Third Shot Drop

Ben Johns Explains the Mistake KILLING Your Game

November 03 2024

Ben Johns is known for making the impossible possible on the pickleball court. But what might be more impressive is his consistency in maintaining his status at the top of the game month after month.

On the PicklePod, Johns identified a major mistake that is detrimental to the consistency of amateur players: trying to control or add to your shot with wrist movement.

Johns explains, “Your wrist is a hinge that is entirely for controlling the direction of the ball. You should not be moving it as you're hitting. There are some exceptions that rule, but the general rule, especially for amateurs, is to lock your wrist out.”

  • Johns explains that any minor movement in the wrist will significantly affect the direction the ball travels. For most amateurs, that level of fine-tuning creates more errors than winners.
  • He also adds that the wrist hinging doesn’t add significant power to your shot. It has a huge impact in sports like badminton, but it is not worth the increased risk in pickleball.

Remember, it’s all about consistency and being able to repeat and rely on your shots. Sure, you might add that highlight shot 1/10 times, but that’s not going to turn into consistent wins.

Or as Johns says, “If you use this (your wrist) as you're hitting, sure, you can hit a sick shot occasionally, but it's very hard to time that. And it's just not strong at all.“ But don’t take our word for it; hear it directly from the GOAT.

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