We asked and he delivered ! Love the technical breakdown and the why it’s a bad idea to do ‘x’, and what to do different as it helps incorporate it into our games and thought processes.
26:15 I agree with your point about serves and returns. As one of those rare players who prefers/is better at singles I find that many people who focus mostly/entirely on doubles settle for "good enough" and are leaving easy points on the table.
Great match awesome play. Question on 7:22 where they countered your attack. Do you think a backhand flick would have been better here? 1. You can get the ball sooner and higher, 2 more available shot placement. Seems like your paddle needed to be in a better spot while the opponent was trying to get your previous dink. Just a question and thought, youre a great player. Have fun out there
I agree with your thinking, but I don't know Kevin's game at all (first time watching) and it seems awkward to me but he seemed like it was a normal shot attempt for him.
You are too critical towards yourself. Well played match. You didn't make that many errors. On the other hand, Ross was not as impressive as you made it sound. Later in the match they started to attack Ross more as your resets were more consistent.
I appreciate the feedback! I do think in this specific alpha/beta strategy, the right side player is supposed to be the steady rock so that the left side can create the chaos and aggression. Since Ross is creating most of the offense, he will naturally have more errors too. Aside from counters and the occasional speedup, i was focused on creating opportunities for Ross to do his thing That being said, that is not always the best strategy but we thought it worked best for us as a team that day!
Nice game, good commentary, great win (I was rooting for you). I notice there wasn't a single lob! I'm sick of excessive lobs done in my amateur circle!
With the right partner, I would certainly try this in a few more situations! Ross is a “traditional” left side guy so I was playing a more steady role. It is a lot of fun learning to adapt to different strategies though!
Very helpful video. I agree with you, at least during the first 10 minutes you were making a lot of mistakes. You didn’t get your partner up to the kitchen (high drops, high drives to Cam’s backhand, and speeding up too soon at the wrong moments). I think this also makes Ross feel less in control so he tries to be more aggressive and take away balls from you, which causes more errors. I know I would have been frustrated about being at zero points for so long. The first game shifted when David started messing up more (around when he went for the ATP). I also feel like neither David or Cam covered the middle well enough. David on the left side should have followed the ball with his body/move his legs more athletically, and Cam should have swung at more balls in the middle when he noticed a speed up coming, but he obviously has a smaller wingspan or he was expecting David to get it. In the second game, I don’t know if you noticed, but Cam has a very extreme pancake grip when serving and dinking. This makes for great topspin shots and aggressive smashes, however, it makes it harder for him to transition to his backhand especially on his counters when everyone is at the kitchen. He misses at 16:06, 17:48, 20:05, 21:16, 22:5825:26, 26:13. There is some indecision when switching from forehand to backhand or handling slow to fast balls. I think this grip works well for Quang Dong who practices this religiously and is moving constantly in anticipation. But even Quang Dong has trouble handling speed ups despite how effective he is at speeding up at others. Cam can get away with this grip as long as he isn’t too casual / too delayed in his reactions. Ross was exploiting this by speeding up cross court which you usually should never do or rarely see at the pro level. Second game was close but I feel David should have tried to keep you guys back more. He gave many free rides to the kitchen. Everyone is a solid dinker but I’d have to say that you and Ross had the edge. Recognizing that, they should have tried to lob or body bag you more, keep baiting Ross to hit an ATP which he was missing, hitting dinks with more pace, OR they could have tried to speed up more at Ross sooner before getting into dink rallies who was not countering well both games. Great video nonetheless.
Quick question from a 3.0 player. At 2:27 when the young guy took you really wide and you missed the return, did you get caught pinching too much to the mid line, your left? Both you and your partner were quite close in the middle. Is the proper thing to do after your first dink cross court to return to the kitchen line in the middle of your side or is it to pinch to the middle because your dink was sharply cross court and you force your opponent to make a perfect wide cross court return. Just trying to learn proper positioning and strategy, not that I can currently execute at the level in this game but hoping to one day. Thanks
Great game! BTW, you seemed to be lamenting hitting to their backhand a lot. I thought hitting to the backhand in general was better than going to their dominant forehand? Anyway, great game, thanks for posting. 👍
Hitting to a strong 2 hand backhand that can be taken cross court at my partner’s feet is terrible. But one hand backhand or weak 2 hand backhand would be a totally different story!
