David Zapatka
Consider these targets when hitting the 4th shot.
1. Hit to the opponent who is furthest back in the court. This will keep your opponents on defense.
2. Hit to the middle. The middle often causes confusion between the opponents.
3. Hit to your opponents’ feet. This is always an excellent target. It makes the opponents have to hit up on the ball to get it over the net.
4. Hit to your opponents’ weakness. This is usually their backhand, however, sometimes it’s your opponent’s forehand. Be aware of their tendencies.
5. Play to your own strengths and hit your best shots, whatever those may be.
When hitting the 4th shot, one thing you must be keenly aware of is a potential poach by an opponent. A poach is when one opponent suddenly darts towards his partner’s side of the court while at the net to cut your shot off and take away your time. This may surprise your partner who will likely see this shot hit in his area of the court. A good strategy to counter poachers is to hit behind them. This means to hit into the space they vacated.
If you are unable to keep the opponents in their backcourt, consider hitting a drop shot into their non-volley zone. This may help bring your opponents to the non-volley zone but when executed properly, the opponents will have to hit up on the ball making them unable to attack. This may give you and your partner an opportunity to hit a ball that is higher allowing you to attack their shot.
Allowing opponents’ balls to go long out of the court instead of hitting them is judgment worth learning. Be aware when balls are on the rise or hit hard enough to fly beyond your baseline or sideline. Let these balls go past you and out of the court. Hitting them back into your opponents’ court only gives them a chance to stay in the point.
As the partner of the receiver, you are in prime position to influence the outcome of the rally. You are already in the aggressive position of being at the non-volley zone line. You can cover the middle as your partner is working his way up to the non-volley zone line allowing you to hit the ball earlier and hit angles through the opponents’ sidelines.
These 4th shot strategies should help improve your game. As the receiving team, you start with the rally advantage. You want to maintain that advantage as the rally unfolds. Using these strategies, you will keep pressure on the receiving team, keeping them in the back court, taking away their time, and hitting angles through their sidelines.
Have a question about pickleball? Want to know more about the sport, the rules, equipment or have some pickilicious news you would like to share with our pickleball community? Email David Zapatka at [email protected].