Have you ever wanted to hit an Erne but just don’t know how to get it done effectively while keeping it a legal shot?
In this video we cover 3 ways to hit a legal Erne in pickleball.
Getting the footwork and timing down is critical to hitting a successful Erne.
We’re going to go over the three ways to hit a legal Erne.
We’ll cover the proper footwork and timing in order to stay legal and hit effective Ernie’s.
This is the video for the three ways to hit an Erne.
What Is An Erne?
First of all, what is an Erne?
The Erne refers to a shot that the player hits from the side of the non-volley zone where their feet are outside of the court but where they are hitting the ball (making contact) above the kitchen. So, on the sideline out of the non-volley zone.
You’ll see me hit some Erne’s as we progress in the video (see video at top of post).
#1 – Roundabout Erne
The very first way to hit an Erne takes more time because you’re going to go have to go all the way around the kitchen and then contact and hit the Erne from the side of the NVZ as we mentioned above. This is the roundabout Erne.
My feet never even go across or in the kitchen so it’s a very safe shot.
I’m making sure my feet are planted outside of the court.
#2 – Crossing The Kitchen
The second way to hit an Erne is going across, going through, the kitchen.
You really want to be careful when you’re doing this to make sure that when you go through you have both feet planted before you contact the ball. That’s what’s going to make it a legal Erne.
There’s just a few other things that you have to make sure you do to keep your Erne legal.
Make sure your contact is before the plane of the net. It’s okay if your follow-through comes over the net after contact as long as that contact was made before the plane of the net.
After you hit that Erne the momentum rule still applies just like if you were taking volleys from the net. Let’s say you have both feet planted, you make contact before the net and then you fall in the kitchen then that’s a violation. So, you want to make sure you plant your feet and that you’re balanced and then hit the shot and follow-through.
#3 – Jumping Over The Kitchen
The third and final way to hit our Erne for which you’re going to need a good amount of athletic ability is to jump over the kitchen and land outside the sidelines of the kitchen and hit through that Erne.
You’ll see a lot of top 500 players do this.
This is one that comes with the most surprise because when you’re dinking with somebody you’re barely going to see them do it and next the you know the point is over.
The same rules apply except that you will hit the ball while you’re in the air so your feet don’t have to be planted outside of the sidelines but they do have to land there.
I want to make sure my contact point is before the plane of the net and that I’m making sure I’m landing outside the non-volley zone and that I’m not falling into the non-volley zone which would be a point for the other team. I also want to make sure I’m not hitting the net or touching the net.
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Happy Pickeling!
