An Erne (pronounced “Ernie”) is a pickleball volley hit from outside the sideline, next to the non-volley zone, also called the kitchen. Instead of staying behind the kitchen line, the player jumps across the corner of the kitchen or runs around it, lands with both feet out of bounds beside the net, and hits the ball out of the air before it bounces. Players usually try it after an opponent dinks the ball along the sideline, because it lets them strike the ball very close to the net, often for a winning shot.
The shot is legal because the rules only forbid volleying while touching the non-volley zone. Under the USA Pickleball rulebook, it is a fault if the volleying player touches the zone or its line during the volley, including follow-through and momentum, and a player who has been in the zone must get both feet completely outside it before volleying. The name comes from Erne Perry, who made the move popular; videographer Jeff Shank coined the term at the 2010 USAPA National tournament in Arizona after watching Perry win rallies with it.
Sources: PickleballMAX: Pickleball Erne Shot and 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook, Section 9
Image: Pickleball courts at the Harry B. Anderson Tennis Center, photo by GA Kevin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.