Your Opponents Will Hate This Serve

Author

Shea Underwood
April 12, 2024

WEEK 8

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

Serving with strategy

There are three main areas to target when you’re serving: your opponent’s forehand, their backhand, or directly at their body. Imagine what types of serves you’d prefer to receive. The majority of people are going to want to return with their forehand rather than with their backhand. Personally, my least favorite serve is one that is hit directly at my body. It is more difficult to return because I have to step around the ball to hit it, which prevents me from properly positioning myself to get to the kitchen line quicker.

In the game “MLB The Show,” the strike zone is colored with red and blue areas. The red areas indicate where it is most likely for the batter to get a ball he can hit. Because of this, the pitcher would want to aim his pitches for the areas where the batter has shown signs of struggling in the past.

The same strategy applies when we are serving a ball to our opponents. Try switching up your serves to your opponent’s backhand, forehand, or at their body, and then continue targeting the area where they show the most discomfort so you can have an advantage.

Drill Highlight

Dinks on the move

Here’s a drill that focuses on dinking, and emphasizes accuracy while on the move:

You and your drilling partner stand straight across the net from each other at the kitchen line. Have your partner hit a dink down the line to you, hit it back to them, and then have your partner hit the next dink to the center of the court. Move to the ball and hit it back, and then get ready for your partner to hit a dink to the far side of the kitchen. Basically, one of you is moving side to side on the court, while the other stays on one side of the court, hitting dinks to the three different areas just explained.

This drill is excellent for helping you practice proper footwork at the kitchen line and place your dinks where you want, even while moving around.

Q&A Spotlight

This week’s question comes from Hugo. Time to win a free paddle!

I have a $30 paddle. Should I buy a more expensive one or work on other things first? Like footwork?

Answer: In my experience, paddles have diminishing returns. Meaning that there is a massive difference between a $30 and a $130 paddle, a smaller difference between a $130 and a $230 paddle, and an even smaller difference between a $230 and a $330 paddle. About five months ago, I made a YouTube video about the most popular pickleball paddles. My research for this video showed that the average price of a pickleball paddle used by the top 100 pros was $178.

If you’re planning to continue playing pickleball, I would recommend investing in a paddle that is around $120; however, at the end of the day, improving your skills will always be a greater investment than a new paddle. You can continue getting better and refining your skills no matter what paddle you are playing with. That being said…for asking this week’s question, you get a free paddle!

Click the video below to see what paddle Hugo 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 FREE paddle!

My Latest Videos

  • Do you want a FREE new paddle? Click on the video below to enter my most recent giveaway on Instagram!

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