Pickleball Slang
Pickleball Slang
Around-The-Post (ATP)
A legal shot that travels outside the net posts. Its trajectory may be above or below the height of the net. Typically utilized when an opponent's shot bounces wide.
Banger
A player that hits mostly powerful drive shots.
Bert
A poach shot where a player crosses in front of their partner to execute an Erne on their partner's side of the court.
Body Shot or Tag
A shot that hits the body of an opposing player, often intentionally, thereby winning the point. Care should be taken to avoid the head, neck or face.
Erne
A volley hit near the net by a player positioned outside the court or in the process of leaping outside the court. A legally executed Erne shot allows a player to hit the ball closer to the net without stepping in the non-volley zone. Named for Erne Perry, the first person credited with using the shot in mainstream competitive play.
Golden Pickle
A Golden Pickle is when you beat a team 11-0 without losing the serve of the starting server (aka 11-0-start).
Nasty Nelson
Where the server intentionally hits the non-receiving opposing player closest to the net. Such a shot is always a fault for the receiving side of the net, and a point for the serving side, because the non-receiving player is not allowed to interfere with the serve in any way. Named for Timothy Nelson.
Pickled
When a team gets no points. Get out the salt and vinegar, you just lost 0-11.
Pickler
A pickleball player, particularly someone obsessed with the sport.
Scorpion
Where a player enters a deep squat to attack a chest-high ball with an overhead. Useful if you know a player is going to speed the ball up at your body.
Shake & Bake or Crush & Rush
A strategy used by the serving team on the third shot where one player (the shaker) drives the ball low and hard over the net while the other player (the baker) rushes to the net near the centerline. The intent is to pressure the opponent into making a weak volley or pop up shot that the "baker" can put-away.
Transition Zone
The area between the kitchen line and the baseline, but more specifically, the middle of this area that is notoriously hard to defend.
ATP
Bert
Erne
Scorpion