Warmup Like James Ignatowich ⬇️

Paddle Discpine

We’ve talked a lot about how important keeping a “still” upper body is in pickleball, whether it’s during a firefight or while hitting a drop. Similarly, maintaining discipline with your paddle should almost be a given, but something I rarely see consistently at the rec level. Spend some practice paying special attention to where your paddle is - even off a miss from your opponent. You should be asking yourself often, “did I cheat too much to one side?” Or, “was my paddle in control if I had to hit another shot?” These small differences mean everything as you get into faster and faster exchanges. Remember too, when you’re covering the middle, you move with your body, NOT your paddle. The paddle should be the last thing to move when you’re pinching the middle.

Mixed Doubles 101 For Men

High level men’s and mixed doubles can feel like two totally different games sometimes, and there are other times where it feels more similar. The biggest factor in determining that is simply the players on the court. There are a few rules of thumb however that you should be following as the male on the mixed court:
- Help out on 4ths. It is absolutely essential that you help out your partner by coming to the middle on fourth shots, especially when you’re unwinding the stack. Even if you’re just going to dink it, whatever shot you hit will be easier than the one your partner would hit.
- The middle volley is always yours: You need to be extra careful dinking at a hard cross court angle because you’re responsible for the middle. This is why you see a lot of middle dinking from the pro’s - each guy wants to make sure they are in optimal position for a counter attack.
- Play the beginning of the points aggressively: Take a couple chances on your serve and drive. It’s worth it to hit deeper returns, a lot of times the guy in mixed will force the issue and go for too much. Generally, the points are shorter in mixed doubles so gaining an advantage at the begin

Warmup your “4th” Shots Like THIS 🔥