Why You Don’t Need to Stop to Hit the Ball
Let’s bust a myth that drives me a little bit crazy—this idea that you have to stop moving to hit the ball. It’s simply not true. What you really need is stability, not stillness. Stop Stopping—Start Stabilizing A lot of the time, players feel like they have to stop because they’re moving too fast. They’re […]
Reset Like a Pro: How to Block the Ball When It’s Coming at Your Body
Let’s talk about one of the toughest moments in a game: someone drives a ball right at your body. I hear this question all the time—“How do I manage this shot?” Today, I’m going to walk you through how to reset or block effectively, especially when you’re getting targeted with pace. Common Mistakes Players Make […]
How to Turn Defense Into Offense With Smart Footwork and Follow-Through
Today I want to break down a concept that’s super helpful no matter your skill level: how to turn a defensive shot into an offensive opportunity—just by using your legs, footwork, and paddle follow-through. Most players miss out on easy chances to attack because they treat mid-court or off-the-bounce shots as merely survival tools. But […]
Simple Adjustments for More Spin, Power, and Consistency in Your Pickleball Game
More Spin, Less Work In today’s lesson, I want to talk about something that often gets overlooked: keeping things simple. Pickleball players tend to overcomplicate their mechanics, especially when trying to generate spin or power. The truth is, with just a few small tweaks, you can create better consistency, more spin, and more control—without working […]
How to Get More Power on Your Drives
Especially if you didn’t come from a racquet sport If you’re struggling to generate power on your drives, especially if you didn’t grow up playing tennis or another racquet sport, you’re not alone. The good news? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Power is simple when you understand where it actually comes from. Power Starts […]
Where Does Power Come From in Pickleball?
Hint: It’s Not Your Arms. Let’s clear this up right away—power doesn’t come from your hands or arms. Swinging harder doesn’t automatically mean you’re hitting faster, stronger, or better. In fact, that mindset often does more harm than good. In pickleball, we separate power and control by the body:Power comes from your lower body.Control comes […]
Covering The Court Efficiently – Pickleball Mini-Lesson with Sarah Ansboury
Covering The Court Efficiently This week I want to talk to you about how to cover your court efficiently when you’re playing with your partner: If I’m in my proper position and my paddle is out in front of me Remember: It’s farther in front than you think What creates the ability to turn […]
Net Skills – Faster Hands Mini-Drill with Sarah Ansboury
Control is the name of the game, there’s no better practice to improve net skills than faster hands drills. Check out this week’s Mini Drill…
Pickleball Drills: My Top 3 Dinking Drills
Over the past two weeks, we have focused on dinking. Dinking is so important that I have considered writing an entire book on the topic. Today I share my top 3 dinking drills.
Pickleball Practice: Keep it Simple and Focused
We recently completed a three-day Academy in Traverse City, Michigan. These events are great as there is a lot of information packed into a full weekend. But at the same time, this can be overwhelming. So today we are going to talk about how to incorporate new pickleball skills into your game. It is important […]