You might think the dink shot is dead in this era of aggressive pickleball. But this is far from the truth as mastering the pickleball dink is still crucial for anyone looking to up their game. This delicate, accurate shot plays a pivotal role in dictating the game’s tempo, repositioning opponents, and setting up offensive…

More than likely you haven’t heard of a hairpin drop unless you’ve played badminton. But it is a shot Deb Harrison, who has taught Pickleball for 10 years, likes her students to learn. So the question to answer is, what is a hairpin drop in Pickleball and when do you use it? The hairpin drop…

When professional player Joey Farias first started playing Pickleball, he was still using a volley technique from tennis where you slice the ball. The problem with that is that the ball can float because you don’t have strings to put enough spin on the ball and control it. But Joey quickly learned from one of…

If you walk by any Pickleball court, most often you will see people playing doubles.  In fact, it is rare to see many singles games going on during recreational play.  Even at the professional level of Pickleball, most players prefer doubles and many don’t even play singles.  While doubles is the most popular form of…

You’ve seen other players on the court switching the paddle from one hand to another when hitting their shots. Even some of the professionals do it such as Rick Witsken, but in what situations should you do this and is this a good idea? Rick, a senior professional, is a a right handed player and…

Like many people, professional player Kyle McKenzie competed in tennis before Pickleball.  But what’s unusual about his story is that he also played poker for a living in his early 20’s.  Kyle said he had always been a tactician at heart so poker was a great fit for his interests and he applies many of…

If you have spent much time on the Pickleball court, you probably played against someone called a “banger”. According to Pickleball pro Helle Sparre, a banger is someone who drives the ball hard in situations where there are better alternatives. The most common time bangers hit the ball hard is when they are on the…

While professional player DJ Howard calls himself the “technique guy”, he doesn’t emphasize this idea when teaching new players. In fact, he helps students by focusing on what they should accomplish with the ball. This idea even extends to serving where the focus is on what they are trying to accomplish with the ball. He…

Stacking is an advanced doubles strategy you don’t see often in recreational Pickleball play; however, almost every professional player does it and even lower-level tournament players can benefit from the strategy. Most players have a favorite side of the court they like to play on to take advantage of their stronger side whether it is…

It’s always amazing to watch the professional players as they seem to have so much time to hit the ball. They are not rushing and play in control. Professional player, Sarah Ansboury, says this skill has everything to do with balance and being able to move forward. She stated, “One of the most important things…