Bend Your Knees

Americans, especially, are reluctant to bend their knees. In so many sports where that is important, it takes a long time for us to learn to keep our legs flexible, lower our center of gravity, and be ready to change position in a split second. Take rollerblading for example. That’s a sport where flexible knees are super important, yet most beginning skaters stand tall with their knees locked back. Go figure!

Same with us pickleballers. Most have to learn to bend the knees. Oh, I don’t mean all the time. That would be tiring. But when responding to a low ball, that’s the thing you want to do. Get low. This way, you can convert your awkward underhand stroke to a forehand. Now, it is possible to make good shots with underhand strokes, but you’ll probably find more accuracy in forehands or even backhands.

The most important times to get low are when trying to drop that third shot into the kitchen. It is also helpful to get low before returning almost any backcourt shot. This way, you can spring right, left, back or forward as needed.

What if you have trouble bending your knees, as some older pickleballers do? Click here.