Every pickleball shot starts from the same place: a balanced, knees-bent stance with the paddle up in front of you, held in a relaxed handshake (continental) grip. A paddle that is already up and in front only has to move a short way to the ball, and a loose hand is what lets you hit soft dinks and resets instead of popping the ball up. The camera can check your stance and where your paddle hand sits; your grip is something you check yourself.
Balanced ready stance
Set your feet about shoulder-width apart, or a little wider, facing the net.
a wide, stable base you could push off in any direction.
Bend your knees and lean slightly forward, with your weight on the balls of your feet and your heels light. Get low through your legs, not by folding at the waist: bending at the waist drops your head and eyes and limits how far you can move sideways.
low and springy, chest up, eyes level.
Paddle up and in front
Hold the paddle out in front of your body, between waist and chest height, with your elbows slightly bent. From there you only move it side to side to meet the ball. A paddle hanging down by your legs has to come all the way up before you can hit, which leaves you open to a fast ball.
paddle up, in front, in your view.
Point the paddle head roughly at the net; many coaches tilt it slightly toward your backhand side. Pointing straight ahead, tilted, or in between are all used. Pick one and keep the paddle up.
paddle tip forward, ready for either side.
Adjust paddle height to the situation. At the kitchen line, keep it up. If you are caught in the middle of the court (the transition zone) or an opponent is smashing at your feet, drop the paddle toward your knees, since that is where the ball is likely to come.
paddle where the next ball will be.
Continental grip, soft hands
Take a continental (handshake) grip: hold the paddle face perpendicular to the ground with your free hand and shake hands with the handle, so the V between your thumb and index finger sits on top of the handle. This grip lets you hit forehands and backhands without changing it, so beginners can keep it for every shot.
like shaking hands with the paddle.
Hold the handle lightly with a steady wrist. USA Pickleball's coaching advice for soft shots like resets is about 2 to 3 on a 1 to 10 grip-pressure scale. Most players squeeze harder when a fast ball comes at them; notice that and relax again.
loose enough that someone could pull the paddle out of your hand.
Feel it
Knees bent, weight forward on the balls of your feet, paddle up and in front, hand relaxed. You feel ready to move in any direction without first having to lift the paddle or shift your weight. The common giveaways are standing tall on flat feet, a paddle hanging by your legs, and a tight squeeze on the handle. A balanced base also matters for safety: in US emergency-department data, slips, trips and falls were the most common cause of pickleball injuries, especially among older players. The app reads your stance and where your paddle hand sits; grip pressure you check yourself.
Fix-its
- You stand tall and flat-footed Bend your knees and get your weight onto the balls of your feet, heels light, so you can move the moment the ball is hit.
- You get low by bending at the waist Bend the knees instead and keep your chest up, so your eyes stay level and you can still move sideways.
- Your paddle hangs down by your legs Bring it up in front of you, between waist and chest height, elbows slightly bent. Drop it low only when the ball is coming at your feet.
- You squeeze the handle hard Relax to roughly 2 to 3 out of 10, especially on soft shots. A tight grip makes the ball come off the paddle hot and high.
- You switch grips between shots Stay in the continental grip. It covers forehand and backhand, so there is nothing to change when the ball comes fast.
Drill
- Grip check: hold the paddle face perpendicular with your free hand, shake hands with the handle, and check that the V of your thumb and index finger is on top. Repeat until you can find it without looking.
- Pressure ladder: squeeze the handle as hard as you can (10), then relax to about 2 or 3 and hold that while you bounce the ball gently on the paddle face.
- Shadow ready position: get into your stance with the paddle up and in front, then shuffle a few steps left and right and come back to the same stance each time without the paddle dropping.
- Partner dinks at the kitchen line: after every shot, return to paddle up and in front with a loose grip before your partner hits.
- Film yourself from the front, and from the side, to check bent knees, a slight forward lean, and the paddle hand in front of your body.
Sources
- USA Pickleball — Pickleball Reset Technique To Keep the Ball Down (n.d.)
- Human Kinetics — Incorporate pickleball into your PE program (excerpt, Brusseau et al., Dynamic Physical Education for Secondary School Students, 10th ed.)
- Pickleball Canada (Cold Lake Pickleball Club) — Where to Start: grip and ready position
- Selkirk Sport (K. Kerr) — The best ready position for pickleball (2024)
- The Dink — Stop getting jammed by shots at your feet (2026)
- Weiss, Dougherty & DiMaggio — Non-fatal senior pickleball and tennis-related injuries treated in US emergency departments, 2010–2019, Injury Epidemiology (2021)
Last checked 2026-10-26.