6:07 whose ball is this? Usually I'd expect Ross to cover middle if Cam speeds up but Cam is stepping over the center line to do so. I feel like Ross has to cover his side more than Kevin does in this scenario. So should Kevin take middle?
The play here is above my own level, but when I watch this moment at 0.25x it seems pretty clear to me that Kevin doesn't read the danger and is way too relaxed after his previous shot. His step forward to follow his shot is too short, probably he should be shifting harder to the center, his split step seems late, and he probably should be preparing to get his left foot even further into the middle if that attack develops. Ross clearly has no idea that Kevin has left such a big gap open.
It is a GREAT question. I think it differs team by team but both Ross and I wanted to protect our bodies based on prior speedups. I would think standard rule would be Ross BUT a team could easily decide either way is more optimal based on who is willing to protect middle AND their body. Given the positioning of cam crossing the center line, it felt like I should’ve been the one to protect middle and just be ready to switch to forehand if cam goes across my body again
Love the analysis and what players need to think about that is not obvious unless a high level coach is there. Im still new so Im learning basics but ideas like these are helpful to keep in the back of your mind to understand "why" a play was effective or worked
Don't be so critical of yourself. 😊 The greatest way to learn is to teach, and we, you included, are all students. Well, except for (non-constructive) critics, because they already know it all. I really appreciate these videos.
I highly recommend you try drinking from the baseline, rather than driving it (Based on your first game). Your drives are too high and when opponents are at the kitchen, they'll eat you up. If not dink, you could drive it to the person who served
I am using the Spartus Olympus in this video. I’m currently in a bit of a free agency period lol just trying a bunch of different paddles. The crush freestyle is the perfect control paddle but I needed something with a little more pop to stay competitive at the pro level. Crush has a new pro paddle (force 5g) coming out and heard it’s got plenty of pop but still most of the control so I’m excited to try that one!
A pretty accurate 5.5 dupr at age 13 is wild to me! I could definitely see him making a huge rise in the next 5 years (and he’d still only be 18 by that point!)
You pop up balls too many, before you fix your drive stop doing that, otherwise pretty much is you and opponents against your partner. In general, you want to generate spin so balls cross middle of net and drop down sharply.
Kevin your commentary is so calm and insightful. High level match indeed!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Super helpful to watch with insightful commentary. Much better than what they talk about on pickleballTV.
I liked that you kept the camera in place, it provides a great view of spins, speeds and such. I wish the PPA producer could learn this :)
We asked and he delivered !
Love the technical breakdown and the why it’s a bad idea to do ‘x’, and what to do different as it helps incorporate it into our games and thought processes.
@@ArtiomKuchin thanks for the feedback!
That was a really fun match to watch
I love your commentaries. I learned a few things just by listening to you.
Love your commentary man. One of the best actually from a high level player.
I appreciate this a ton! I’ll work to get more videos out like this
26:15 I agree with your point about serves and returns. As one of those rare players who prefers/is better at singles I find that many people who focus mostly/entirely on doubles settle for "good enough" and are leaving easy points on the table.
Hard and deep, get consistent then try to go harder and deeper
It was def then above average self commentary…
Cam is the MAN!
Great commentary and good game. Keep up the fantastic work-looking forward to seeing more!
Thanks! Got a couple in the works now! Trying to build a better system so I can get more out more frequently
thanks for the breakdowns of your points! good stuff
great video! Really inspiring to see both the way you edit your vids and the way pro players think!
great stuff. love your attitude, there’s something to learn every point!
Love the strategy breakdowns! 🔥
Your team while serving: 🐱
Your team while returning: 🦁
Thank you. Clear and helpful commentary.
Glad you enjoyed it! Working on more of these!
Great match awesome play. Question on 7:22 where they countered your attack. Do you think a backhand flick would have been better here? 1. You can get the ball sooner and higher, 2 more available shot placement. Seems like your paddle needed to be in a better spot while the opponent was trying to get your previous dink. Just a question and thought, youre a great player. Have fun out there
I agree with your thinking, but I don't know Kevin's game at all (first time watching) and it seems awkward to me but he seemed like it was a normal shot attempt for him.
