Woohoo!

The time has come. I’m currently in Kansas City, competing in the PPA Tournament.

I had qualifying matches all day on Wednesday, and… 🥁

I’m SO excited to announce that I made it into the Mixed Doubles Pro Event (for the first time ever!) with my partner Sofia Sewing! 🎉🎉🎉

AND Kyle “ThatPickleballGuy” Koszuta and I…also made the Men’s Doubles Pro Event!!! 👏👏👏

So I’ll play on Friday (Mixed Doubles) and Saturday (Men’s Doubles)!

This was BY FAR the most challenging Men’s Doubles field I’ve ever played against – every match was a grind!

I am so PUMPED! LET’S GOOOOOOO!

If you’re around the tournament, be sure to say Hi!

In today’s email:

• 🤫 EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: The “Drop n Pounce” 🐅

• ⏱️ Get your 60-second fix

• 👀 Did you see this?

• 💪 What I’m working on right now

Before we get to the video…

THANK YOU to those who filled out my survey last week! 🙏

In case anyone else still wants to do it, here is another opportunity to provide some feedback and thoughts on what type of content you’d like to see most.

The survey will only take a few minutes, and you’ll help me out a TON!

Thank you so much! 🙌

Now to your video!

Score Fast, FREE Points With the “Drop n Pounce” 🐅

The week 9 exclusive video is all about helping you generate offense and score fast, FREE points from the baseline. It’s something I like to call the “Drop n Pounce,” and if you can master it, you’ll become a weapon from anywhere on the court. 🎯

🧍‍♂️ Drop straight ahead

The key to this play is to drop the ball straight ahead. Most people like to drop crosscourt, so dropping straight ahead can catch your opponent off guard and give you a clear view of how good your drop will be. 👀 

🤔 Assess your drop

Any time you drop the ball, you should assess it immediately, especially on this play. You want to see whether your opponent is hitting their next shot from above ⬆️ or below ⬇️ the top of the net. If they are hitting from below the net, then you should rush in quickly so you can pounce.

If they are hitting from above the net, then you should look to reset the next shot.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️ Cover ground quickly

Once you’ve assessed that your drop is good, then you want to cover ground quickly and have your paddle out in front of you so that you can attack and hit down on the ball. The number one mistake many make here is they take too big of a swing 🤦 because they don’t have their paddle in front of their body.

🔔 Practice

I like to practice this by having a drilling partner straight ahead. Have them hit aggressive shots from the kitchen while you start at the baseline. Assess your drop 🤔, cover your ground 🏃‍♂️‍➡️, and then pounce 🐅 when it makes sense to do so. 👍

Use this drill to defend against speed-ups! 💡

If you’re not drilling, you’re not getting better. And if you’re not drilling to learn how to defend against speed-ups, then you’re going to get left behind! 😢

Here’s a drill to help you defend against speed-ups…

IN UNDER 60 SECONDS 👈

What I’m Working On Right Now

This past week, I’ve put emphasis on…

Having FAST HANDS!

In my opinion, hands battles ARE the separator in skill levels (assuming you’re strong at the basics).

I must’ve done the drill above ☝️ over 200 times in preparation for this tournament. 😮‍💨

There are three main things I’m focusing on:

1. Paddle Tracking: I make sure my paddle tip is directly at the ball wherever it is. This is how you stop getting chicken-winged!

2. Vertical Ready Position: This will ensure you snap DOWN on the ball toward the opponent’s feet. If you’re horizontal, you’ll go back at their chest!

3. Mentally BLANK Mind: What does this mean? When someone speeds up at me, I DO NOT assume/guess where they’re hitting it. That is how you get caught. Instead, I keep my mind very neutral and let my intuitions do the work.

Focus on those things yourself, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you level up your game! 📈