Thanks Nicole, the added step of catching the ball on the paddle gives the added benefit of forcing yourself to watch the ball all the way to your paddle. This will improve hand eye coordination develop touch, focus and train yourself to know where the sweet spot is without having to look when in play.
I’ve been doing these wall drills for the last few weeks, gradually increasing the time to 1 minute 45 seconds per side. To increase the degree of difficulty, I’ve started combining the forehand and backhand sections into one at each level. Forcing myself to alternate on each shot and doubling the time on each of the four levels before resting really makes a difference. It’s both a physical and mental challenge. Thanks for the drills!
I really like this video. It allows for less experienced players to advance by having 4 levels to practice. I often see practice videos that start out at a high level and do not account for players with less experience and/or skill. Thanks!
Thank you so much for these drills. I have been working on these for the last few days and feel more confident. I hope I can control the pace from fast to slow the next time I play a game. I am going to search for more of your drills. I am so grateful for drills that I can do alone without a practice wall. My husband and I are traveling by RV and I can drill without disturbing others.
One side benefit I hadn't expected: These drills fixed my elbow and shoulder pain by correcting my swing mechanics. My stamina has also improved. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for some great drills. If practising outside would you recommend using an outdoor or indoor ball ? I have just started playing pickleball & I have subscribed to get more valuable advice.
The ball is more related to the surface you're playing on. Outdoor balls are generally for what is called a hard court surface which is very similar to tennis courts. Indoor balls are generally used on a basketball court type of wooden surface. Generally I'd recommend using an outdoor ball when practicing outdoors as you are likely on a hard surface and not a wooden surface. Thanks for subscribing!
Thank you for your very helpful reply. As a retired teacher who specialised in physical education I know that your videos & advice are always clear & easy to understand. Pickleball is a great game & ideal for an 81 year old tennis player who is unable to cover a tennis court like I used to do 40 years ago. Still alive & active.
Great video! I will certainly start doing this on my wall. One question, should I worry about distance from the wall such as 5’ or 7’ lines on the floor? I get this is about control but should we try to graduate to doing these at the NVZ line for ultimate control?
Nicole, these drills really helped me improve. These drills helped me keep my eye on the ball and develop consistency in how much power I applied when hitting the ball. I wanted to slow the ball down but wasn't able to do so at will. My footwork has improved as well because I am forced to move to be in the right position to hit the ball. I practice your drills regularly and I feel more confident on the court. I notice that I can manipulate and adjust the power I am applying to the ball. My husband and I are working to improve our consistency and team work and are giving ourselves 6 months before starting to do 70 year plus tournaments next year. We are sharing our progress on our UA-cam Channel 2512 Pickleball and are promoting your channel. Thank you so much
Enjoyed the video, great for beginners like me. Quick tip though, don’t practice in your living room with a floor heating/air register uncovered until you have pretty good control. Not only lost my ball but probably raised my electric bill
I’m using the prokennex oval paddle and am having a hard time doing the Edge technique. Is there an alternative? It surely makes a difference in doing these drills bc of minimal dead spots and less surface area and a gripped surface. With the non-wall drills, the ball bounces more and the ‘catch’ isn’t as clean as yours. Does it make that big of a difference and should I work with a different paddle? Or will catching smoothly come with time?
Catching smoothly will come with time. It shouldn't make a difference for anything using the face of the paddle. You can get smooth with any paddle. I can see why the edge tap might be tougher because I think the prokennex is thinner but it should still be doable.
Watching your videos with all the recommended techniques make me feel extremely confident. Most of your videos are greatly helpful. Really appreciate for your hard work. Thank you so much.
Darn, these are great and very challenging! Such a soft touch, thank you! The only thing I am concerned with wall work is not hitting the ball a tad more in front. I do not grasp the concept of close to body. I like to be out in front to greet the ball instead of having less options when closer in my body.
I found the wall practice very helpful. Now I'm trying to practice the off the wall drill. However, my paddle is on the thinner side and doesn't have a lot of absorption. I find that I can't catch the ball like you do, without it bouncing off my paddle. I'm going to keep practicing. But is that normal to some level depending on the give on the paddle face?
