Tanner Tomassi is probably the most prolific content creator in all of pickleball. The dude has been at it so long, he literally wrote the book on how to improve every facet of your game.
But he doesn’t just talk the talk. He’s been a pro on the APP Tour for four years now, amassing plenty of podium spots along the way.
Through it all, of course, he’s kept careful notes. Here are a few of the most important tips he’s discovered the hard way.
Time is currency. Advanced strategy really boils down to this: You want to take time away from your opponent and buy as much of it as possible for yourself. The single best way to do this is to be an active hunter at the kitchen line, leaning in and taking as many balls aggressively out of the air as possible.
Play smart, not stubborn. Dink battles start neutral, but soon enough the advantage shifts. If you’re getting pushed out wide or short-hopping every cross-court dink, you’ve ceded the upper hand. Recognize this, and hit reset—quite literally by resetting the ball back to the middle of the kitchen. Just like that: clean slate.
Be a master of disguise. Predictability is death in pickleball. Your best shot isn’t all that great once your opponent catches on and starts expecting it. At the kitchen, the easiest way to add deception is deliberately pausing before you hit a dink. Vary the length for effect. Just know that adding this slight delay wreaks havoc on your opponents’ timing and ability to read where the shot is going.
Tanner has a few more up his sleeve as well. Some of them you might know, but a handful, we guarantee, you’re not incorporating into your game as much as you think you are.