You are too critical towards yourself. Well played match. You didn't make that many errors. On the other hand, Ross was not as impressive as you made it sound. Later in the match they started to attack Ross more as your resets were more consistent.
I appreciate the feedback! I do think in this specific alpha/beta strategy, the right side player is supposed to be the steady rock so that the left side can create the chaos and aggression. Since Ross is creating most of the offense, he will naturally have more errors too. Aside from counters and the occasional speedup, i was focused on creating opportunities for Ross to do his thing
That being said, that is not always the best strategy but we thought it worked best for us as a team that day!
Nice game, good commentary, great win (I was rooting for you). I notice there wasn't a single lob! I'm sick of excessive lobs done in my amateur circle!
Great play. Nice to see an agressive game.
Thanks!
Crazy good plays.
Ross has a nasty backhand roll flick. Lightning fast
Agreed! And he’s super long so he’s contacting the ball that much closer to you 😅 gives you even less time to react!
Great commentary and match play! Would love to see you play Alshon style right side with that backhand and flick
With the right partner, I would certainly try this in a few more situations! Ross is a “traditional” left side guy so I was playing a more steady role. It is a lot of fun learning to adapt to different strategies though!
What camera did you use, and how high up and how far back was it ?. Every shot was easily seen. Good commentary.
Love the breakdown, definitely learned some new things
Glad to hear it!
Very helpful video. I agree with you, at least during the first 10 minutes you were making a lot of mistakes. You didn’t get your partner up to the kitchen (high drops, high drives to Cam’s backhand, and speeding up too soon at the wrong moments). I think this also makes Ross feel less in control so he tries to be more aggressive and take away balls from you, which causes more errors. I know I would have been frustrated about being at zero points for so long. The first game shifted when David started messing up more (around when he went for the ATP). I also feel like neither David or Cam covered the middle well enough. David on the left side should have followed the ball with his body/move his legs more athletically, and Cam should have swung at more balls in the middle when he noticed a speed up coming, but he obviously has a smaller wingspan or he was expecting David to get it. In the second game, I don’t know if you noticed, but Cam has a very extreme pancake grip when serving and dinking. This makes for great topspin shots and aggressive smashes, however, it makes it harder for him to transition to his backhand especially on his counters when everyone is at the kitchen. He misses at 16:06, 17:48, 20:05, 21:16, 22:58 25:26, 26:13. There is some indecision when switching from forehand to backhand or handling slow to fast balls. I think this grip works well for Quang Dong who practices this religiously and is moving constantly in anticipation. But even Quang Dong has trouble handling speed ups despite how effective he is at speeding up at others. Cam can get away with this grip as long as he isn’t too casual / too delayed in his reactions. Ross was exploiting this by speeding up cross court which you usually should never do or rarely see at the pro level. Second game was close but I feel David should have tried to keep you guys back more. He gave many free rides to the kitchen. Everyone is a solid dinker but I’d have to say that you and Ross had the edge. Recognizing that, they should have tried to lob or body bag you more, keep baiting Ross to hit an ATP which he was missing, hitting dinks with more pace, OR they could have tried to speed up more at Ross sooner before getting into dink rallies who was not countering well both games. Great video nonetheless.
I LEARNED CHESS FROM YOU TOO! KDLearns Chess is on the Pickleball band wagon 😂
This was awesome to watch, wish I could’ve seen it in person!
I train on that court twice a week lol
Next time!! I’m sure pickle shack will have more of these in the future
For sure! I look forward to seeing you guys!
Fun fact he stepped on your feet 10:00 but also fun fact that he’s literally doing everything 1v2 basically
Quick question from a 3.0 player. At 2:27 when the young guy took you really wide and you missed the return, did you get caught pinching too much to the mid line, your left? Both you and your partner were quite close in the middle. Is the proper thing to do after your first dink cross court to return to the kitchen line in the middle of your side or is it to pinch to the middle because your dink was sharply cross court and you force your opponent to make a perfect wide cross court return. Just trying to learn proper positioning and strategy, not that I can currently execute at the level in this game but hoping to one day. Thanks
Great game!