What do you think about adding a level where you catch the ball after the tap (like on the no wall drills) on the wall drills? I think catching it smoothly is great to build touch
great tips as always, did the tap and catch when i was playing table tennis and forgot about it, so now i'm gonna do it with pickleball. keep up the great vids.
Would it be better to do the wall drills facing the wall, as if you're at the kitchen line? I'm rarely hitting soft shots facing the sideline like that. Or does it not matter since this is more about controlling the speed with your hand?
At first, don’t worry about the stance. Just focus on the control. Once your control is good, you can add open stance at the kitchen. One things at a time.
Bumping this excellent control drill. I had fun with this last year! Warming up for rec play I switched to Level 3 ... and my playing partners initially thought I'd lost my mind. (Maybe it's Level 4, doing it live with hitting partners?) In ten seconds ALL 4 of us were doing it.
Really good drills-thanks! Its forcing me to watch the ball contact the paddle(which I struggle with even after playing 6 years) Different paddles have more challenging edges than others
It doesn't have to be a perfect wall. As long as the surface is flat and the ground is flat then you're good to go. Get creative and think outside the box.
Hi! Hard for me to say what would help without seeing. You're going to want to hit a lot of dinks open stance. First, I'd check 1) Are you taking a big backswing? You don't need one 2) Are you flipping your wrist? Keep your wrist stable 3) Are you contacting in front? You should. Check those.
My distance looks to range from about 7-12 feet. Do it from close and also from far and try to ramp up your speed from all distances. The variety will help you. To start, you can working it from about 7 feet back to simulate NVZ line. The square is about 55 inches up but I'm not focusing on it.
Good stuff. But I was surprised by the height (~2’ above the net) and trajectory of the ball at the net (still rising). Seems like a combo giving shoulder high platters to the opponents, and isn’t taking any mustard off (adding really), which runs counter to the purpose of the drill. Seems that you’d want the apex of the hit to be before the wall/net such that the ball is descending when it hits? I haven’t tried the drill yet so I’m guessing. I guess you need the high mustard shots to practice taking it right back off on the next hit with the catch-bounce. Maybe add another level of progression alternating high mustard shots with mayonnaise shots (softer, apex BEFORE the net/wall)? I do believe I’ll give it a go.
Yes, you need the "mustard" (lol) to get it back to you. It's about controlling the ball. These drills focus on developing a skill. If you can control it in these drills then you will be able to hit the shot you want in play. You wouldn't hit a shot with "mustard" like that if opponents are up at NVZ line but you would if they're further back. Also, you would never tap it to yourself like that in play. But if you can do that then it will help your skill to drop the ball and block it. It's about being able to do whatever you want with the ball. That ability will certainly serve you well in play. Hope that makes sense.
What is the reasoning behind the off the edge of the paddle bouncing for the no wall practice? In my experience those always result in foul ball type hits, not something you typically want to see in your game. Thanks in advance!
If you can tap the ball off your edge with control then you have great command of making contact with the ball where you want on your paddle hence when you are hitting or playing you will hit the sweet spot of your paddle far more often. You will be making less off center contacts resulting in less fouls during play.
I am a tennis and Pickelball player. I serve and volley in tennis with continental grip but it feels so bad in Pickelball. Any ideas? I have pretty good control but not getting much spin when dinking. I use only Eastern forehand grip in Pickelball.
Good video. It looks deceptively simple. But both the catching the ball after tapping it up in the air as well as that first light tap to slow it down after you hit the wall to then make the second hit is much harder than it looks. But this was a good reminder for me to get back to my neighborhood wall and practice these drills.
Yes, when I was editing it I realized it was maybe looking easier than it is. I would hate for people to overlook the value here because it really is such a helpful drill. Glad you didn't. :)
Thanks for these. As others have said, it looks easy - but it's not. The first time I tried I was chasing the ball all over my garage. I had to add a level zero - drop, tap to the wall, then catch the rebound and repeat. Focus on seeing the ball as I hit it and smoothness of stroke. When that gets easy I can move on to level 1.
Thanks Nicole, the added step of catching the ball on the paddle gives the added benefit of forcing yourself to watch the ball all the way to your paddle. This will improve hand eye coordination develop touch, focus and train yourself to know where the sweet spot is without having to look when in play.
Absolutely, great point!
