Everyone wants to be faster on the court. This week we give you a quick tip to help improve your speed and get to the ball faster. Pickleball Channel was lucky enough to get with Pro pickleball player Marcin Rozpedski at the USAPA Nationals Pickleball Tournament and hear first hand a simple trick he uses to get to the ball faster. It’s simple and any level player can improve their game immediately by implementing this easy tip.
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Talk about hustle! Check out Marcin Rozpedski in action as he dukes it out for gold against Kyle Yates. These guys are all over the court! The first two games are only won by 2 points each, pushing them into a third tiebreaker game that is intense. Watch the Pro Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match from the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships today!
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Great tip Marcin!!
Great idea that I’m trying to do more of. After years of being drilled into my head to “watch the ball”, I’m trying to look at the paddle as well.
Simple, yet so important and effective. Thanks for the tip!
Marcin,
As all advanced players will tell you, #1 most important key to success is to concentrate on the ball. This does not mean look at the racquet or even look at the ball, it means concentrate on just the ball, and nothing else. Your eyes must be focused, or else you will not be able to hit your spots. However, for beginners or intermediates to successfully do this is almost impossible, so maybe staring at the racquet is the next best thing.
Yes, Marcin is absolutely spot on. The two essential ingredients for moving quickly on the court is foot speed but more importantly, anticipation. If you perfect the art of reading different opponents shots, you will be in the right place without having to hustle after they hit it. Yes, it’s a guess at first and they may pass you initially but soon they’ll try to hit a passing shot and see you’re already there to cut it off with a volley etc.
I’ve always told friends the exact same thing. Be proactive by developing the skill of reading the opponents shot. In doing so you not only can tell where they’re hitting their shot but what kind of shot they’re hitting. Anciticipation, is key and these things will help you anticipate the shot and position yourself in the ‘strike zone’. That’s where you can most effectively hit your return with the best results. So, it follows that getting in that strike zone early will make you look like you’re quicker than you actually are.
Be careful, because the better you get at this the chances of getting a bit lazy are greater so use caution not to get complacent but instead move around like Marcin does. Keep those knees bent and be ready to play. Cheers!
Any tips on how to react to /return downward smashes, especially from the opponents NVZ. It seems most of the misses for me and others I’ve observed are due to the paddle position being too high with the ball passing underneath the paddle. Any advice?