Pickleball Magazine 7-4 | Page 81

On the right , Marne feeds the balls alternating to Kimberly and Maria , both of whom must keep the ball going back to Marne . Players rotate so that everyone works on both crosscourt and down-the-line volleys from both sides of the court .
In this drill , Marne feeds the balls to both net players who must hit back to Marne then put the ball crosscourt at the target . Players are working on changing the angle of the ball and controlling their placement . before hitting crosscourt to Player B . Each player rotates being the single player . Be cognizant of the fact that you are breaking the angle on the sixth shot . That requires better timing and watching the ball closely . After all three players are comfortable with depth , amend the sixth shot to be a sharp-angle putaway or a drop volley .
Study your results . What do you do best ? Is your forehand crosscourt volley better than your backhand crosscourt volley ? Which requires more foot movement ? How early do you have to hit the crosscourt ? Then work on that particular shot on the ball machine . But start with depth . Be able to keep the volley in play and deep so that you can build a game .
YA GOTTA LOB DRILL
In a perfect world there is always an obvious opening for you to hit your screaming placement shot . But this is pickleball and sometimes it is best to punt . The lob falls into both categories , so you need an offensive and a defensive lob . We like a dink drill called 5 Alive . You must dink five shots with everyone at the NVZ line and then the sixth shot is fair game . You can modify that drill to make the sixth shot a lob . This is an offensive lob . You are in good position , and you are in control . You choose to lob .
This sounds corny , but a good ball machine lob drill is putting the machine on to hit deep , and you practice lobbing over an object so you can have the apex of the lob over the object , not over the net . Cut three long pieces of invasive bamboo . You can tell people you are cutting fishing poles , so they don ’ t laugh . Make a tripod by binding one end of the three . Stick a hat on top and you have a good opponent . Place it just behind the NVZ line and accentuate your follow-through so that you carry the ball over the hat . When you are done practicing , you can go fishing .
Believe it or not , you will have a better lob if you learn to lob over a stationary target at first . It helps you learn to “ carry ” the ball rather than hit it . If you practice lobbing over a person , it is harder to “ groove ” your distance and height of the lob . You just have to trust me . Learn to lob by using a stationary target first .
TURNING ON A DIME
For this drill you need two people , a feeder and a hitter . Both are at the NVZ line and the feeder feeds balls alternating to the forehand and backhand volley of the hitter . The feeder alternates but the hitter hits all balls to the feeder ’ s forehand . Then the hitter hits all balls to the feeder ’ s backhand . You need a bucket of balls .
Placement . Rapid fire . Shoulders turn and punch . Shoulders turn and punch . Pop the shot and reestablish a ready position . Get down . Accelerate into the ball , then back down in a good ready position . Build those quads . Use the half court at first , then extend it just a bit to practice lunging for poaching . What quads , you ask ? Drills are the key to improvement . Create your own drills . Make them fun . Use targets . Analyze your strengths and weaknesses . You will see your match play improve because you will be able to execute the shot that you should hit . You will be comfortable knowing that you can make the lob , or keep the volley deep and in play , or be ready for that quick exchange . Women ’ s doubles are about maximizing the strengths of both players . Do your part to prepare . •
Alice Tym was ranked 13th in the world for tennis in the ‘ 60s . She ’ s been named USPTA Coach of the Year and is a USPTA Master Professional . As a 4.5 pickleball player , she won gold in Huntsman , NSGA Nationals , US Open , and USA Pickleball events around the country . Alice is an IPTPA member , SSIPA founding board member , Bainbridge Cup Originator and gold medalist in Spain , Italy , and Germany .
JULY / AUGUST 2022 | MAGAZINE 79