I’ve been doing these wall drills for the last few weeks, gradually increasing the time to 1 minute 45 seconds per side. To increase the degree of difficulty, I’ve started combining the forehand and backhand sections into one at each level. Forcing myself to alternate on each shot and doubling the time on each of the four levels before resting really makes a difference. It’s both a physical and mental challenge. Thanks for the drills!
Fantastic! Those are great additions/adaptations. Keep up the good work! 🙌
I really like this video. It allows for less experienced players to advance by having 4 levels to practice. I often see practice videos that start out at a high level and do not account for players with less experience and/or skill. Thanks!
Thanks Cristie
Thank you so much for these drills. I have been working on these for the last few days and feel more confident. I hope I can control the pace from fast to slow the next time I play a game. I am going to search for more of your drills. I am so grateful for drills that I can do alone without a practice wall. My husband and I are traveling by RV and I can drill without disturbing others.
So glad you find them helpful 😊
If you don’t want to hurt yourself, or have the ball go out of bounds, slow it down.
Wow! These were all great ball control lessons. Thank you for sharing! Now I wanna go and try out on level 1. 🤞
Awesome! Yes, do these often and you'll touch will improve a lot.
Thank you for all this great information/exercises/practice/fun-stuff.👌👌
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nicole, you have the best content.
Thank you! It's always nice to get this positive feedback.
One side benefit I hadn't expected: These drills fixed my elbow and shoulder pain by correcting my swing mechanics. My stamina has also improved. Thanks so much for sharing!
Great to hear!
You make it look so easy! Thanks, I’ll give it a try!
😂 I was wondering if people might think it looks too easy. It really isn’t.
I love this video! Been working on this for weeks and it’s helped soo much on my road to pro!! Thank you 🙏🏾
😁
Thanks ! Your videos are so helpful! Please keep them coming.
Glad you like them! Will do!
So good, so good, so good!!!
Thanks for including the no-wall drills.
You’re so welcome!
Exactly what I need right now! Thank you!
Glad I could help!
Some notes on timing in video
4:13 Wall Drill Level 1
6:26 Wall Drill Level 2
7:52 Wall Drill Level 3
9:49 Wall Drill Level 4
4:55 No wall Level 1
7:10 No wall Level 2
8:43 No wall Level 3
10:37 No wall Level 4
Thanks for this!
Thank you for some great drills.
If practising outside would you recommend using an outdoor or indoor ball ?
I have just started playing pickleball & I have subscribed to get more valuable advice.
The ball is more related to the surface you're playing on. Outdoor balls are generally for what is called a hard court surface which is very similar to tennis courts. Indoor balls are generally used on a basketball court type of wooden surface. Generally I'd recommend using an outdoor ball when practicing outdoors as you are likely on a hard surface and not a wooden surface. Thanks for subscribing!
Thank you for your very helpful reply.
As a retired teacher who specialised in physical education I know that your videos & advice are always clear & easy to understand.
Pickleball is a great game & ideal for an 81 year old tennis player who is unable to cover a tennis court like I used to do 40 years ago.
Still alive & active.
Great video! I will certainly start doing this on my wall. One question, should I worry about distance from the wall such as 5’ or 7’ lines on the floor? I get this is about control but should we try to graduate to doing these at the NVZ line for ultimate control?
Don't worry too much about distance. Start closer and move farther as you feel comfortable. The key is to have control the entire time.
Nicole, these drills really helped me improve. These drills helped me keep my eye on the ball and develop consistency in how much power I applied when hitting the ball. I wanted to slow the ball down but wasn't able to do so at will. My footwork has improved as well because I am forced to move to be in the right position to hit the ball. I practice your drills regularly and I feel more confident on the court. I notice that I can manipulate and adjust the power I am applying to the ball. My husband and I are working to improve our consistency and team work and are giving ourselves 6 months before starting to do 70 year plus tournaments next year. We are sharing our progress on our UA-cam Channel 2512 Pickleball and are promoting your channel. Thank you so much
So happy to hear this Laurie! Thanks so much for letting me know. Good luck with your tournaments. I will check out the channel.
Great drills. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks John! Glad you found them helpful :)
Thanks! The videos and drills are amazing.
Thanks you so much Michael! I really appreciate it. 😁
Enjoyed the video, great for beginners like me. Quick tip though, don’t practice in your living room with a floor heating/air register uncovered until you have pretty good control. Not only lost my ball but probably raised my electric bill
Glad you liked it! Stay safe around those heaters.
