Overlooked Strategies

Learn how to control the pace of the game...

Author

Shea Underwood
September 12, 2025

Week 59

Welcome back to the Road to Pro Newsletter! Just by opening this issue, you are now automatically eligible for this week’s paddle giveaway. Last week’s winner was Levi from Colorado!

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week:

  • Easy strategies to regain control of the game

  • Two quick drills for developing faster reflexes

If you’re reading this, you now have a chance to win this week’s paddle giveaway!

Now, let's get to it!

Big shoutout to Selkirk for sponsoring this newsletter and making all the paddle giveaways I do possible!

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You can get it on Selkirk’s website here and use my code INF-SHEA for a gift card toward a future purchase.

Slow It Down

If you ever feel like you can’t keep up with the pace of a game and you start to lose control, there’s a really simple and overlooked strategy to get your control back. You can change the pace of the game with how (and when) you hit certain shots, especially as the server or the returner.

Server:

If you need to slow things down, remember (according to tournament rules) you have up to 10 seconds after calling the score to serve. Use that window to pause—catch your breath, settle your nerves, or even let your opponent’s impatience build.

On the flip side, don’t be afraid to keep up your momentum and serve quickly so that your opponent doesn’t have a chance to breathe. Not giving your opponent time to rest between points can put more pressure on them to keep up with your speed, and it can make them feel like they’re scrambling to keep up.

Returner:

On the returning side, raise your hand in the air before the server calls the score to signal you’re not ready to start the point. By rule, they can’t serve until you’re ready. Take that time to breathe, plan what kind of return you’re going to hit, or disrupt the other team’s momentum if they are trying to keep a faster pace. Small pauses at the right time can reset the rally for you.

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These small strategies are designed more specifically for tournaments when the stakes are higher. However, it doesn’t hurt to practice them in rec play so you can easily use them in a tournament. Plus, if you care about winning your rec games too, (which, let’s face it, who doesn’t?) these strategies can still come in handy.

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Automatic Movements

To be really good at pickleball, quick reflexes are absolutely essential. If you feel like you respond slowly to faster shots on the court, I’ve got good news for you…you can develop faster reflexes so that your reactions become quicker and more automatic.

So, this week I’ve got one solo drill and one partner drill that’ll help you enhance your reflexes.

Solo Drill:

If you want to drill on your own, find a solid wall that you can hit a ball off of, or go to the courts if there’s a dedicated wall there. Stand a few feet away from the wall, and hit a series of fast punches against it. Keep up a rally as long as you can, and if you miss the ball, just restart. Standing this close to the wall will make the ball travel back to you way faster than it ever would in a game. The easier this drill becomes for you, the slower everything else will seem on the court, which means your reflexes are getting faster.

Partner Drill:

If you have a partner to drill with, here’s what you can do: start a dinking rally and have your partner randomly hit speedups. You can decide to either block these or counter. It doesn’t matter what you choose. Maybe do a mix of both. This is just good practice to enhance your reflexes with unexpected attacks from your partner. Attack shots that are unexpected like these are what get most people in a pickle (no pun intended). So, practicing it before you get into a game can help you become much more prepared.

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