Hey!

Before we keep going, welcome back to another edition of the blog. If you’re new to the blog and want to go back and check out past editions, go here!

Today’s edition has three parts: 

1. A Helpful Tip (Video) – Learn the Art of the “Speed-Up.”

2. For the Pickleball Nerds – How to Beat “Bangers.”

3. My Journey Playing Pro – Rest.

A Helpful Tip (Video):

To beat the banger, you have to understand the banger. 

And so we’re all on the same page – A banger is a player who wants to hit every ball hard. 

Like the aggressive kid in dodgeball, a banger wants to send these spheric-shaped missiles (pickleballs) right toward you at mach 4 speed.

NOW, to beat the banger, you have to understand the banger. You must understand HOW THEY THINK when they’re on the court.

Let's start with the...

1st shot of the rally:

When they serve, they serve big. The mistake is to stand on the baseline, or a step inside. Because then, you’ll have to step back if they hit a deep serve.

Stepping back is bad. Why?

1. You’re more likely to hit a soft, short return when you hit on your back foot. 
2. You want to return & run to the kitchen. Hitting on your back foot slows you down from getting to the kitchen after your return. 

Instead…

…stand 1-3 feet behind the baseline.  Give yourself good momentum to step in and strike the ball. Then, run up to the kitchen after your return.

If you don't, the banger will notice. (More on that in a moment). 

Let’s transition to the...

2nd + 3rd shot of the rally:

Remember, to BEAT the BANGER, you have to understand the banger. 

The #1 thing a banger wants is a short return. 

Like tourists at a Las Vegas buffet, they FEAST on short returns. BECAUSE, they get to move in and hit at you from a closer distance and often while you’re STILL moving (up toward the kitchen).

So what should you do instead on your return?

HIT IT DEEP.

Why? This is how you start to neutralize the banger. 

Pickleball is a game of reactions. The more time you have to react and make decisions, the better your shot will be.

The shorter your return, the less reaction time you’ll have. 

But, a deep return gets you more:

1. Time to get to the kitchen. 
2. Reaction time to hit a good shot. 

Against bangers, this is BIG.

REMEMBER, to beat the banger, you have to understand the banger. And bangers don’t want you to hit a deep return. Now, let's move on to the...

4th shot of the rally: 

Back into the mind of the banger…

When they hit their 3rd shot drive, they want you to miss your 4th shot into the net or pop it up. So what do you do?

Uhhh, don’t miss into the net and don’t pop it up. Haha! Easier said than done, I know. 

So how do you do that?

When you’re on your way to the kitchen and your opponent is about to make contact with their shot, split step to get prepared and on balance. This balance sets up everything. DO NOT RUN THROUGH THE BALL IF YOU DO HIT A SHORT RETURN AND THEY RIP ONE AT YOU WHILE YOU'RE MOVING UP TO THE KITCHEN. That's a recipe for disaster. 

Now...

When you’re about to block their drive, block it down and at their feet. They want a high ball, so focus on giving them a low one.

Here’s another thought…

Common pickleball teaching is "keep them back," and most times, that’s right. But, sometimes I'll hit it short and down, and use their "I'm hitting every ball hard" mindset against them. 

To start, they don’t ever want to dink. That’s not their thing. So, if you bring them closer to the net, they’ll often still hit it hard. 

And if they do that from close to the net, they don’t have much room to spin the ball back down into the court. 

So what does that mean? The ball's going out (more than you're letting it go out).

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a pickleball" - Legendary Coach Patches O'Houlihan, probably.

On another note. If the ball isn't going out, here's some technique tips to handle their hard hitting drive. 

1. Wide, low athletic stance.
2. Firm wrist.
3. Contact out in front.
4. Angle the paddle face down.
5. Short compact swing.

 In closing, remember… 

To beat the banger, you have to understand the banger.

And if you don't remember anything else from this piece, remember this: 

1. Hit deep returns. 

2. Be still, on balance, and hit the ball down 

These tips alone will help you start playing better tomorrow!

________________________

**Quick note: Last night, I went to the courts, took everything I wrote above, and filmed a video on this. It’ll be of the most in depth youtube videos I’ve ever made. There will be visual examples for everything written above. And there’s about 4 more things I didn’t mention above that will be easier understood with visuals in the video! So, stay tuned!

I haven’t played pickleball in 7 days. And no, I’m not retiring.

I decided to take time off and rest for two reasons.

1. My wrist has been bothering me.
2. I didn’t have any tournaments or Tuesday night Pickleball for a few weeks.

The time off has been nice. I’ve been all in on content over the last week! 

Got some cool videos that I can’t wait to share with you. Coming out soon!

Talk next week,

Kyle

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