him to bend his knees . Drive the ball for depth but make him earn the right to hit hard . The price to pay for hitting hard is early preparation , good footwork , and a consistent follow-through . He came to play . Turn him loose .
LESSON PLAN # 2 : Be Deliberate
Kids not only want to hit , they want to win . Lesson # 2 should make them understand that you have to earn the right to pound the ball or dink the ball . You don ’ t just step up to the plate and let fly . You step up to the plate , take a stance , have a backswing , step in , and follow through . You are deliberate . The stroke is planned . There is such a thing as good body mechanics . This is like chess in that the moves are planned . You protect , you force , you angle your knight — your youngster should learn chess while you work on Lesson # 2 . Deliberate is the key word for drills in this lesson .
You are going to do forehand crosscourt drills deliberately emphasizing your follow-through . On your serve you will deliberately hold the extension on your followthrough a little bit longer . On your volley you will be very deliberate in meeting the ball out in front of you . As the instructor , you can apply the focus to what you believe the child needs to emphasize . In Lesson # 2 , you can use cones and ask your youngster to deliberately move the ball around the court . Introduce the concept of angles to make the opponent run . He now has a deliberate strategy . As he acquires more skills , you can introduce more complex strategies .
LESSON PLAN # 3 : Patience
This is a tough one for kids ( and not just kids ). They want to hit the ball and see what happens right now . Patience can be taught by encouraging good habits . A good lob drill where your youngster must lift the ball high and chase down your overhead and lift it again and again will give him the skills to hang in there . Have him “ carry ” the ball on the paddle for greater control . Explain that he is playing defense . He must run the balls down and lob again and again . Be sure to make
When the youngster is doing volley drills , you need to emphasize that he should keep the volley deep by using his legs . He must be very deliberate in his placement .
his efforts attainable . Do not put the overhead away in this drill .
Have him work on his serving where he must go to the ball hopper for each ball to serve . No holding one in a pocket . Have him learn to slow down the play . He can establish a routine by bouncing the ball a few times before he serves . Make sure his feet are in good position each time . Have him think about where he plans to place the serve ; have him do this each time . Don ’ t allow him to be robotic .
Good players know that it takes time to win . It is chipping away at the opponent ’ s strengths while building on your own . Remind him that there is not a shot clock in pickleball . Establish a smooth and even tempo . Take time to think . Teach the patience to analyze . Examine which serves are most effective and reliable . Thinking needs to become as important a part of his game as body mechanics .
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2023 | MAGAZINE 79