This newsletter is sponsored by Selkirk
Week 72
Welcome back to the Road to Pro!
Here's a stat that changed how I practice: in just 3 minutes of wall drills, you can get more paddle touches than in an entire game of pickleball.
Rec games are fun, but they're a slow way to get reps. You might only hit a handful of resets or speed-ups in a whole game. A wall fixes that. It feeds you another ball every second, it never misses, and it's available even when your drilling partner isn't. All you need is a paddle, a ball, and a few pieces of tape.
The tape is what makes the wall so effective. When you give yourself specific targets using the tape, you're training placement instead of just contact. Here are two of my favorite wall drills to start with:
Speed-ups with targets. Put one piece of tape on the wall at the height of your left hip and another at the height of your left shoulder. Those spots mirror the two most awkward places to attack an opponent (their paddle-side hip and shoulder). Most players hold a continental grip, which makes those exact areas hard to defend. Drop a ball and hit light speed-ups at the targets. You should focus on placement over power. A speed-up you crush is usually sailing out anyway.
Speed up, reset, repeat. Once you're comfortable, alternate shots: speed up at a target, then gently reset the next ball just above where the net would be. Keep your knees bent, loosen your grip, and let the ball's pace do the work instead of adding your own power to the resets.
I made a full video with all seven wall drills I use to improve my game, including the exact tape setup for each one. Check it out. 👇
_____________________________________
I challenge you to find a wall this week and spend 3 minutes on these drills before your next game.
Feel free to send this to your double’s partner!
See you in the next one.
- Shea
