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INSTRUCTION by KYLE MCMAKIN
THE SECRET BEHIND EVERY GREAT PLAYER IS FOOTWORK
It’ s not your swing, your grip or your shot selection— the one underlying flaw behind most errors on the court starts with your feet.
Over the past five years, I’ ve coached more than 10,000 pickleball players of all skill levels at camps nationwide. That kind of repetition gives you a unique superpower: the ability to spot a mistake the instant it happens, diagnose why it’ s happening, and deliver an immediate, actionable fix.
There is nothing more rewarding than helping a player break through a years-long plateau in real time. I see it at every level— the beginner who finally unlocks the third-shot drop, the intermediate player who stops forcing shots from the wrong position and finally discovers true balance, and the advanced competitor who suddenly learns how to outsmart the opponents across the net.
That’ s the skill set these years have built— pattern recognition developed across thousands of repetitions, with thousands of different players, in thousands of different situations. I have seen nearly every mistake this sport produces. More important, I know how to correct them.
This article is built from that experience: The mistakes I see most often, the fixes that work, and the one thing that ties it all together— your feet.
IT ALMOST ALWAYS STARTS WITH THE FEET
If I had to identify the single root cause behind most errors I see across every skill level— the one thing that, when fixed, resolves most other things— it’ s footwork.
Not the swing. Not the grip. Not shot selection. The feet.
Players come to camp wanting to fix their third-shot drop. What needs fixing is the footwork. They want to work on getting to the kitchen. The real problem is they’ re not stopping when the opponent hits— so by the time the ball arrives, they’ re already moving, offbalance, and the shot never had a chance.
The mistake isn’ t always obvious to the player. That’ s what makes it so persistent. But after watching it happen thousands of times, I can spot it in the first five minutes of watching someone play. And once I can show them what it looks like, the correction usually starts to take hold fast.
Want to fix your foundation? Start by correcting these two common footwork flaws.
Not in proper ready position
Most players are flat-footed, with their weight on their heels, knees relatively straight, and standing upright between shots. When the ball comes, they first have to load and then move— and by then, they’ re already late.
An effective ready position puts your weight on the balls of your feet, knees bent, and your paddle up and in front of you. You’ re not just standing there; you’ re loaded, coiled and ready to move the instant you recognize where the ball is going.
I teach this at every camp, and even advanced players often need a reminder. It sounds basic, but it affects every shot you hit and may be the one thing holding your game back.
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