There's this moment that happens to almost every pickleball player. You're at the kitchen line, someone fires a speedup right at your shoulder, and suddenly your arm contorts in a way that looks and feels like you must have just picked up a paddle for the first time.
You know the position. The dreaded chicken wing. It's awkward, it's weak, and the resulting shot usually ends with the ball either sailing long or dying in the net.
APP pro Jack Munro recently teamed up with up-and-comer Elliott Schupp to break down exactly why this happens and, more importantly, how to fix it.
Turns out, it's all about how you're positioned before the ball even comes at you.
The Problem With Sitting Backhand Here's what most amateur players do: they camp out in a backhand-ready position. Their paddle's already cocked to the left (for righties), and they're committed to hitting everything, and I mean everything, with a backhand counter.
Munro explains that while this approach has its merits (you don't have to think, you can take balls earlier if you slide correctly, and you eliminate the guesswork), it creates a massive vulnerability. When that speedup comes to your forehand side, you're stuck.
"If I get jammed in my chicken wing, then I'm just going to pop it up or shank it into the net." And there's another problem: when you slide to cover that forehand side with your backhand, you're out of position for the next ball. You've essentially given up court positioning to hit a shot that's ... FULL ARTICLE FOUND ON: https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/how-sitting-neutral-can-transform-your-counters-and-chop-the-chicken-wing-for-good/
