3 Pickleball Movements You Should Know

WEEK 28

Welcome back to the Road to Pro!

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week:

• Techniques you need to know for proper footwork

• A tip for hitting great returns

• A drill to help you achieve better movement on the court

This week Charlie asked our featured question, so I’ll be sending him a new Selkirk paddle! If you want a chance to win a paddle, click on the button below to submit your pickleball questions. Anyone whose question is featured in my newsletter will automatically win a new paddle!

Now let’s get to it!

Q&A Spotlight

The Fast and the Footwork

Answer: Great question! When you nail down better technique for your footwork, you’ll have much more control and confidence on the court. I’ve got a few tips for you this week that can help you achieve this, so let’s get into it!

Getting low:

The main thing I want to stress is that you have to get lower to the ground. If you’re standing straight up instead of bending your knees, you'll struggle to hit consistently effective shots. By bending your knees and lowering your center of gravity, you’ll be more balanced, which allows you to make better contact with the ball and gives you more control over your shots.

Pickleball involves a lot of side-to-side movement, and you often need to move quickly to react to your opponent’s shots. To move effectively, you need enough momentum, which comes from pushing off your outside leg to get where you want to go. You simply can’t do this if your knees are not bent. The lower you are, the more power you can generate to move in any direction quickly enough to reach the ball.

Split stepping:

Another technique for proper footwork you should be doing is split stepping. This is when you are low and balanced with an open stance, facing your opponent. You should be in this position before your opponent makes contact with the ball so that you’re ready to move in any direction to return their shot.

This footwork is crucial when transitioning to the kitchen line. Be aware of when your opponent is about to hit the ball and avoid moving forward in the court at that moment. When you’re moving towards the kitchen line and see your opponent about to make their shot, take one final step to stop your momentum, then plant both feet simultaneously in a lateral position. If you split step like this, you are balanced and ready to react to any shot your opponent sends your way.

Three movements:

There are three types of movement you should use on the court: shuffling, reaching, and pivoting. Here’s what they all mean:

Shuffling: Move side to side like a crab without crossing your feet. This’ll allow you to keep a more open stance and not close yourself off from your opponent. It’ll help you get ready more quickly for the next shot.

Reaching: Take one large step with one foot to extend wide to get to a ball without having to move both feet. Sometimes, you don’t have time to shuffle to get to the ball, so reaching helps you get there faster.

Pivoting: This is the quickest way to cover the most ground. Take one foot and cross it over your other foot that remains planted, twisting your body around to reach for the ball.

By using these three types of movement, you’ll be able to get to the ball more efficiently while still having enough time to recover for your next shot.

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Tip of the Week

Return Royale

Unless your backhand is exceptionally strong and better than your forehand, it's best for most players to hit the return of serve with their forehand. When preparing for the return, make sure you are low, split-stepping, and positioned closer to the left side of your box so that you can guarantee a forehand return. (This is assuming you’re a right-handed player.)

Aim to make contact with the ball near the outside of your right foot. When you make contact, your weight will be on your inside foot. You can then follow through your return by pushing off that foot and moving forward into the court. This footwork not only generates more power by using your whole body to follow through the shot, but also helps you advance to the kitchen line directly after your return.

Drill Highlight

The Footwork Games

Here’s a drill that’ll help you practice proper footwork:

Stand a few feet away from the wall and start hitting dinks against it. The thing you want to focus on is your footwork and readiness while you’re dinking. Make sure that your knees are bent, so that you’re low and balanced before making contact with the ball. Do this before every shot. Also, try implementing the three types of movement we discussed this week: shuffling, reaching, and pivoting. Try them all and start getting a feel for when you need to use each one.

The more you practice, the easier it’ll become. You’ll start seeing progress and you’ll gain more control over your side of the court.

Erne

This is THE BEST pickleball machine out there. It’s incredibly intuitive and has helped me improve my technique significantly.

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Videos You’ll Enjoy

• Go check out my most recent video on YouTube where I show you seven drills that can make you a 5.0 player! You can watch it here or click on the video below.

• You can also watch Cracked Pickleball’s most recent video here!

• If you want another chance at winning a new paddle, go check out my current giveaway on Instagram and Facebook!

Discounts for You

• (CODE: ADV-Shea | $10-$40 future purchase gift card at Selkirk.com or SelkirkLabs.com)

• (CODE: SheaU-104849 | 10% off at PickleballSuperstore.com)

• (CODE: Shea20 | $20 off at PickleballSuperstore.com)

• (CODE: SHEA | $100 off at ernepickleballmachine.com)

• (CODE: SHEAUNDERWOOD | Free shipping at EnhancePickleball.com)

• (CODE: shea | Free $100 Swing Stick with purchase of SwingVision Pro at http://swing.vision/r/sheaunderwood)

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