Shoulders are a hot topic on the pickleball court. "Aim for their right shoulder." "Dink from the shoulder." "Crap, I tore my rotator cuff."
Let's take it a step further and talk about shoulder height, and how it can impact your game.
1) Maintain shoulder height throughout your drive to keep it from sailing long. One of the fundamentals of a consistent groundstroke is maintaining shoulder height throughout the swing.
If you're an amateur player that likes to jump up on a big forehand, chances are that ball is going to the back fence. Keep your knees bent and your shoulders on one plane through the swing.
2) Lower your shoulders at the NVZ. Use the net to protect your body from the attacks of opponents. Get lower in an athletic stance. This position helps you:
- Identify balls that are going out
- Reach a dink that is headed for your toes
- Become a smaller target for opponents to hit with speedup
- Better assess whether you have an optimal angle for a speedup of your own
Let's face it, most people forget to bend their knees enough on-court. But if you think about lowering your shoulders, maybe you can trick yourself into good form.
Read Next: Ball Up, Paddle Down: How to Return a Smash in Pickleball
