There are few things more unsettling in pickleball than seeing your opponent wind up for a shot and realizing the ball isn’t headed toward the court.

It’s headed toward you.

Not near you. Not past you. But directly at your chest… with the force of what seem like unresolved personal issues behind it.

Hello! You have just met a body bagger.

This week, Tracie talks with Coach Leia Miller about the players who don’t merely hit hard. They use the pickleball as ammunition, the paddle as a weapon—and you as the target.

Of course, not every shot at the head or body is malicious. Sometimes you have left a too-good-to-be-true ball sitting in your opponent’s favorite hitting zone and they just can’t help themselves! Sometimes the adrenaline takes over and someone attacks the ball in front of them without quite calculating that you are also right in front of them.  But sometimes a player appears to be trying to put the ball through you.

Leia’s first piece of advice is simple: Don’t give them the ammunition.

A high or poorly placed ball invites an attack. But if you do give your opponent something they can fire back, your paddle needs to be up and ready for self defense. It’s not just a paddle anymore. It’s your shield.

Before you block that incoming missile, however, consider one more possibility: it may be going out.

Hard shots aimed at your shoulders, chest or face often have enough speed (and not enough topspin) to keep traveling. Unless, of course, you wind up blocking the ball with your own body because you didn’t duck out of the way in time. Learning to read your opponent’s paddle and footwork can help you decide whether to block, duck or simply wave goodbye to a ball sailing out..

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Your best defense against a body bagger starts before they hit the ball. Avoid giving them an easy attack shot. Keep your paddle up for self-protection. Learn to recognize the shots that are headed out and get out of the way.

However, if someone is deliberately trying to intimidate or hurt you or other players then everyone on the court should feel empowered to speak up. You are not being a wimp for objecting to physical attacks with the ball. Recreational pickleball should be competitive, strategic and fun—but not an opportunity for someone to work through their personal issues at 40 miles per hour.

Note to you unapologetic body baggers out there. Feel free to out-dink us. Go ahead and outsmart us. Force us into an awkward, defensive position. Just don’t use us for target practice. And don’t you dare try to justify it by saying, “Hey, it’s really just a wiffle ball” when you have driven one smack into someone’s eye (more on eye protection in an upcoming episode!)

Share this with a body bagger who needs to put down the weapon and and tell them to SUBSCRIBE.

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