little drop shots over the net.
Having one partner who likes to play up at the kitchen line and one who stays back at the baseline may be the worst configuration of all, as it leads to wide open gaps on the court between the players and/or expanses of open court that are not covered by either player.
Teammates should always move together; both should be back at the baseline, both should be up at the kitchen line, and if one is pulled off the court, the other should move to the middle until the other player can come back onto the court to cover their half.
Having said that, if you have a choice between you and your partner playing back at the baseline or playing up at the kitchen line, the winning strategy is to both be playing up at the kitchen line whenever possible.
Happy pickling!
