When to Let a Ball Go in Pickleball: Why Shoulder High Is Too High

Every rec player in New England knows the guy. He cannot dink, he will not reset, and his entire strategy is to hit the ball as hard as he can at your chest. And every week, he beats people he has no business beating — because they keep swinging at balls that were going out.

A breakdown published this week is putting a real number on the fix, and it is lower than most of us were taught.

When to let a ball go in pickleball: the 43-inch cutoff

The traditional coaching cue is “shoulder high, let it fly.” The point of the saying is sound: if a hard-driven ball reaches your shoulder while you are at the kitchen line, it is almost certainly sailing long. Nobody disputes that.

The problem, according to the breakdown, is that players treat shoulder height as the lowest height at which they are allowed to let a ball pass. It was never meant to be that. It was meant to be the point at which letting it go becomes obvious.

Coach Tony Roig (formerly In2Pickle) took a tape measure onto a court and worked out where the real threshold sits. The number he lands on is 43 inches off the playing surface. A hard-hit ball crossing your position at that height, when you are standing at the non-volley zone line, is very likely heading out of bounds. The analysis was reported by The Dink Pickleball on August 14, 2026.

How low is 43 inches, really?

This is where the number stops being abstract. Per the USA Pickleball rulebook, a regulation net measures 34 inches at the center strap and 36 inches at the sidelines.

So 43 inches is roughly seven inches above the net at the sideline, and nine above the center. Hold your hand out at net-tape height, raise it about a hand span, and that is the cutoff.

On most adults that lands somewhere between the belt and the bottom of the ribcage. It is nowhere near a shoulder. Which means the vast majority of us have been swinging at a large band of balls — everything from the waist to the collarbone — that we could have simply stepped away from.

Why do players swing at out balls anyway?

Three reasons, and I see all of them every week at open play:

• Panic. A ball arriving at pace triggers a reflex. Reflexes do not do geometry.
• No feedback loop. When you block an out ball back into play and win the point anyway, nothing tells you that you made an error. The scoreboard rewards the bad habit.
• Fear of being wrong. Letting a ball go feels like a decision you can be blamed for. Swinging feels like effort. Most players would rather lose the point trying.

That last one is the real culprit, and it is a mindset problem more than a technique problem. Taking a ball you should have let go is an unforced error you gift-wrapped.

What does this change for New England rec players?

More than you would think, because of where we play.

From November through March, most of us are indoors — gym floors, club courts, converted tennis buildings. Indoor conditions mean no wind, dead air, and a ball that carries more predictably. That is exactly the environment where a height-based rule works best, because nothing is going to knock a ball back down into the court at the last second.

Outdoors in the spring and fall, be more careful. A gusting headwind off the coast will drop a ball that looked long. If you are playing somewhere breezy, give yourself a few extra inches of margin before you let one pass.

How do you actually train the habit?

Reading a number does not change a reflex. Building it takes deliberate reps:

• Play a game where you may not volley anything above your waist. You will lose some points. You will also find out how many balls were going out.
• Have a partner drive at you and call “in” or “out” as it passes, before it lands. Then check. Do fifty and your eye recalibrates fast.
• Turn your shoulders and let it go past. Do not just freeze — a body turn gets your paddle out of the way and stops the reflex swing.
• Track the ball all the way to the ground. Most players stop watching once they decide not to hit it, which is how you never learn whether you were right.

If bangers are your specific problem, this pairs directly with our guide on how to beat bangers in pickleball and the mechanics of resetting a hard ball when it is genuinely in. For the net-line exchanges that follow, see winning hands battles.

Frequently asked questions

Is 43 inches an official rule?
No. It is a coaching guideline derived from on-court measurement, not anything in the USA Pickleball rulebook. Treat it as a sharper version of a rule of thumb, not a regulation.

Does the cutoff change depending on where I am standing?
Yes. The guideline assumes you are at or near the non-volley zone line. The further back you stand, the more room the ball has to drop, so a ball at that height may still land in.

What if I am shorter or taller than average?
That is exactly why a fixed measurement beats “shoulder high.” Shoulder height varies by nearly a foot across adult players. Forty-three inches does not.

Should I let balls go in windy conditions?
Be more conservative. Wind can push a long ball back down into the court. Outdoors in gusty conditions, add margin before you let one pass.

What is the fastest way to stop swinging at out balls?
Turn your shoulders instead of freezing. Getting the paddle physically out of the hitting path removes the option to swing, which is more reliable than trying to talk yourself out of it mid-rally.

The takeaway

You do not need a faster hand or a better paddle to beat the guy who hits everything hard. You need to stop helping him. Letting a ball go is not passive — it is the most efficient point you will ever win.

Next time you are at the line, picture the net tape and one hand span above it. That is your line.

— Jason Regan, Regan Family Pickleball

Reported from The Dink Pickleball, August 14, 2026, covering a breakdown by Tony Roig Pickleball. Net dimensions per the USA Pickleball rules summary.