Letting out balls go is a surefire way to improve your pickleball game. You can also look at it in the inverse: hitting out balls is a pickleball error.
Out ball recognition and avoidance is a skill that a 2.0 player can learn as well as any 5.0 player. The key is understanding the percentages of shots from different parts of the court. And also understanding the percentages of your likely results from hitting the balls.
You can watch this video (it is dull but totally worth it if you are serious about getting better).
And you can download the paper file – study it, it is important.
Spend time on this part of your game and you will happily let out balls sail by.
CJ Johnson
Hey there — I’m a professional three-sport athlete and coach who has spent my entire adult life earning a living from playing and coaching sports. Since I started coaching more than three decades ago, one thing has remained the same: My commitment to see students not as they are but as what they can become and to move heaven and earth to help them realize their untapped potential. You should know that when it comes to helping pickleball players over 50 live their best lives on and off the courts, I'm an expert. Good pickleball is not just technique; it's the mind and body working holistically. That's why I'm also a personal trainer and weight management specialist. When I’m chillin', you'll find me watching Star Trek with my husband John and our two fur babies, Shirley and Ralph. (Yes, Happy Days)