Pickleball is one of the popular games, especially among the youngsters. Despite its popularity, many players struggle to get their grasp around the games due to different reasons. Many amateur players want to play pickleball like a pro but don’t know the right ways (or way) of holding a pickleball paddle and do not have the stamina to complete the game without coughing their lungs out. If you are a pickleball enthusiast looking to improve your skills, you have come to the right place. Here are three valuable tips that will help improve your performance, polish your on-field skills and play pickleball like a pro. Take a look.
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Hold the pickleball paddle the correct way
The pickleball paddle is your sword on the battlefield. How do you expect to win the battle if you can’t hold the sword correctly? There are different ways (or way) of holding a pickleball paddlecorrectly, but unfortunately, many players are not aware of them. They end up hurting their wrists and losing the game as they cannot achieve maximum performance due to poor grip and the wrong way of holding the paddle. You can improve your grip by understanding the correct ways to hold the paddles. You need to practice them a lot before using them on the field. You may not have enough time to change your grip mid-game. Hence it’s best to hold the paddle correctly from the beginning, and that is possible only by practicing it.
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Master the cross-court dink shot
Dink shot is a much-needed skill that you need to learn if you want to excel in your game and evolve into a 5.0 pickleball player. Although many top players use dink shots in tournaments, it isn’t easy to master this trick shot. Before you learn the shot, you need to understand what it is. A dink shot is a soft shot that just goes over the net and drops in the kitchen or no-volley zone. There are two options to hit the dink shot. You can hit across the net directly to your opponent or hit a diagonal or cross-court shot.
There are two advantages of the cross-court shot. The diagonal dink shot gives you the advantage of length. That means you have more area to hit the ball shorter, so the opponent cannot hit it back. Another benefit of cross-court dink is the height advantages. You can hit higher short than directly hitting across the net.
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Improve your physical strength
Like tennis, pickleball requires lots of physical strength and dexterity in your hand and legs. With stronger legs, you can move faster and yet be more stable. It also lowers the chance of physical injuries. Improving the strength and flexibility of your arms helps you stretch them long, so you can take those tricky shots by stretching your hands without reaching the spot. You can perform various arm and leg exercises that can help contract and strengthen the muscle and give the much-needed strength and agility to move on the court.
Mastering the game of pickleball requires honing your skills and improving your strength, stamina, and muscle-mind connections. You should be able to gauge the opponent’s next move by determining your current move. You will have a winning edge over your opponent and play pickleball like a pro.
