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Tip of the day
Tennis players pick pickleball up fast and then stall out around 4.0. The reason is almost always a tennis habit that still feels correct.
The clearest one shows up at the kitchen line. When a dink comes to your forehand side, tennis footwork tells you to step the back foot out and then step in with the opposite foot.
On a court this small there is no time for that. Keep your chest parallel to the net and side shuffle your body behind the ball instead.
Load the outside leg and push forward from there. That is all the power a dink needs, and you stay square for whatever comes back.
The volley changes too. Instead of the tennis punch volley with slice on it, reach the paddle in, push your hips back to counterbalance, and roll the ball from low to high with topspin.
That reach is what keeps your feet out of the kitchen while the paddle still gets under the ball.
Your swing shrinks as well. Keep the paddle in front of your body when you attack and cut the follow through short, because at this level another ball is always coming back.
Three more habits worth naming. Banging from the baseline instead of learning the third shot drop, rushing through the transition zone instead of resetting from it, and hunting clean winners on a court two people can easily cover.
Key points
Keep your chest parallel to the net and side shuffle behind the ball instead of stepping your back foot out.
Load your outside leg and push forward, which is all the power a dink needs.
Replace the tennis punch volley with a roll volley: reach in, push your hips back, and brush from low to high.
Keep the paddle in front of you and cut the follow through short, because another ball is always coming back.
Learn the third shot drop instead of trying to bang your way up to the kitchen.
Deal of the day
Meme of the day
Obsessed 🤣
That’s it for today! As always, thank you for reading. 🙏
What did you think of today’s newsletter? Please reply with how you think I can improve. I read your feedback and appreciate all of it (for real)! 😄
Happy pickling,
Paul
