In the game of pickleball everything happens fast and the ball doesn’t always come to you on a silver platter.
That leads us to this week’s tip.
Coach Mary’s pickleball tip of the week: Handling short hops
Let’s talk about short hops. What are they? Why do we use them? And how do we execute them?
One of my favorite instructors Callie Smith offers some guidance.
A short hop is different from a topspin dink. The short hop occurs in front of you, no backswing, just down and up. The topspin dink involves stepping back and moving low to high to create topspin.
Short hops on a serve return?
Yes, it’s a thing. Instructor Susannah Barr explains that she often uses a short hop on her service return when the ball is hit deep.
She will open quickly and contact the ball as its rising.
This will be a better return than waiting until the ball gets deep and trying to move back.
Also, often pickleball courts are tight in the back and on the sides. You will need the short hop return when the back wall or fence is too close.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pickleball tip of the week is all about handling short hops
Reporting by Mary Barsaleau, Special to The Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
