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If you struggle with serve returns, read this

Jun 20, 2024

Hey!

103 days left until ThatPickleballSchool launches on October 1st. LETS GO!!!

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. Helpful Tip (Video) – A 3rd shot drop strategy masterclass.

2. A Question From the Group – If you struggle with returns, read below.

3. Update on My Journey Playing Pro – Film Doesn't Lie.


A Helpful Tip (Video):

In case you missed it, My new youtube video, “A 3rd shot drop strategy masterclass” came out last night. And It’s gotten a great response so far, 

Here's what @Ike_C said: 

Been playing for a couple of years but this is the best explanation of proper strategy I've seen.

Click below to watch the video :) 👇


A Question From the Group:

This question came in: 

“For some reason, I’m struggling with the return of serve. I have a solid overall game and my return should be a piece of cake . . . but it isn’t!!! I mostly struggle against fast serves. I hit a whole lot of balls short. When I try to fix the shorties, I start hitting them out. I must be having some kind of disconnect between what I’m doing and what I think I’m doing. Argh!”

_____

I resonate with all “return of serve” questions, so thank you those who brought this up. And thanks to the 172 people who submitted a challenge you’re having in last week’s edition. If you haven’t and would like to, you can do that here.

First off, the return of serve is not a piece of cake, especially when you get up against better players who hit harder serves and have more threatening 3rd shot drives.

Which is important to note, because if you hit short returns against teams with good drives — you’ll be in a tough spot throughout that game.

So, here’s a few things that have helped me with my return. 

1. Stand farther back before the serve. 

I typically stand as far back as the court allows. I want to move forward on my return and make contact with the ball near its peak height. Hitting short returns “short hop” style happens occasionally (especially if you’re playing on a shorter court). But it requires more timing and touch, which is challenging.

2. Be down in a stance before the opponent serves so you’re ready. 

What’s that old line? Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. If you’re standing tall before the serve, and it comes at you deep, good luck getting into position while the ball is mid flight. Start low so you're prepared for any type of serve.

3. Accelerate your breath on contact. 

This is a tip Dayne Gingrich gave me that really helped. He shared how exhaling with your breath at contact will help you accelerate your swing. Many short returns come as a result of a tentative swing. Or in other words, you decelerate on impact rather than accelerate through contact.

One good way to practice this is to do serve & return drills with one other person. When you hit your return, exhale on contact and try to hit the ball to the back fence. This will help you know how much power it takes to hit it that far, so you can dial it back and aim for deep in the court. This is also a very freeing exercise to do.


Update on My Journey Playing Pro:

Over the last couple months, I’ve become obsessed with filming my practice sessions, then watching them back to identify opportunity areas.

And holy crap, is it helpful. Well duh, right!? I often find myself standing straight up, or my paddle not in a ready position. And it's tough to watch. 

The truth is, our memories of what happened in past games in bad. The only thing that tells us the truth is what's on film. 

So I’d encourage you to try it one time this week. Film a rec session or drilling session, even if it's just for 10 minutes. Even if you think you don't know what to look for, it's okay! 

TRUST ME. You'll notice something that can help the next time you play. 

And as a final note, I’m headed to San Clemente to play the PPA on Sunday. The tournament starts on Monday (it’s a progressive draw format). I'll play in the qualifier for singles on Monday. And I’m in the main draw for mens doubles, which will start on Tuesday!

I’ll keep you posted next week!

Kyle

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