Control the Point

Use your serves to expose weak returns early...

Author

Shea Underwood
November 09, 2025

Week 62

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 Isabelle from Minnesota!

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

  • How to set yourself up for a favorable third shot

  • A way to level up your footwork and composure on the court

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

Now, let's get to it!

Estimated read time: 2 minutes and 25 seconds

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

I personally have been using a Selkirk paddle for over five years now, and they just released an incredible new paddle called the Boomstick. Trust me…it lives up to its name. It’s the most powerful paddle I’ve ever played with, and it comes out of the case perfect and ready to play, which means there’s no break-in period. The core is built to last an incredibly long time, there are weights on the sides that keep it perfectly balanced, AND it comes with the new InfiniGrit surface, which gives you longer-lasting spin.

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

Keep Them On Their Toes

Contrary to what many beginners in pickleball think, the serve isn’t necessarily meant to win the point. If it does, great, but you should always expect a return. Instead, think about using your serve to set yourself up for a favorable third shot.

The way to do this is by trying a variety of serves: a fast topspin, a slice, a lob, one landing short in the court, etc. Every opponent responds to various serves differently because they all have different weaknesses. So, find the serve they struggle to hit a strong return off of and use that to set yourself up for an easy third. The easier your third shot is for you, the quicker you can get to the net. Once you find the serve that works, stick with it until your opponent proves they can handle it, then switch it up and try a new one. Never let them get too comfortable.

This method will help you control the beginning of the rally. It puts more pressure on your opponent at the very beginning of the point and allows you to establish yourself offensively right away.

I actually just posted a video with my partner Caleb on our YouTube channel, Cracked Pickleball. We break down a bunch of different serves, how to do them, and whether or not they are worth using. You can watch it by clicking on the link below!👇

Cat & Mouse

If you’ve never played cat and mouse, you’re missing out. This is a really fun drill that’ll clean up your footwork, get you warmed up, and help you remain calm in fast-paced rallies.

What to do: Both players start in the kitchen. Take a ball, place it on top of the net, and hit the net with your paddle so the ball falls naturally to one side. Whosever side it lands on starts the rally. From there, you use the entire kitchen, hitting only dinks to win the point. The first player to 5 points wins.

The rules are simple: The ball drop decides who starts, and you play only in the kitchen. If you hit a shot past the kitchen that’s a lost point. The player who loses the rally starts the next point with the ball drop. Around the post shots (or ATPs) are in play! If you get the opportunity, take it. Even though it’s past the kitchen, it’s still a point.

Since you’re using the entire kitchen for this, you’re going to get tired and feel rushed to get to the ball. That’s good. It’ll train you to stay calm, stay low, move efficiently, maintain clean footwork, and still hit intentional shots in a fast rally.

Overall, it’s a really fun drill to play with friends. You could even play King-of-the-Hill style where the person who wins the point stays on the court, and the person who loses gets off to be replaced by a new player.

Discounts for You