Serve and Return Deep Every Time

Author

Shea Underwood
April 12, 2024

WEEK 7

Welcome back to the Road to Pro!

Each week, I’ll be sharing one tip, one drill, and answering one question. BUT, that’s not all! The question I answer each week will be chosen from questions that YOU submit. The person whose question is chosen will receive a FREE paddle from me. Daniel, who provided last week’s question, won a $200 Vanguard Control!

To submit your question(s), click on the button below to be taken to a Google submission form:

There is no limit to how many questions you can submit!

Tip of the Week

Quick Communication

Good communication is key to playing well with your pickleball partner. However, communication in the middle of a game can often be difficult to process and respond to in the moment. This is why it's important to keep your messages clear and concise. Here are some example words to use to effectively communicate to your partner:

  • BACK: If you hit the ball high while you and your partner are in the transition zone or at the baseline, just say "back." This tells your partner to move to the back line. It’s a quick and clear message to help your partner position themselves for defense.

  • HARD & SOFT: When you're getting ready to hit the third shot after a return of serve, use one word to tell your partner which type of third shot you are going to take. You can say "hard" or "drive" if you're going to hit a fast ball, or you can say "soft" or "drop" if you're planning to hit a third-shot drop.

  • GO: If you're planning a "shake and bake" move—where you hit a fast drive and your partner runs to the net to put away the opponent’s popup—just say "go." It tells your partner you are about to hit a drive and you want them to rush the net.

By simplifying your communication, you and your partner can quickly understand each other, therefore making better, more informed plays as a team.

Drill Highlight

The Perfect 3

Do you and your partner want to nail the first three shots of every point? I’ve created a drill to help you do just that. Here’s how it works:

  • Setup: Place a strip of tape across the back of each court, parallel to and about four feet from the back line. This is your target area. Position yourself at the back line with your drilling partner diagonally across from you at the other end of the court, just as you would for a serve and return in a game.

  • Objective: The goal is for you and your partner to collectively score 3 points by hitting deep serves, deep returns, and third-shot drops.

  • Scoring points:

    The following three things must happen for you and your partner to collectively earn a point:

    1. Player A serves the ball, aiming to land it in the target area between the taped line and the back line.

    2. Player B returns the serve, also aiming for the target area on the other end of the court.

    3. Player A then attempts a third shot drop into the kitchen.

If you successfully complete all three steps, you and your drilling partner earn a point. Do this until you reach three points, or keep going if you love the drill and want more practice. Hitting a deep serve isn’t easy, and hitting a deep return off of a deep serve is even harder. And on top of this, hitting a solid third-shot drop into the kitchen off a deep return is also a difficult task. Having the skill to do all three back-to-back consistently is crucial if you want to level up your game.

Q&A Spotlight

This week’s question comes from Daniel. Time to win a prize!

I’m also a former soccer player who’s played a decent amount of tennis and just starting my pickleball journey. What have you found translates best from the sports you've played?

Answer: I played soccer throughout high school, football in college, and e-sports while I was in college as well. Here are the skills that translated best from these sports:

Soccer: Good footwork is key. In soccer, you need quick feet for fancy moves and proper handling of the ball. Quick feet also come in handy in pickleball for being able to move to the net effectively after a return, leaping over the kitchen to execute an erne, or simply positioning yourself around the ball to take proper shots.

Football: I was a kicker and punter in college. The skill that translated the most to playing pickleball is the ability to mentally reset after making a mistake. Any time I missed a kick during my kicking days in college, I would tell myself, “brand new kick,” and not let my past mistake effect my future play. I do the same thing now for myself and for my partners by saying, “brand new point.” It’s really easy to let one bad shot cause you to miss the next several opportunities, so being able to refresh and remind yourself that it’s a new point is incredibly valuable.

E-Sports: I played a lot of Call of Duty and Rocket League during school. In both of these games, communication is very important and you have to be good at giving quick calls and directions to your teammates. The same applies in pickleball. The better communication you have with your partner, the more control you and your partner have on your side of the court.

Click the video below to see what paddle Daniel won this week for his question!

If you have a question you’d like for me to answer, please click the button below to fill out the question submission form.

If your question is chosen for next week’s newsletter, you’ll win a paddle!

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