There's probably not a time that you step
on the courts when you haven't heard someone say forehand takes the middle.
But is that always the right strategy?
No, absolutely not.
Today we're going to talk about the time
that the forehand shouldn't take the middle.
If we haven't yet met, my name is CJ Johnson
and along with my partner Tony Roig, we specialize in helping players over 50
live their best lives on and off the pickleball courts.
There are very few absolutes in pickleball and a week or two ago I asked all of you
what was the worst advice you've gotten on the pickleball court?
Something that you found out was not true
later and without a doubt, forehand in the middle ranked true for many of you.
And that's because, as I said, there really aren't many absolutes.
Now, one is when you're on the return side and again, keyword being return side, you
want to run to the non-volley zone no matter what.
That's an absolute in pickleball but
forehand takes the middle, that's not an absolute.
And today I want to explore some
strategies when it isn't an absolute for your team.
The first question you should be asking is what's the best shot for my team?
Because not everyone has as good a forehand as they do a backhand.
Chances are you have one ground stroke that's better than the other.
Very few people are equal on both sides.
So when I'm looking at what's the best
shot for my team, if I'm playing with someone and my backhand is better than my
partner's forehand, then I should take that shot.
Now, conversely, if my partner's forehand is infinitely better than my backhand as a
team, I would rather give that shot to my partner.
So in some ways I understand where the logic behind this comes from.
Again, most people have a weaker backhand than they do a forehand, so it's logical.
But the way you see it played out on the courts causes a lot of problems for teams.
So let me show you three problems that it
causes and a little different way to think about it.
I'm going to introduce you to a concept called Respect the X.
Here we've overlaid the court with an X.
Think of that X connecting the players on each end of the X.
This connects the player on each end of
the green line and then the players on each end of the blue line of the X.
In large part, this X pertains to all areas of the court, including the NVZ.
When breaking the X, there are
specifically three problems that tend to occur.
So let's take a look at this clip.
The first problem that it causes is when I
reach across the center line to take the forehand from the middle of the court.
It puts me in an awkward position, it pulls my arm away from my body.
That makes it harder to make the stroke
and it makes it much easier to make what we call a mechanical error for the stroke.
Number two, it also creates a strategic error here.
You're going to notice that it opens up the court to the left side.
I've moved towards the center to take that ball, and now both of us are on one side
of the court, and the left side of this court happens to be open.
Number three, since we are both on the
same side of the court, it makes it more difficult for my partner, Dayne, to move.
I've got him pinned behind the shot.
So now you've seen four instances when the
forehand shouldn't take the middle, when it's not the best shot for your team, when
you're crossing over, you're pulling your arm away from your body, you're leaving a
portion of the court open, and you're pinning your partner behind the line along
with you, potentially causing another positional disadvantage.
So should the forehand take the middle?
Sometimes.
But it's not an absolute.
Now, if you'd like to learn more about the Respect the X, and other times when the
forehand should take the middle, click on this link right over here.
Because together we can train smart, live bold, and age well.