It is difficult for many players to feel what they are doing wrong. This is a challenge when learning pickleball I call, the feel vs the real.
the feel vs the real
I often tell a student they are making a movement but they have a tendency not to believe me. They sense they are doing something totally different than I observe. While watching YouTube videos or reading books on pickleball can be part of your instructional program, if you really want to improve, it won’t be enough. You really need to have someone observe exactly what you are doing and provide you with thoughtful, constructive feedback and instruction.
A qualified instructor will not only see what you need to work on, but will also tell you how. This is one reason why many of my students like it when I utilize video analysis in my instruction.
video analysis
A good coach will want to look at you from different angles on the court. Our goal is to not only identify
the problem but to identify its root cause. Since not everyone can come to Hilton Head for one on one instruction, many students will send me videos that I can review. I ask that they capture a couple of games from different angles. This makes it easier for me to diagnose the root cause of the problem.
Keeping our paddle up
Let’s take a very common problem, struggling to keep our paddle up. By analyzing video I often find that a player drops their paddle, not because of their arms or shoulders, but rather because their lower body is not supporting the paddle position. If you are working on your own, it is likely you would not pick up on this problem.
If you are really committed to improving, one on one instruction can accelerate your progress. And between sessions, get into the habit of filming and analyzing yourself. Learn to tell the difference between your feel vs the real.
