If you’re matched up against a couple of six-footers, the pickleball court can start to feel small. Where do you even place the ball?

Well, there’s always one spot on the court that is undoubtedly the safest for ball placement.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper even made a song about it back in 2018: we’re talking about the shallow.

The safest place on court is a soft dink dropped just over the middle of the net, shallow in the NVZ (kitchen). Something that doesn’t bounce high enough to attack.

This accomplishes two things:

• It makes them move. Your opponents have to crash into the kitchen and then retreat back out when they field this shot.
• It’s hard to attack. There is not much room for them to be aggressive when they return this shot. This can buy you time or help set up the next shot.

They will likely reciprocate with a soft, shallow dink of their own. But here is where you have the advantage. You know that soft dink is on the way. You’re prepared to slide into the kitchen, whereas they had to scramble.

If they leave their response even just a little high, speed up at the player who is trying to retreat. If they don't float one, you can still try an aggressive dink angle on your next shot...or take them off guard with another "safe" ball placement.

Make friends with the shallow kitchen dink and feel free to sing along with Gaga while you do it.

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