You got the perfect angle. How high us your tripod?
It’s actually a fence mount! Depending on the setting I’ll switch between a tripod and a fence mount
@KevinDongPickleball nice, thanks for sharing
Great game! BTW, you seemed to be lamenting hitting to their backhand a lot. I thought hitting to the backhand in general was better than going to their dominant forehand? Anyway, great game, thanks for posting. 👍
Hitting to a strong 2 hand backhand that can be taken cross court at my partner’s feet is terrible. But one hand backhand or weak 2 hand backhand would be a totally different story!
6:07 whose ball is this? Usually I'd expect Ross to cover middle if Cam speeds up but Cam is stepping over the center line to do so. I feel like Ross has to cover his side more than Kevin does in this scenario. So should Kevin take middle?
The play here is above my own level, but when I watch this moment at 0.25x it seems pretty clear to me that Kevin doesn't read the danger and is way too relaxed after his previous shot. His step forward to follow his shot is too short, probably he should be shifting harder to the center, his split step seems late, and he probably should be preparing to get his left foot even further into the middle if that attack develops. Ross clearly has no idea that Kevin has left such a big gap open.
It is a GREAT question. I think it differs team by team but both Ross and I wanted to protect our bodies based on prior speedups. I would think standard rule would be Ross BUT a team could easily decide either way is more optimal based on who is willing to protect middle AND their body. Given the positioning of cam crossing the center line, it felt like I should’ve been the one to protect middle and just be ready to switch to forehand if cam goes across my body again
Love the analysis and what players need to think about that is not obvious unless a high level coach is there.
Im still new so Im learning basics but ideas like these are helpful to keep in the back of your mind to understand "why" a play was effective or worked
Don't be so critical of yourself. 😊 The greatest way to learn is to teach, and we, you included, are all students. Well, except for (non-constructive) critics, because they already know it all. I really appreciate these videos.
Thanks for the kind words!
I highly recommend you try drinking from the baseline, rather than driving it (Based on your first game). Your drives are too high and when opponents are at the kitchen, they'll eat you up. If not dink, you could drive it to the person who served
Are you using a non Crush paddle😱
I am using the Spartus Olympus in this video. I’m currently in a bit of a free agency period lol just trying a bunch of different paddles. The crush freestyle is the perfect control paddle but I needed something with a little more pop to stay competitive at the pro level. Crush has a new pro paddle (force 5g) coming out and heard it’s got plenty of pop but still most of the control so I’m excited to try that one!
Whats your lead tape set up on that olympus?
Definite Dong bromancing going on
Wow, Seckel is a 6?! 👏
I prefer the pickleball Dong versus the finance Dong lol.
Diego!!! Thx man
What paddles were used in this match ?
Me: Spartus Olympus
Ross: Selkirk power air?
David: proton series 3
Cam: Pikkl i think vantage pro
good video !
Thanks!
What Paddle was the 13 year old using?
PIKKL I think Vantage Pro? I think it’s pretty soft and has great control (which matches his game style. Guy has some sick resets and dinks!)
@ yeah his control and touch is just awesome
That kid was really good at hig age.
Right?? He’s still getting better too. He may appear in some more vids in the future!
more of these videos please, also play better lol
I will do my best to play better 😂
I think the word prodigy was a bit much. But nice games, thanks for sharing.
A pretty accurate 5.5 dupr at age 13 is wild to me! I could definitely see him making a huge rise in the next 5 years (and he’d still only be 18 by that point!)
you blame yourself too much
Just trying to learn! Being most critical on myself to because selfishly, I’m looking most for what I can do better in the future
The 13 year old was weak
You pop up balls too many, before you fix your drive stop doing that, otherwise pretty much is you and opponents against your partner. In general, you want to generate spin so balls cross middle of net and drop down sharply.
what's your dupr coach
So many missed ATPs and ATP opportunities. It's funny people call themselves 5.0 when they can't hit one of the easiest shots in the game.
Praying for you
Spread some positivity instead! I don’t see you posting any of your matches!