Pickleball Tip of Week #26

Hey all,

I have been up north the last couple of weeks. No PB for me :(.

This weeks tip will be on being unpredictable. Lets take one example. Before Timothy Nelson taught me the misdirect shot ( which we will discuss at a later date ) when ever i had an easy overhead smash while standing at the NVZ and my opponents were also at the NVZ here is how i would hit that overhead ( or easy smash ). The first one, i would usually hit it down the line.  The second time it would happen , I would also hit it down the line. Now my opponents have probably sensed a pattern on my overhead smashes. That is what i am hoping for.

So now the third time i get the chance to hit this shot , I will go down the middle. I do this because a smart team will remember how i hit the first two and be looking for the same. And since now i hit the third one differently , it will have an even higher likelihood of being a winner. 

Timothy Nelson also taught me that the only difference between a 4.5 player and a 5.0 player is NOT how good you can hit the ball. But it is how the player thinks. His shot selection. His ability to confuse and keep his opponents off balance so that they are not able to do the same to you.

So the next time you are on the courts, try and think about your shot selection. Be unpredictable. Try and confuse your opponents.

On a side note, as i have said before, very little of what i teach, did i come up with or invent. Most of what i teach is just copied from talking with and observing top players. I still constantly watch PB videos on youtube. Unfortunately most of the best videos are my own so i dont get to see as much variety as i would like. However i would recommend you also watch youtube videos from the world pickleball federation......wpfadmin is the youtube address or those put out by Tim Nelson.......his youtube addresses are either Timothy Nelson or Pickleballstars.

I watch at least an hour of TOP video a week. Many  matches i have watched so many times, i know who wins each point.
 

jeff shank

Pickleball Tip Of Week #25

This weeks tip is another tip on dinking the ball.

First off when you are up at the NVZ dinking the ball, DONT  bounce up and down. Stay down as much as you are able. Keep bent at your knees and slightly at the waist . If this is too tiring, it is ok to place your non paddle hand just above your knee for support.

If you dink and then come upright, you have to go back down again when you hit the next dink. When you go down to dink and then stand upright, you have much less control and are prone to pop the ball up. The less movement of your body the better. However it is not a bad idea to move your feet a little bit on every shot. I see many players that over reach for a shot instead of moving their feet to where they should be. Over reaching gives you less control.

So to summarize, when you are up at the net dinking, stay in the low, bent knee  position as long as possible. Dont bob up and down. But DO move your feet on each shot.

jeff shank