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Quick Pickleball Strategy Part 4: Bait and Erne

TLDR: Bait opponent and follow through with an Erne.

This requires control. You’re pinpointing your dink to a kitchen corner, preferably your opponent’s weak side. Don’t forget to take note if they are left-handed or right-handed before the match!

Once you dink the ball into the corner on your opponent’s weak side, get ready to pounce, but also take a fraction of a second to analyze their reaction. Were they surprised? Are they scrambling and the ball is getting behind them? If so, get ready to leap over the corner of the kitchen to give the ball a swift slap back over the net for a point.

I’ve found doing this to my opponent’s backhand usually results with them crossing over and turning to hit the ball with a backhand. This inevitably results in a pop up, and I leap to put that ball away quickly.

If you’re in the St. Charles or St. Louis, Missouri areas, don’t forget to book a lesson!