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Tip of the day

The Pickleball Trick Every Amateur Is Missing (Never Blow Leads)

Leads get blown because the team that built the lead stops doing the thing that built it. Pickleball is a game of habits, and a player with a weak backhand at 0-0 still has a weak backhand at 9-4.

Cracked Pickleball cycles through three probes early and then commits to whichever one is winning points. Target one opponent's backhand, and if that one holds up, target the other player's backhand.

If neither backhand cracks, hit the middle, because middle balls force two opponents to communicate and give them fewer angles to attack from. The third probe is a lob, since plenty of players have never trained an overhead, and a lob that works becomes your safety net at 9-4.

The second cause of blown leads is unforced errors, and they come from either coasting or suddenly trying too much. The fix is to make your serve, your return and your third shot the three most boring shots on the court.

Every serve goes in, deep, with a bounce that pushes your opponent back. Aim about a paddle length above the net so the ball carries deep, and add height and spin so it kicks up around their hips or stomach instead of their knees.

Returns go deep and to the middle, not down the line and not at a weak spot. Third shots go simple and high toward the middle of the court so the other team has to create the offense and the errors.

Momentum is the next lever, and you control it with the clock between points. When you are winning, retrieve the ball at a hustle and serve quickly to keep your rhythm going.

When they are winning, do the reverse and take your time getting ready, using a towel on the fence as a legal mini timeout. Stay respectful about it, but use the full time you are allowed to break their rhythm.

Communication is the piece that quietly drops off when you are ahead. Call "you" or "me" on middle balls, say "back" or "switch" when a lob goes over your head, and talk through what is working between points.

Closing out is physical before it is mental. Get lower and more athletic than you were at the start, split step before every ball, breathe deeply between points, and watch the ball all the way to contact.

Key points

A player with a weak backhand at 0-0 still has a weak backhand at 9-4.
Cycle through your probes early, then commit to whichever one is winning points.
Add height and spin to your serve so it kicks up around their hips instead of their knees.
Hit your returns deep and to the middle, not down the line and not at a weak spot.
Retrieve the ball at a hustle and serve quickly while you are winning.

Watch the full tutorial here.