In partnership with

Finally serious about losing weight?

Ready to lose weight with a plan that actually works? MedVi provides highly effective GLP-1 treatments, personalized guidance, and everything you need to see real, consistent fat-loss results.

There are no membership fees, nothing confusing, and no insurance required. Just one simple, science-backed program that helps you get healthier each week.

Start today for only $179 and get free shipping.

Take the Assessment

_{Read all warnings before using GLP-ls. Side-effects may include a risk of thyroid c-cell tumors. Do not use GLP-1s if you or your family have a history of thyroid cancer. In certain situations, where clinically appropriate, a provider may prescribe compounded medication, which is prepared by a state-licensed sterile compounding pharmacy partner. Although compounded drugs are permitted to be prescribed under federal law, they are not FDA-approved and do not undergo FDA review for safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality.}

Hey Picklebackers! 🏓✨

Most pickleball advice about the middle stops at one sentence: “Forehand takes it.”

That rule works—until it doesn’t.

At the 4.0+ level, points aren’t lost because someone chose the wrong side. They’re lost because the middle wasn’t owned. Speed-ups arrive faster, hands battles are shorter, and hesitation gets punished immediately.

This issue breaks down how high-level teams actually control the middle—not by etiquette, but by roles, geometry, and trust. If you’ve ever felt like the middle is where rallies go to die, this is your reset.

1. Ownership beats “forehand rule”

At 4.0+, forehand-takes-middle is too simple and often wrong.

What replaces it

Pre-assigned middle ownership (≈60/40 or 70/30)

Before the match, decide who:

• Controls speed-ups through the middle

• Takes hands battles

• Initiates poaches

Usually this is the player with:

• Better hands and counters

• Better reset under pressure

• Stronger decision-making (not just power)

The partner protects:

• The line

• Counter-attacks off speed-ups

2. Kitchen line: pressure geometry

Default positioning

• Both players:

  • Inside foot pointed toward middle

  • Paddle head slightly inside the middle seam

• Outside foot protects the sideline late, not early

Coverage rule

If the ball enters the middle below net height:

• Middle owner takes it, forehand or backhand
  If it’s above net height:

• Best attacking angle takes it (often the inside player)

Hesitation = lost hands battle at this level.

3. Speed-up defense (huge at 4.0+)

Cross-court defender rule

On middle speed-ups:

• Cross-court defender owns the counter

  • Better margin

  • Can attack opponent’s middle shoulder

• Down-the-line player:

  • Sits on passing shots

  • Covers the sideline flick

This alone stops many 4.0+ teams from bleeding points.

4. Transition zone: dynamic shifting

When one player is:

• Resetting

• Off-balance

• Moving laterally

The partner:

• Slides into the middle

• Narrows the seam

• Buys time for the reset

Think accordion:

• One goes wide → other compresses middle

• Both set → return to neutral spacing

5. Poaching is planned, not reactive

When to poach middle

• Opponent hits a backhand dink

• Opponent’s paddle is below the ball

• Ball trajectory is flat or rising

Partner’s job

• Automatically slides to cover the vacated line

• No verbal call needed if pre-agreed

This is a trust system, not a reaction system.

Wall Street’s Morning Edge.

Investing isn’t about chasing headlines — it’s about clarity. In a world of hype and hot takes, The Daily Upside delivers real value: sharp, trustworthy insights on markets, business, and the economy, written by former bankers and seasoned financial journalists.

That’s why over 1 million investors — from Wall Street pros to Main Street portfolio managers — start their day with The Daily Upside.

Invest better. Read The Daily Upside.

Subscribe free today.

6. Righty–lefty teams (if applicable)

• Both forehands in the middle

• Middle becomes your offensive engine

• Assign:

  • One primary attacker

  • One reset/defense specialist

Most points should be won through the middle, not avoided.

7. Communication at 4.0+

Less talking during points, more planning between points.

Use:

• “I’ve got middle on speed-ups”

• “You take flicks; I’ll sit middle”

• “I’ll poach backhand dinks”

During points:

• Only emergency calls

8. One elite drill

Middle Pressure Drill

• Both teams at kitchen

• Feeder attacks middle 70% of balls

• Defenders:

  • Pre-assign middle owner

  • Reset → counter → attack sequence

This drill builds instinct and trust.

4.0+ takeaway

• Middle coverage is strategy, not etiquette

• Assign roles

• Defend middle first

• Win points through the middle, don’t just survive it

If you want, tell me:

• Fixed partner or mixed

• Righty/lefty combo

• Where you struggle most (hands, resets, poaches)

I can dial this into a match-ready middle plan for you.

Easy setup, easy money

Your time is better spent creating content, not managing ad campaigns. Google AdSense's automatic ad placement and optimization handles the heavy lifting for you, ensuring the highest-paying, most relevant ads appear on your site.

Earn with Google AdSense

At 4.0+, the middle isn’t neutral ground—it’s the battlefield.

Winning teams don’t “respect” the middle. They assign it, defend it first, and attack through it with intention. If your partnership feels reactive, leaky, or unsure in hands battles, it’s rarely about mechanics. It’s about clarity. Middle coverage is a strategy, not a courtesy.

Decide who owns it—and start winning points there instead of surviving them.

Dill-lighfully yours,
Your PICKLEBACKCLUB Team 🥒🎾

_{Check out our previous posts…}