051: A Deep Dive into Serving with Pickleball Pro DJ Howard

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Pickleball professional DJ Howard travels the country teaching Pickleball through Gamma’s Never Stop Playing Pickleball Camps. He was able to make some time to discuss serving as we take a deep dive into the subject on this podcast episode. We cover how to practice serving, how to overcome the yips when serving, and the drop serve.

Show Notes

In this episode we discuss:

DJ’s motto for practice and competition and how they differ
Why he considers himself to be the “technique” guy and how it influences his teaching
Why technique might not always be the right thing to focus on when learning the game of Pickleball
Why DJ doesn’t use a cookie cutter approach to teaching Pickleball
The importance of trying to hit targets when serving and where to place them regardless of your skill level
Why DJ likes to ask his students questions and how it helps their game
Why it’s important to feel pressure when practicing even when serving
Two suggestions for how to overcome the yips when serving
The drop serve and DJ’s thoughts on how much to use it and when