Ultimate Training Tactic

How intentional defense can fast-track your skills...

Author

Shea Underwood
December 12, 2025

Week 64

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 Luis from Georgia!

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

  • Two ways to use rec games for faster improvement

  • A great pickleball resource I don’t want you to miss out on

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

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

If you’re still looking for some Christmas gift ideas for friends and family, pickleball gear is a great choice! Selkirk is having some great holiday deals going on, so go check them out before they end! Some of their best paddles have insane discounts right now.👀

Don’t forget to use my code INF-SHEA for a gift card toward a future purchase.

Intentional Defense

I want to help you rewire the way you look at rec play. Even if you’re competitive, winning the Saturday morning games at your local courts doesn’t really matter, but the reps do. If you use those games intentionally, you can improve in really specific ways and level up fast. This week I’m giving you two simple ways to do that.

1) Hit more shots to the better player.

Make it a goal to send most of your balls to the stronger opponent. You’ll naturally get tougher shots, more attacks, and better placement, which means higher-quality reps for you. But of course, since it’s just rec, you don’t need to freeze out the weaker player, because they want to play too, but don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with the stronger one. Wins and losses don’t matter much in open play, so treat each game like a training ground.

2) Put yourself on defense on purpose.

Every now and then, create a tough situation on purpose. Hit a slightly bad lob, or leave a drop or dink a little high, then focus on defending or counterattacking your way out of it. The more you do this, the sharper your reflexes get, the better your court awareness becomes, and the more comfortable you’ll feel under pressure when points actually matter.

That said, it’s smart to clear this with your partner before you start baiting opponents on purpose. Otherwise, they may just get annoyed if you keep putting them on defense when they didn’t ask for it. So maybe just double-check before committing to this kind of game.

That Pickleball School

If you’re serious about getting better at pickleball, I want to put you onto a resource that’s genuinely game-changing.

You’ve probably heard of my friend, Kyle Koszuta (ThatPickleballGuy), a pro player and an incredible coach. Last year he launched a project called That Pickleball School, which already has over 1,000 members all dedicated to getting better at pickleball.

What makes it really unique is that it’s not just pickleball content, but it’s also a community where you can post questions and get answers from expert coaches and other members. There are also weekly live office hours, options to send in match footage for a full breakdown of personalized feedback and coaching from an expert coach, and even submit footage to get your DUPR rating.

To be a part of this community, you can click the link below to get a 7-day free trial to check it out before you commit. You’ll get a ton of value just in those 7 free days, so there really is no reason not to do it. You can use this link to sign up: That Pickleball School.

Discounts for You