The Erne gets attention because of how it finishes. A player suddenly moves outside the kitchen, gets beside the net, and attacks a ball that would normally have been played from behind the kitchen line.

Ask players what they warm up before pickleball and the knees and shoulders usually get plenty of attention. There may be a few knee bends, some arm circles, perhaps a stretch or two before everyone starts hitting.

Four points can disappear quickly in pickleball. Maybe you were ahead 7-3 and suddenly it is 7-7. Maybe a close game has turned into a three- or four-point deficit.

Long rallies create a strange kind of pressure. Nothing may be going particularly wrong, but after the ball crosses the net enough times, somebody starts feeling as though something needs to happen.

A ball coming across the net does not become a forehand, backhand, speedup, or dink when it reaches the paddle. Your brain has been gathering information about it since it left your opponent's paddle.

There is a point in learning the third-shot drop when simply getting the ball into the kitchen feels like a victory. The return comes deep, you manage to soften the third, it clears the net, lands in the non-volley zone, and suddenly you have time to move forward.

Fast exchanges at the kitchen can make it feel as though there is only one choice: keep hitting faster until somebody loses the battle.