As all my students and blog readers know, I’m always looking for new and exciting pickleball instruction videos. This past week, Jordan Briones published a YouTube video called “CRUSH Your Competition with These 5 Pickleball Shots [PRO Tips Revealed],” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwUCHPWKoUw.
Let’s take a quick dive into the video.
Serve Routine and Paddle Face
- Develop a serve routine that is repeatable.
- Stand in a closed stance and bounce the ball several times before serving.
- Keep the paddle facing towards the target during contact.
- Avoid big movements or crazy swings that can affect the direction of the serve.
“Develop a routine, do something that’s repeatable and you’ll have a great start on your serve,” says Briones.
The Importance of Paddle Face and Swing Path
- The direction of the paddle face during contact determines the ball’s direction.
- Focus on where the paddle face is headed when the ball touches it.
- An erratic swing path can lead to inconsistent serves.
- Keep the paddle face towards the target and minimize big movements.
“The paddle face, when it hits the paddle, that’s where the ball’s going to go.”
Tips for a Consistent Return
- Set up early and prepare for the return while the ball is in the air.
- Shuffle your feet and make adjustments to get in the proper position.
- Maintain forward momentum to ensure weight is moving into the ball.
- Use a big follow-through to generate depth and control.
“Make sure I’m shuffling my feet, making my little adjustments in my feet to get myself in the proper position to strike my ball.”
Drop Shot Fundamentals
- Give yourself space and time on your drop shot.
- When the ball bounces deep, ensure proper spacing between yourself and the ball.
- Contact the ball out in front for better control.
- Shorten the backswing to keep the shot controlled and within the non-volley zone.
“I’m well-spaced so that I actually have more time and I have that ball sitting up, slowing down a little bit.”
Dinking Technique
- Set up your contact point by reaching out between your body and in front.
- Maintain proper footwork to create the time and space for the desired contact point.
- Contact the ball in front of your body for offensive shots.
- Maintain control by adjusting footwork and contact point for balls around the body.
“Set up your contact point just by taking your opposite playing hand and reaching it out kind of in between your body and out in front of your body.”
Mastering the Dink Shot
- Move the feet and set the contact point.
- Swing with slow and light grip pressure.
- Follow through up to the chest or chin.
- Aim for the desired pace and spin.
“Move my feet, have the contact point that I want, swing nice and slow, nice and easy, light grip pressure, and follow through up to my chest or up to my chin depending on where that ball is and how much pace and juice I want to put on.”
Perfecting Volleys
- Start with a proper ready position for better reactions
- Use short and compact swings for consistent volleys
- Keep the paddle face slightly open for a forward hit
- Control volleys with the shoulder
“Keep my swings really really short and compact…have a little bit of an open paddle face because we’re going to be hitting the ball forward…make sure that we’re pushing with our shoulder so that we can actually keep our paddle face constant.”
Drills for Improvement
- Serve and return drill for practicing placement
- Mid-court drop shot drill for contact in front
- Dink and volley exchange drill for combining skills
“In this drill, we are going to be practicing the drops…we’re just going to start with some dinking then one of us is going to kind of initiate an attack and then we’re going to have a volley exchange at that point…that’s a way that you can easily just practice your dinks and volleys at the same time.”
Summing up, Briones’ video emphasizes the importance of (1) a repeatable serve routine, (2) preparing early for serve returns, (3) proper spacing and a shortened backswing for drop-shots, (4) setting up the contact point in front of the body when dinking, and (5) the proper ready position for volleys. The video also suggests drills to help practice essential shots and enhance game performance.