Thanks for providing this great information! Now, if I can just be disciplined enough to apply it!
You can do it! 💪
Thank U very much! Just what I’ve been seeking, drills w/out a wall.
Yeah! wall drills can be fun :)
Awesome drills, things to do while you’re waiting to play your next game if the courts are crowded.
Absolutely
I’m using the prokennex oval paddle and am having a hard time doing the Edge technique. Is there an alternative? It surely makes a difference in doing these drills bc of minimal dead spots and less surface area and a gripped surface. With the non-wall drills, the ball bounces more and the ‘catch’ isn’t as clean as yours. Does it make that big of a difference and should I work with a different paddle? Or will catching smoothly come with time?
Catching smoothly will come with time. It shouldn't make a difference for anything using the face of the paddle. You can get smooth with any paddle. I can see why the edge tap might be tougher because I think the prokennex is thinner but it should still be doable.
Watching your videos with all the recommended techniques make me feel extremely confident. Most of your videos are greatly helpful. Really appreciate for your hard work. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much!
Darn, these are great and very challenging! Such a soft touch, thank you! The only thing I am concerned with wall work is not hitting the ball a tad more in front. I do not grasp the concept of close to body. I like to be out in front to greet the ball instead of having less options when closer in my body.
You can absolutely hit it slightly more in front if you wish.
I found the wall practice very helpful. Now I'm trying to practice the off the wall drill. However, my paddle is on the thinner side and doesn't have a lot of absorption. I find that I can't catch the ball like you do, without it bouncing off my paddle. I'm going to keep practicing. But is that normal to some level depending on the give on the paddle face?
Hi! It’s all about the catching skill. Doesn’t matter what paddle you use. Can be caught with no bounce on any paddle. Keep practicing!
Thank you for posting this helpful video
You’re so welcome 😁
What do you think about adding a level where you catch the ball after the tap (like on the no wall drills) on the wall drills? I think catching it smoothly is great to build touch
I love it! Go for it.
Using this practice now! I’m on track 2 level 1 and my catch is not as smooth as yours! Mine still bounces a bit. I’ll keep at it 👍
Yes, work it until smooth and then keep working to keep the skill sharp.
great tips as always, did the tap and catch when i was playing table tennis and forgot about it, so now i'm gonna do it with pickleball. keep up the great vids.
Yeah, it’s a good one. Thank you, I will!
Would it be better to do the wall drills facing the wall, as if you're at the kitchen line? I'm rarely hitting soft shots facing the sideline like that. Or does it not matter since this is more about controlling the speed with your hand?
At first, don’t worry about the stance. Just focus on the control. Once your control is good, you can add open stance at the kitchen. One things at a time.
these are great Nic!
Thanks Dar!
That’s great. Thank you!
😁
Bumping this excellent control drill.
I had fun with this last year! Warming up for rec play I switched to Level 3 ... and my playing partners initially thought I'd lost my mind. (Maybe it's Level 4, doing it live with hitting partners?) In ten seconds ALL 4 of us were doing it.
This is so great to hear Vic! Thanks for sharing and I’m so happy this has helped you and others.
Muy buenos ejercicios. gracias
Gracias!
@@primetimepickleball aprendiendo pickleball desde Montevideo Uruguay
Really good drills-thanks! Its forcing me to watch the ball contact the paddle(which I struggle with even after playing 6 years) Different paddles have more challenging edges than others
This is a good set to come back to again and again. Agree about the edges.
Am wondering where i can find wall? Cold outside now in Chicago.
It doesn't have to be a perfect wall. As long as the surface is flat and the ground is flat then you're good to go. Get creative and think outside the box.
I am having more trouble on the forehand side. My forehand groundstroke is pretty solid but my dink is inconsistent. Would stepping into it help?
Hi! Hard for me to say what would help without seeing. You're going to want to hit a lot of dinks open stance. First, I'd check 1) Are you taking a big backswing? You don't need one 2) Are you flipping your wrist? Keep your wrist stable 3) Are you contacting in front? You should. Check those.
@@primetimepickleball thanks. I will try to keep those suggestions in mind.
This is awesome - thank you!
