Why It's Important to Stay at the Kitchen Line in Pickleball

One of the most significant differences between tennis and Pickleball is the non-volley-zone affectionately called the kitchen by players. It is the area seven feet from the net on both sides of the court. As the saying goes, you need to stay out of the kitchen. Well, sort of as you cannot go in the kitchen to hit a volley which is a ball struck in the air. You cannot even go into the kitchen after you contact the ball if hit in the air. You can, however, move into the kitchen and hit the ball if you have first let it bounce. While you do not want to stand in the kitchen because of this Pickleball rule, you want to stand just beyond the kitchen line. Unfortunately, I often see players move back from the non-volley-zone line when they do not need to, so let us explore why this happens.

In talking with players, some move back from the kitchen line because they are afraid of getting hit by the ball. The result is that they are usually hit more frequently because as they move back, they do not keep their paddle in front of them. And really, the paddle is your best defense to aid in not getting hit by the ball when in a fast rally.

The second reason for moving back from the kitchen line is because the player comes from a tennis background, and they feel more comfortable hitting from the baseline. Unfortunately, it is challenging to win a rally from the baseline if playing at a competitive level. It is because the Pickleball court is much smaller than a tennis court. So, it is more difficult to hit a groundstroke for a winner.

All in all, it is better to hold your ground at the kitchen line, especially for those new to the game or players without a lot of mobility. And if you are keeping the ball low over the net, it is difficult for your opponent to be offensive. So you do not want to move back as this is taking you out of position to win the rally. At higher levels of play, you do want to move deeper in the court if you hit your opponent a high ball and they have an offensive opportunity. However, you want to work your way back up to the kitchen line as soon as you can to get back in the point.