Watch any top pro serve. Now watch them again. Notice anything? They repeat the exact same motions, down to the breath, every time. Peak performance is all about consistency. Roscoe Bellamy is no exception. The former UCLA and pro tennis player is now making his 6’ 5” presence known in pro pickleball, largely in the form of a formidable forehand and monster serve.
Augie Ge is an MLP champ known for his cerebral approach to the sport. The crafty lefty is a master at decoding when to play it safe and when to get aggressive. Here, he hits the court with fellow pro Kyle Koszuta to detail their “3-Part Kitchen Formula” for better decision-making when attacking at the kitchen line.
Advanced pickleball play is often synonymous with speed, power and aggression—the higher your DUPR, the harder you can hit the ball. But that doesn’t have to be the case. There are plenty of pros whose game is more defensive than offensive—think Augie Ge or Tyra Black. Their secret is knowing when to attack.
If you want to get better at pickleball, you need to start paying attention to strategy. That means recognizing and exploiting patterns that play to your strengths.
Playing in windy conditions is a frustrating but inevitable reality for any pickleballer. Mother Nature is a fickle beast, as they say—and a well-timed gust can make even the most seasoned pro look like a total noob. You can’t change the wind, but you can make some adjustments to give yourself a fighting chance. Here, pro James Ignatowich walks you through the tips he’s picked up throughout his career.
Dead dinks are the kiss of death. As your DUPR increases, so does the need for a more aggressive dink option from the Kitchen line. That’s where the forehand topspin dink comes in.
It’s the shot you should have on autopilot—just the right amount of consistency, offense and aggression.
If you stopped reading at “singles,” we get it—most people stick to doubles and assume any singles-specific strategy is a waste of time. Way too much running. No thank you. But wait. Selkirk pro—and new teammate to Rachel Rohrabacher—Catherine Parenteau knows a thing or two about winning: she’s ranked #7 in singles and #2 in women’s doubles on the PPA Tour.
The drop shot is one of the most important shots in pickleball because it allows you go from the baseline to the kitchen line, which is the best and most advantageous to play. Learn about the mistakes that are killing your pickleball third shot drop, including which partner should hit this shot, planting your feet on the return of serve, and how to know if it’s time to make your way to the kitchen line. Plus, learn about the “Traffic Light” system to tell you how to hit the 3rd shot and practice a pickleball drill to improve your drop shots during your next pickleball game.
Ask three people for advice on the best third shot option in pickleball and you’re bound to get three different answers. Here’s a truth-bomb from Mari Humberg to try on for size: The best third shot is the one you can consistently get over the net.
Anytime Anna Leigh Waters wants to give a bunch of free pickleball advice, you know we’re locking in.
In a new video, she discusses a bread-and-butter shot that really got us thinking: On a forehand, instead of following through across your body to the opposite shoulder—follow through up and above your paddle arm.
FYI- this is a very high difficulty shot that only 5.5 players and above can hit consistently, but we thought all of our players will find it interesting even though it’s not a shot than can be mastered without a lot of practice. Still fun to try when you’re drilling if nothing else but to further appreciate the subtle skills the pros possess. Needless to say, they don’t play the same game we mortals do.
Statistically, pro doubles matches are getting shorter. Looking at more than 40,000 shots across 4,000 rallies in gold medal matches in 2024, the average number of shots per point dropped from 11 to 10 compared to the year prior.
Sometimes it’s less about technique and more about mirroring the best players in the world.
According to PPA Tour data, third shot drives increased from 38% in 2023 to 51% in 2024, showing a clear shift among pro players toward a more aggressive approach shot.
Imagine this: You’ve made it to the kitchen line only to find yourself fighting for your life against a couple bangers. Every ball is coming back at a blistering pace. You’re hanging on for dear life.
Selkirk pro James Ignatowich has conquered his fair share of firefights. Rather than matching power with power, he recommends neutralizing the aggression with a quick but poppy punch volley.
Changing the grip on your paddle can be like changing the tires on your car: It’s not something you think too much about until something just doesn’t feel right.
To test this theory, we wanted to know how often our readers change their paddle overgrips.
When it comes to cross-court dinking, we all want to be more aggressive at the kitchen line. But where to start?
Recent MLP Florida Smash draftee and Managing Director of PPR Sarah Ansboury has played thousands more hours of pickleball than you have. So listen up.
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