Glad you like it 👍
Great, great drills. Thanks so much..
Great vid! For the no wall one, it’s a bit challenging to see what’s going on with all the sun and reflections in the background…. :)
Thanks! ok, appreciate the feedback.
how far do you have to be from the wall and how high is the square tape?
My distance looks to range from about 7-12 feet. Do it from close and also from far and try to ramp up your speed from all distances. The variety will help you. To start, you can working it from about 7 feet back to simulate NVZ line. The square is about 55 inches up but I'm not focusing on it.
Good stuff. But I was surprised by the height (~2’ above the net) and trajectory of the ball at the net (still rising). Seems like a combo giving shoulder high platters to the opponents, and isn’t taking any mustard off (adding really), which runs counter to the purpose of the drill. Seems that you’d want the apex of the hit to be before the wall/net such that the ball is descending when it hits? I haven’t tried the drill yet so I’m guessing.
I guess you need the high mustard shots to practice taking it right back off on the next hit with the catch-bounce. Maybe add another level of progression alternating high mustard shots with mayonnaise shots (softer, apex BEFORE the net/wall)?
I do believe I’ll give it a go.
Yes, you need the "mustard" (lol) to get it back to you. It's about controlling the ball. These drills focus on developing a skill. If you can control it in these drills then you will be able to hit the shot you want in play. You wouldn't hit a shot with "mustard" like that if opponents are up at NVZ line but you would if they're further back. Also, you would never tap it to yourself like that in play. But if you can do that then it will help your skill to drop the ball and block it. It's about being able to do whatever you want with the ball. That ability will certainly serve you well in play. Hope that makes sense.
@@primetimepickleball Wait, next you’re going to try telling me Mr. Miyagi didn’t actually need his fence painted and cars waxed. 🤯
Loved it!
😊❤️
What is the logic / purpose of tapping the ball up when hitting against the wall? Did I miss that explanation?
To learn to take all the pace off the shot with control. It’s harder than it looks.
@@primetimepickleball Also, demands eye control on the ball.
What is the reasoning behind the off the edge of the paddle bouncing for the no wall practice? In my experience those always result in foul ball type hits, not something you typically want to see in your game. Thanks in advance!
If you can tap the ball off your edge with control then you have great command of making contact with the ball where you want on your paddle hence when you are hitting or playing you will hit the sweet spot of your paddle far more often. You will be making less off center contacts resulting in less fouls during play.
I am a tennis and Pickelball player. I serve and volley in tennis with continental grip but it feels so bad in Pickelball. Any ideas? I have pretty good control but not getting much spin when dinking. I use only Eastern forehand grip in Pickelball.
thank you this will help me for sure…
Glad it helped!
Soooo good thank you
Thanks!
Thanks so much Steve! Very much appreciated 😁
Great drill!
Thanks!
Excellent
Thanks Elaine!
Thanks for the tips, they improved my game
So happy to hear!
Awesome!
Thanks Zande!
Thankyou.
Happy to help Keegan!
Good video. It looks deceptively simple. But both the catching the ball after tapping it up in the air as well as that first light tap to slow it down after you hit the wall to then make the second hit is much harder than it looks. But this was a good reminder for me to get back to my neighborhood wall and practice these drills.
Yes, when I was editing it I realized it was maybe looking easier than it is. I would hate for people to overlook the value here because it really is such a helpful drill. Glad you didn't. :)
Heard recently: The past is history, the future is a mystery. Today is a gift, that's why it's called the "present"
Thanks for these. As others have said, it looks easy - but it's not. The first time I tried I was chasing the ball all over my garage. I had to add a level zero - drop, tap to the wall, then catch the rebound and repeat. Focus on seeing the ball as I hit it and smoothness of stroke. When that gets easy I can move on to level 1.
Way to adapt! Yes, catching the ball and then feeding yourself is a good way to start if the continuity is a challenge at first.
The drills without a wall say "here's the backhand" but she's still doing it with her forehand...
At what timestamp?
Not true! Her hand is rolled over with the back of her hand facing up.
@@primetimepickleball My error! She's doing it with her backhand. Sorry for my mistake!
During the game I was called out for hitting the ball twice because I got the habit of tapping the ball up before hitting the ball back.
I bet your touch is way better though. lol
Thanks!
Thanks so much!! 😊