The Erne is pickleball’s great loophole, and a perfectly legal one. The kitchen stops you volleying from inside the non-volley zone, but the zone stops at the sideline. Stand outside the court beside the kitchen and you can volley a ball right next to the net without breaking any rule.
How it works
You move outside the sideline, level with the kitchen, and volley a ball travelling down the line, usually a dink that your opponent hits along your sideline. You’re as close to the net as you would be standing in the kitchen, which means you can put the ball away at a sharp angle.
The two legal ways to get there
- Around the corner: step out of bounds and walk around the outside of the kitchen, never touching it.
- Over the corner: jump across the corner of the kitchen and land outside the court. You must not touch the kitchen or its line on the way.
And the trap: if you step through the kitchen to get there, both feet must be re-established on the ground outside it before you volley. Hitting the volley while you’re still crossing is a fault.
When to try one
- When your opponent keeps dinking straight down your sideline.
- When they’re out of position on that side, so a sharp angle finishes the point.
- When you’ve practised it. A failed Erne leaves you out of court and out of the rally.
Defending against an Erne
Stop hitting predictable dinks down the line to a player who’s been eyeing it. Mix in cross-court dinks, and if you see an opponent start to drift wide, a dink into the middle leaves them stranded.
Not sure where the kitchen line starts and stops? The kitchen field guide covers every edge case. For the other shot that uses the space beside the court, see the ATP.