One of the most empowering and exciting parts of playing pickleball is the hand battles at the net. You may have heard that whoever controls the kitchen net wins the game. But if you find yourself losing hand battles, here is how you can increase your pickleball reaction time at the net.
How To Increase Your Pickleball Reaction Time At The Net
Start With Your Base
Even though we’re talking about faster hands and reaction time at the net, you actually want to start with your base. Your base is how you stand and move at the kitchen net. You should be in a stable, wide athletic stance with slightly bent knees. Your back should be up with your paddles directly in front of you. Your base is important to give you balance and power.
Minimize Your Movement
The biggest mistake for those that do not come from a racket sports background is when it comes to movement on the court. Starting with footwork, you want to minimize excessive movement. You do want to avoid overreaching but move your feet a step laterally without crossing your feet or taking multiple steps.
While that may be unavoidable in certain cases, you want to only cross your legs as a last-ditch effort. If a ball is dinked far to your right, take a step to the right. If it is dinked far to your left, you want to do the same. What you should avoid at all costs is taking many small steps with each shot.
The reason why this is so important is that you lose your balance when you move your feet excessively. Trying to make a shot unbalanced will decrease your consistency. Additionally, if your feet are moving, that means your eyes are also moving. Your hands now have to coordinate with your feet and eyes.
While it may seem like a simple task, you want to give yourself the best possible chance to make a good shot. Instead of rushing while in an unbalanced position, stabilize your base, and minimize your movement as you make the shot.
Similarly, you want to minimize turning your head back and forth while you’re in the middle of a volley or a hand battle. Keeping your head as still as possible will help track the fast-moving ball.
Lastly, you want to minimize the size of your swings. The bigger your swings, the longer it takes to get back to your ready position. Keep your strokes compact at the net so you’re always ready for the next shot.
Reset Your Paddle & Anticipate The Ball
When it comes to your hand movement, the number one tip to have a faster reaction time is to keep your paddle up. Many times, you may start with your paddle ready in front of you. But sometimes during the hand battle, you may forget to bring it back up.
Having your paddle out in front of you is important because there is less movement you will have to do to block or reset the ball. If your paddle is down, you lose the reaction time that is necessary. You will want to hold your paddle up slightly favoring your backhand.
Even if you prefer a certain side, make sure you’re comfortable and able to use both your forehand and backhand. It doesn’t make sense to block every ball with just your forehand or just your backhand. Use both sides depending on where the volley comes to you, even if you’re still weak in one area.
Lastly, anticipate the ball to come back and be ready to hit your next shot. At higher levels, you want to always expect a counter. That is whether it is a dink, overhead, volley, or any shot where it may seem like a putaway.
Drill And Play With Purpose
Once you have the technique down, you want to drill regularly to increase your pickleball reaction time. Volley drills are one of the few drills that do not require a partner. You can practice it against the wall as long as you create a boundary on the way for shot accuracy. For example, you can tape a square shape to aim for.
If you do have a partner, make sure you’re using the right techniques while you’re drilling. You want to drill with purpose and good form instead of just hitting the ball back and forth. You want to develop good habits and the right muscle memory early on instead of having to unlearn bad form in the future.
If you’re not sure whether your form is correct while you’re playing or drilling, you can record yourself from several angles to review. To test your improvement, play with each technique in mind during your next rec games. Don’t worry about winning or losing but rather use the right movements.
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