Pickleball Magazine 2-3 | Page 31

PICKLEBALL INSTRUCTION Specialty Shot (The ‘Mini Me’ Overhead) BY STEVE PARANTO I n this article I would like to share a specialty shot that comes up every now and then and is often handled in a very poor way. This shot is also very easy and all levels of players can do it successfully if using this method. The shot I am talking about is when a high bouncing ball lands short inside of the kitchen. So, this is the ball that is in the air for a long time, almost like a lob but then lands in your kitchen and also bounces higher than the net. If you handle this shot correctly, you will not only have very few unforced errors, but you will usually hit a winner! WRONG WAY TO HANDLE THIS SHOT • Waiting for the ball to land inside the kitchen before you go into the kitche n. • Hitting the ball like a normal groundstroke. • Hitting the net with your follow-through. • Attempting a drop shot and then dropping the ball into the net. CORRECT WAY TO HANDLE THIS SHOT • As soon as you know the ball is going to land in the kitchen, move your feet and get into the kitchen. You need early preparation on this shot! • Bend your knees to hit this ball almost like a smash. • Make sure you don’t follow through and strike the net! Special thanks to Marty Butler, whom I’ve known since he was in grade school as a student of mine, for modeling these shots for me.  • MAY/JUNE 2017 | MAGAZINE 29