I have just started playing pickelball and would love some general feedback on my form/technique so I can improve rapidly.
Hi Thomas. I shot this short video to illustrate some of the points I made earlier this morning. Take good care. Coach Mark
Thomas, I stopped the video here to recommend an adjustment in your dinking technique. The adjustment focuses on the "shot ready position" of your paddle. Here, the shot ready position of your paddle is to the side of your body. Believe it or not, it's too much of a "backswing." Dinking requires us to keep the arm/hand/paddle in front of our body and our knees. Otherwise, we take too much of a swing. The result is loss of control ... we lift the ball up too high, hit it too deep, or miss our target and perhaps, an opportunity to put pressure on the other player. One of the "core mechanics" in pickleball is: make contact in front. This small adjustment in paddle ready or shot ready position will make a big difference in the quality of your dinks, dink volleys, and punch volleys.
Again, keep that arm, hand, and paddle in front .... shot ready position is critical for controlling the height, depth, and placement of our shots.
Thomas, I have the same feedback for you on the backhand side. Good shot ready position for a mid-court drop or baseline drive, but too much "backswing" for action at the non-volley line. This is a big shift for players who might have played tennis, squash, or racquetball prior to pickleball.
I stopped the video here to illustrate the semi-open stance you're using to hit the backhand dink. Your chest is not facing the wall/player straight ahead. It's at a 45 degree angle. Not bad, but different than the completely open stance you use on the forehand side. Again, this footwork and body position causes our arm to be taken back too far and not make contact in front of our knee and body. It also makes it more difficult to recover and get back into position for the next shot. In pickleball, these little things matter because players are so close at the non-volley line. You want to be challenging the technique of other players, not be in a vulnerable position yourself.
Nice open stance for hittiing this volley. However, you drew back your arm and elbow just a bit. I'm stopping the video here to reinforce that core mechanic of hitting the ball in front. Contact point is very important. Too close to your body and you start to play what I call "t-rex pickleball." Too far from your body, you start to reach and play what I call "frankenstein pickleball." You don't want to jam yourself or reach for balls. By the way, reaching is the #1 cause of unforced errors in pickleball.
Excellent example of hitting the in front with minimal "take back" or "follow through." A great way to remember these adjustments in your technique at the non-volley line is: "less is more."
Square up if you are dinkiing at the non-volley line. The semi-open stance is good for drop shots from mid-court and baseline. In my on-court coaching, I refer to drops as nothing more than "long or longer dinks." The only difference is a slight shift in our footwork and body position to help lift the ball over the net and control height and depth.
At this point of the video, you are "stepping back" from the imaginary non-volley line. Sometimes, we have to do that, no doubt. However, you want to avoid giving up position at the non-volley line. Hit a short hop or dink volley. These shots are referred to as "reset shots." Even though the ball is slow (or slower) than a hard and fast shot, you want to stand your ground and take the ball in the air. This will take time away from your opponent and put you in the driver's seat.
Thomas, I often ask my clients to become "students of trajectory." That is, watch the trajectory of the shot you hit as well as the trajectory of balls coming to you and your partner. This will allow you to adjust your swing path. Every swing we make in pickleball has a "path." Hitting dinks and drops and high/deep returns requires us to use a "low-to-high" swing path. If we want to drive the ball and keep it low over the net, a "level" swing path. And if we are attacking a high ball at the non-volley line, a "high-to-low" swing path. A low to high swing path requires you to drop the head of your paddle and lift up a bit more. You'll then see the ball rise up and then "drop" into the kitchen. This trajectory is why we describe these shots as "drops." You can think of dinks as nothing more than "short drops." If you have any questions, you can email me at mdllivingston@gmail.com. Thanks Thomas for sendiing in the video.
Hi Thomas. I shot this short video to illustrate some of the points I made earlier this morning. Take good care. Coach Mark
Thomas, I stopped the video here to recommend an adjustment in your dinking technique. The adjustment focuses on the "shot ready position" of your paddle. Here, the shot ready position of your paddle is to the side of your body. Believe it or not, it's too much of a "backswing." Dinking requires us to keep the arm/hand/paddle in front of our body and our knees. Otherwise, we take too much of a swing. The result is loss of control ... we lift the ball up too high, hit it too deep, or miss our target and perhaps, an opportunity to put pressure on the other player. One of the "core mechanics" in pickleball is: make contact in front. This small adjustment in paddle ready or shot ready position will make a big difference in the quality of your dinks, dink volleys, and punch volleys.
Again, keep that arm, hand, and paddle in front .... shot ready position is critical for controlling the height, depth, and placement of our shots.
Thomas, I have the same feedback for you on the backhand side. Good shot ready position for a mid-court drop or baseline drive, but too much "backswing" for action at the non-volley line. This is a big shift for players who might have played tennis, squash, or racquetball prior to pickleball.
I stopped the video here to illustrate the semi-open stance you're using to hit the backhand dink. Your chest is not facing the wall/player straight ahead. It's at a 45 degree angle. Not bad, but different than the completely open stance you use on the forehand side. Again, this footwork and body position causes our arm to be taken back too far and not make contact in front of our knee and body. It also makes it more difficult to recover and get back into position for the next shot. In pickleball, these little things matter because players are so close at the non-volley line. You want to be challenging the technique of other players, not be in a vulnerable position yourself.
Nice open stance for hittiing this volley. However, you drew back your arm and elbow just a bit. I'm stopping the video here to reinforce that core mechanic of hitting the ball in front. Contact point is very important. Too close to your body and you start to play what I call "t-rex pickleball." Too far from your body, you start to reach and play what I call "frankenstein pickleball." You don't want to jam yourself or reach for balls. By the way, reaching is the #1 cause of unforced errors in pickleball.
Excellent example of hitting the in front with minimal "take back" or "follow through." A great way to remember these adjustments in your technique at the non-volley line is: "less is more."
Square up if you are dinkiing at the non-volley line. The semi-open stance is good for drop shots from mid-court and baseline. In my on-court coaching, I refer to drops as nothing more than "long or longer dinks." The only difference is a slight shift in our footwork and body position to help lift the ball over the net and control height and depth.
At this point of the video, you are "stepping back" from the imaginary non-volley line. Sometimes, we have to do that, no doubt. However, you want to avoid giving up position at the non-volley line. Hit a short hop or dink volley. These shots are referred to as "reset shots." Even though the ball is slow (or slower) than a hard and fast shot, you want to stand your ground and take the ball in the air. This will take time away from your opponent and put you in the driver's seat.
Thomas, I often ask my clients to become "students of trajectory." That is, watch the trajectory of the shot you hit as well as the trajectory of balls coming to you and your partner. This will allow you to adjust your swing path. Every swing we make in pickleball has a "path." Hitting dinks and drops and high/deep returns requires us to use a "low-to-high" swing path. If we want to drive the ball and keep it low over the net, a "level" swing path. And if we are attacking a high ball at the non-volley line, a "high-to-low" swing path. A low to high swing path requires you to drop the head of your paddle and lift up a bit more. You'll then see the ball rise up and then "drop" into the kitchen. This trajectory is why we describe these shots as "drops." You can think of dinks as nothing more than "short drops." If you have any questions, you can email me at mdllivingston@gmail.com. Thanks Thomas for sendiing in the video.