300 Series: Skills & Drills Lab
Shot Accuracy & Court Movement
Takeaways & Training Tasks
Keep the momentum rolling with these quick steps:
- Refresh your memory with the 2 skills, 2 drills, and training video.
- Knock out the drills 2–3x before we meet again.
- Each time you play, pick one skill and make it your mission to use it often and on purpose.
Dink Accuracy
- Contact Point: Push through the ball. GUIDE the ball don’t STRIKE the ball.
- Weight Transfer: Allow weight to transfer into the shot.
- Body Positioning: Square up to the ball.
- Hands: Soft Continental grip. Laid back wrist.
- Swing: Slow even swing speed. If overhitting the ball, slow down your swing. Follow through at your target.
Ball to Paddle Dink–Cross Court Dinking: Target Cones
- Set out 3 cones with balls on top. 1 inside sideline and inside NVL, 1 on NVL
in middle, and 1 behind NVL and just inside the center line. - Players stand cross court at NVZ and dink rally to knock balls off the cones.
- Defend cones by taking balls out of the air.
- Players may need to be strategic to move opponent away from a cone in
order to aim for it the next shot.
Shifting with Partner
- Watch Video for Details
- FACE the ball, don’t Chase the ball!
- Square up toe the ball using smaller steps- be deliberate.
- If partner gets pulled out super wide, shift towards middle then see where
partner places ball to make final adjustment.
Mini Pickleball
- Players set up at NVZ like doubles play.
- First 2 shots are cooperative - cross court dink serve and dink return - then
GAME ON! - Players may use all of the shots and strategies from lesson to build the
point. - Possession scoring. Play to 11 win by 2 or play in timed rounds.
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