Prefer to watch the video on this topic instead of reading it? Here’s the link to the YouTube video version.

What On Earth Is An Erne?

In Pickleball, an Erne is a striking position where you run around or jump over the kitchen to catch your opponent off guard and hit the ball. 

How To Use This Move Legally:

Ah, welcome back to our favorite part of these blogs… The good ol’ Pickleball LAW.

First things first, if you step in or on the kitchen line or sideline while trying to Erne, that’s illegal. So it’s important to watch your step. 

Second, if you go for an Erne, and your paddle hits the net from your follow-through, that’s also illegal and you lose the point immediately.

Lastly, and this is one thing that causes confusion among players, so read closely.

After you make contact with the ball on your Erne, you can cross the plane of the net with your paddle or body. However, if you ever cross the plane of the net with your paddle or ball before making contact with the ball, that’s illegal. 

Now, let’s get into 3 different “reads” for when you should make the move to Erne against your opponents...

READ #1 — Head Down - Back Foot Erne

The most important thing to understand about the Head Down – Back Foot read and these upcoming reads is to focus on the positioning of your opponent.

Once you see them in that specific position, a signal should fire in your head, “It’s Erne Time.”

Now let’s say we’re in a doubles match on different teams. If me or my partner hit a down the line or cross-court dink, and we catch you on your back foot with your head down…

…that’s a prime trigger to go Erne because they’re off balance, have lost vision and will typically hit a “reset dink” down the line.

When you start to identify this read in rec play, you’ll most likely make one mistake:

You’ll identify they’re on their backfoot with their head down and you’ll go for the Erne too soon.  

That’s okay! 

Step one is just going for it when you think it might be there.
Step two is all about timing (and this applies to all three reads). 

Pro-tip: Wait as long as you can to go for the Erne after you recognize “It’s Erne time.” In many cases, waiting until after your opponent makes contact with the ball is a good judge of if you went too soon or not. 

Let’s Talk About Footwork

Nailing down your footwork is crucial to get good at the Erne. Here’s why! When you’re at the kitchen, things happen fast. So you have to be ready to strike when the right moment comes.

Now, there are 2 different levels of footwork when going for your strike attack.

Level 1 — Going Around The Kitchen

The simplest way to put it, going around the kitchen is usually a 4-step process, And typically, before you make your first movement. Both feet are facing perpendicular to the kitchen line. Then, when you go to Erne, you’d run around the kitchen using these 4 steps. 

Step 1: Left foot. 

Step 2: Right foot.

Step 3: Left foot. 

Step 4: Hit 

And you want to end up with your feet perpendicular to the sideline as best as you can. 

Level 2 —Jump Over The Kitchen

Hopping over the kitchen takes a bit more athleticism to pull off.

OO, and just a reminder, this is 100% legal as long as your feet don’t touch the kitchen line or the sideline.

When I do it on the left side as a right-hander, I jump off my left foot and make contact with the ball milliseconds before I land outside the sideline on my right foot. 

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READ #2 — Split Line Erne 

Let’s chat about the second Erne read in Pickleball — the Split Line Erne. 

Typically, when the opponent's left-side player crosses the split line to dink the ball, they hit an inside-out forehand back over to the left-side player's backhand. It’s rare for them to dink middle or pull the ball back to the right-side player.

So when you see the opponent cross the split, be thinking, “It’s Erne Time.”

Then, initiate level 2 footwork. This is the most common Erne I hit at the pro level, but it does require more athleticism to jump through the kitchen on this read. 

READ #3 — Baseline Drop Erne 

Let’s go over the 3rd Erne Pickleball read — the Baseline Drop Erne. 

The great thing about this Erne is you can pull it off early in the rally.

Here’s how you know when to go for it. If your opponents hit their 3rd shot drop over to the left side player's backhand (seen in image below), be thinking, “It’s Erne Time.”

The truth is, hitting your 3rd shot to the left side player's backhand is typically a good location to hit. Often, the person receiving that 3rd shot drop has less offense over there with their backhand.

BUT, if you get good at the baseline drop Erne, you’ll you’ll shrink the court and take away that option for your opponent to hit their 3rd shot drop to that location. 

And in turn, you can protect your backhand if that is one of your weaker shots in pickleball. 

Your Pickleball Erne Masterclass Is Complete 

Looks like you’ve earned your medal of Erne(or)... No? I’ll stop. 😂

Anyways, you’re now equipped with all the info needed to add this useful Pickleball weapon to your arsenal.

But as you know, just reading or watching a video isn’t enough. You have to go out and practice when you’re on court. 

OO, remember earlier how I mentioned that opponents will try to use your backhand against you if they spot it as a weakness?

If you wanna catch your friends or foes off their guard with your new & improved backhand... 

Click right here for a video to quickly level up your Pickleball backhand skills!