The ATP in Pickleball Doesn’t Have To Be Impossible

The “around the post” shot (ATP) is a classic fan favorite and can get the whole crowd roaring with approval. You see it a lot on the pro tour and occasionally at the highest levels of club play. It’s when the ball is wide enough that it becomes possible to send it outside of the net post into the opponent’s boundary. It’s a great way to punish cross court dinkers who get a little overzealous with their power levels and angles.

You may be thinking that it’s way too difficult for you, might as well leave it to the young buck professionals. It does come off as an advanced trick shot, I can’t deny that. But, I would argue with a little patience and ball recognition, as well as some extra footwork, you too can be a quality ATPer even if you aren’t blasting away on the PPA tour. 

Some quick tips:

1. The reception: look for cross court dinks that will second-bounce three feet outside of the sideline and in front of the non-volley zone (NVZ) line (imagine it were extended out past the sideline). This will provide the proper geometrical line to success. 
2. The patience: follow the ball with your footwork, but take about an extra second of time before you hit. The ball only needs to be a few inches off the ground as it’s falling for a proper contact. It’ll feel weird to wait that long, but that’s how it’s got to go! 
3. The footwork: you’ll need to take about two extra steps to get you in position. Stay balanced and set your feet if you can. Feel the burn! 
4. The technique: nothing too crazy needed here! Just extend through the ball and make sure the path and face of the paddle follows the target, which should generally be down the line.

There will definitely be times where you’ll clonk that pesky net post after an ATP attempt during play, when you could have simply just hit another normal dink and kept the rally going. But don’t give up! It’s a highly effective shot when done correctly as you may as well have seen. Get a partner to feed you some cross court dinks from a basket of balls and get some repetitions in! Twenty-five successes on each side is a good number to start setting in some muscle memory.

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