Do you find that the net and sidelines seem to be more foe than friend? Are your dinks often coming up short? Or are you blowing too many opportunities to put away winners?
Well, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there is one tip that can drastically change all of that:
Look for the HOLEs in the ball!
Yes, it’s a simple but powerful change of focus that works on EVERY shot.
When Matthew Blom, teaching pro and past national champion, was hosting his clinics recently, he shared that roughly 4 out of 5 of our mistakes come from miss-hitting the ball. That means 80% of our mistakes come from simply not getting the sweet spot of our paddle to make contact with the ball, CRAZY but true.
So, why is looking for the holes such a great strategy?
Simply stated, you’ll end up tracking the ball longer and more likely all the way into the paddle. And when you watch the ball into the paddle, you’ll see, hear, and feel when you’re hitting the sweet spot! It’s one trick that can help everyone because it doesn’t depend on your competition, your positioning, or any other excuse we might make.
A great way to get started is to warm up before every pickleball outing by bouncing the ball on your paddle face, watch the holes and keep the ball bouncing off your sweet spot. And once you’ve warmed up the forehand, try the backhand. Keep upping the challenge when you can very consistently keep the ball on the sweet spot by alternating forehand/backhand, adding spin, and then bouncing the ball off the narrow edge of the paddle.
It’s a simple, yet powerful tip to improve your game. And you don’t even need a court or partner to practice it!
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts, comments, and questions. Additionally, remember to share this tip with friends.