What is an ATP?

In pickleball, the acronym ATP stands for “around the post”, and it refers to a shot that goes around the net post to land legally in the court. For such a shot, the ball doesn’t actually have to clear the net, since it is going around the side. This is legal under pickleball rules, as long as the ball strikes the court within the lines before hitting anything else. Hitting an ATP shot isn’t something you are likely to do often, but it’s good to know that it is an option if the need arises in the middle of a point. 

Knowing Your Options

The ATP shot really isn’t something you plan on playing during a match. After all, you can only use it when the shot of your opponent takes you far enough off the court to open up such an angle. So, instead of having this as part of your game plan, you’ll just want to know that it’s an option should the situation come up. If you find yourself racing off the side of the court to return a shot, you don’t need to force the ball back up over the net – you could just hit a low shot down the line and hope to sneak it inside the court before your opponent has a chance to react. 

Knowing the Rules

There is another good reason to understand the ATP shot – to quickly settle any disagreements out on the court. If you or your teammate executes a successful ATP shot, and the other team argues that the shot isn’t legal, you’ll know better. Kindly inform them that it is perfectly legal to play the ball around the post, and the shot counts as good if it hits the court like any other shot.