The ATP in Pickleball: What Around the Post Means, Why It Is Legal and How to Defend It

An ATP, short for "around the post", is a shot that travels around the outside of the net post instead of over the net. It does not come up often, and it surprises a lot of players the first time they see one land in.

What is an ATP?

An ATP happens when a ball bounces in and then carries so far past the sideline that you can reach it beside or beyond the net post. Instead of hitting back over the net, you send it around the outside of the post so it lands in your opponents' court.

Because the ball goes around the post, it does not have to clear the top of the net. It can travel low, just above the ground, which makes it very hard to reach.

The ATP is a cousin of the Erne. Both are played out beside the post. The Erne is a volley, while an ATP is often hit after the ball has bounced and pulled you wide.

Why the ATP is legal

Here are the key points from the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook:

• The ball does not have to go over the net. A ball may be returned around the outside of the net post (Rule 13.C). The rule does not say it has to be higher than the net.
• It must land in. As with any shot, the ball has to land on your opponents' end of the court.
• Not between the net and the post. A ball hit through the gap between the net and the post is a fault.
• Do not clip the post. If your shot hits the net post or any other part of the net support system on your side of the net, it is a fault (Rule 13.B).

You are also allowed to leave the court to chase the ball. Nothing in the rules keeps you inside the lines. The limits are about the net and your opponents:

• Do not touch the net or post while the ball is live.
• Do not step onto your opponents' court while the ball is live.
• Do not cross the plane of the net before you hit. The rulebook defines the plane of the net as extending to both sides of the net, so it still applies when you are out wide past the post. You may cross it only on your follow-through after contact (Rules 13.I and 13.I.1).

When is an ATP possible?

You cannot force an ATP. It only becomes possible when your opponent sends a ball very wide, usually:

• A sharp crosscourt dink that bounces in the kitchen and keeps carrying out past the sideline.
• A wide angled volley or roll that pulls you off the court.

Patient crosscourt dinking is where most ATP chances come from, so a good dinking game comes first. You also need space. On courts with a fence, a bench or another court close to the sideline, there may not be room to get out wide safely.

How to hit an ATP

1. Read the angle early. As soon as you see a sharp crosscourt ball, start moving wide.
2. Let it bounce and run it down. Chase the ball outside the sideline and get beside or past it.
3. Stay on your side. Watch the net post and the plane of the net. Do not touch the post or reach across before contact.
4. Hit low and flat. Keep the paddle face steady and push the ball past the outside of the post, aiming down the line or into the open court.
5. Get back. After the shot, recover toward the court in case it comes back.

A paddle that is easy to control on short swings helps here. The Mademoiselle and Monsieur paddles use a T700 carbon fiber face with a textured grit surface over a 16mm core. The Movemint I and Movemint II use a T300 smooth carbon fiber face.

How to defend an ATP

The best defense is not giving your opponents the angle in the first place.

• Do not overcook the crosscourt dink. A dink that lands deep in the kitchen near the sideline and keeps going wide is the ball that sets up an ATP. Aim a little more toward the middle.
• Cover the line. If you see your opponent running wide, the player on that side should guard the sideline closest to the post, where many ATPs land.
• Stay ready low. An ATP often stays close to the ground. Keep your paddle down and in front of you.
• Use the lob as a change of pace. Mixing in an occasional lob stops opponents from creeping in to attack your dinks at sharp angles.

Key takeaways

• An ATP is a shot hit around the outside of the net post instead of over the net.
• It is legal under the rules, and it does not have to clear the height of the net.
• You may run outside the court to hit it, but do not touch the net or post, step on your opponents' court, or cross the plane of the net before contact.
• Defend it by keeping crosscourt dinks away from the sideline and covering the line.