Sometimes it can only take a few small tweaks to take your game to the next level. Obviously the more you play pickleball the better you’ll get. But until you pay attention to the little details you’ll inevitably find yourself stagnating at times. Pickleball footwork is a subtle aspect of the game but is one of those things that makes big difference in going from good to great.
Why It Matters?
There are three elements key to your pickleball game that allow you to excel. I call them the golden trio.
All of three are built in your footwork, and they all feed off of each other. Having issues in just one will make the others more difficult.
The three are power, control, and balance.
For example when you’re leaning too far forward going for a shot because the position of your feet has left you at an awkward angle, you sacrifice power. Any stroke begins from a strong base. You also loose control and it becomes harder to direct exactly where you want your shot to go, and even once you do hit it your off balance and can’t reposition as easily to prepare for the next shot from your opponent.
Pickleball Footwork at the Kitchen Line
Shuffling
Good footwork near the non volley zone is one of the first steps in elevating your game and consistency around the net.
This starts with an athletic stance with square shoulders towards the net. Feet are shoulder width apart with the weight off your heel up towards your toes on the balls of your feet.
You want to be positioned in the middle of the court or in the middle of your side if playing doubles.
Movement side to side to get volleys should be shuffling where your feet never cross over each other. Very similar to the technique that is taught for playing defense in basketball.
It’s very important to never cross over your feet. After every volley or dink you need to be able to quickly return to your original spot in the ready position to prepare for the next ball. Crossing one foot over another makes this more difficult. In a sense you are almost halfway turned around. You have your back to one side of the court. Pickleball around the net is a game of speed and anything that makes it harder to react to the next ball will hurt you on the court.
Moving into the Kitchen
We also never step into the non volley zone with two feet. We step in to the non volley zone when we have to, rarely because we want to.
The goal should always be to reposition outside the non volley zone as soon as possible so we aren’t caught in a position where we are unable to volley back a hard shot hit by the opponent. As soon as the ball gets behind us, it becomes very difficult to save.
Maintain one foot behind the line at all times and make quick stabs with the right or left foot into the kitchen before swiftly repositioning outside.
Proper Footwork at the Baseline
When hitting from the baseline, our focus is on power. And we generate power from a powerful base.
We should never be completely upright, but especially not here. Knees always need to be bent. Our swing should engage the whole lower body, driving through our feet into the ground all the way up through rotation and drive in the hips and into the torso.
We don’t want to lean over our toes here to reach for shots. This is how you’ll lose power and control. Players will often reach for the ball, bringing their torso out in front of their feet. They’ve now lost that solid base. Stay back, be positioned, and let the ball come to you so you swing from a position of strength.
Footwork in Transition
This is the part your average pickleball player messes up. Most people when moving to the kitchen line think it needs to be as fast as possible, but in reality it should be as controlled as possible.
You actually want to shorten your stride length. This allows you to react faster and get into proper stance when a ball comes at you. Trying to react to a ball while you sprint towards the kitchen line is a surefire way to lose your control of placement or send one over the other baseline.
Split Step
The split step is how we quickly get into a ready position at the kitchen line.
This is a slight hop to get us up on the balls of our feet in the ready stance while maintaining balance and fluidity.
I’ve noticed some players treat this like a jump stop to use another basketball reference. They run to the line and jump up violently and slam their feet down to announce their arrival. And there are similarities. It’s used in both sports to bring us under control. However, we are going to go for something much more subtle. Spend as little time in the air as possible, this is where your vulnerable, and land lightly on your feet so you could move at a moment’s notice if needed.
I’ve included some great videos on ways to work on transitions down below.
Practice Pickleball Footwork Drills
I find it very hard to describe drills in text, so I’ve linked to a few videos I’ve found with drills you can use to practice your pickleball footwork.