Member Training Tips

May 26, 2025

How to Return and Run to Kitchen and Keeping the Ball Low

Tip 1: Return and Run

One of the first strategies that you learn in pickleball is to “return and run.” This strategy capitalizes on the returning team’s inherent ability to position themselves at the kitchen line first, while the serving team has to stay back at the baseline. The two-bounce rule states that the ball has to bounce on your side once before you are allowed to hit the ball out of the air. Therefore, the returning player may run straight up to the kitchen after hitting the return while the server should stay back in order to ensure that the third shot can bounce. Pickleball is all about having leverage in court positioning, and you have better court positioning when you are at the kitchen. If your team is at the kitchen and your opponents are at the baseline, you have a huge advantage over them. So try your best to get to the kitchen after every return! It will set you up for the best chance at getting a side out.

Tip 2: Why you should keep the ball low

Try to keep the ball low when your opponents are at the kitchen. When you are hitting the ball from below the net, it is difficult to attack. In fact, one of the most universally effective strategies in pickleball is keeping the ball low. This is true no matter where you are on the court. Whether you are at the baseline, in transition, or also at the kitchen, keeping the ball low will keep you in control of the rally. Here’s what happens when your opponent tries to attack a ball that is too low:

  1. If they hit it hard and straight, it will go into the net.
  2. If they hit it hard and up, it will go out.
  3. If they hit it soft and up (so it lands in the court), it will be an easy counterattack for you.

Even up to an advanced level, if you can keep your shots low, your opponent will eventually get impatient and initiate a bad attack, or make an unforced error. So remember, when you keep the ball low, there isn’t much that your opponent can do to hurt you!

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