I love your stuff, John. I try to absorb everything I can find from top pros who are kind enough to impart their wisdom to us mortals, and your videos IMO really stand out in terms of giving us more things to consider beyond just how to hit X shot or Y shot. Your clear, logical and understandable approach to demonstrating the concepts is very much appreciated!
I can see why the pause is an essential foundation. So far in my first year I really focused on structure and positioning, and I haven't given much thought to attacking balls in the yellow zone. Green balls arrive so quickly at my level without forcing the matter. Recently I discovered that even with great positioning, I struggle against a certain kind of banger who can consistently clear the net with barely any margin, over and over again. I've been trying to handle these with a block that's properly accomplishing its goal less than half the time. Lately I've added punch volleys and swing volleys to my PB tutorial feed and I'm thinking much more concretely about how to use footwork to prevent getting jammed up, and how to use my free hand to maintain balance. I feel like I'm getting to a level now where my new skills need to be incorporated with far more deliberation. In this case, the deception is actually an advantage, because the foundation for this skill is identical to the volley dink I'm already using, with one small extra motion.
Typically you’re targeting the person right in front of you. Specifically where on their body depends on the person and their tendencies but always a good place to start if the forehand side hip/shoulder. Yes, some might be going out, but when you’re taking it right at the person in front of you I can hard for them to lay off of it or get out of the way even if it’s going out. Also, when you’re practicing this shot find the correct power and spin that brings the ball down right inside the baseline.
good series. my question, on the speedup you didn't mention if the ball has to land in, if say the opponent moves out of the way. or is the speedup really intended to be hit back or a body shot not returned. couldn't see where your speed ups landed.
Excellent video demo, John. I will adapt the drills, as I normally have to, to coach 2 players in their forties as we do not have walls or a PB machine.
John, your videos are really great. I look forward to your updates. A lot of your teachings stick in my mind while playing, specifically I come back to the dinking idea of catching the ball.. Paddle in place first - that one has really changed my game as you said it would 😊I'm wondering if you could do a tour of your facility? Maybe a little UA-cam "short"? I would love to see just a quick walkthrough as I'm inspired to find something similar in my area
Nice to see someone doing UA-cam videos that actually knows what they're talking about lol. Also doesn't hurt that your last name ends in a vowel like mine🤣🤣
Is this kitchen drill one of the preprogrammed ones on the SpinShot? Have a SS and trying to get dinks it dialed in. Thanx, I enjoy your videos. I love when you include the settings you use for the SS drills!!
Usually I start with one of the preprogrammed drills but I’m always tweaking them a little bit to get it to do exactly what I want. There’s a lot of variables (ball type/ ball wear/ temp/wind) You’re setting may not be exactly the same, but usually it’s a good starting point.
Your videos are just so helpful. Thank you for including tips/drills/suggestions that are not as common as the typical UA-cam pb videos. I had a Lobster, but after seeing your review, I sold it and bought the spinshot. I do love the different drills that are available, even though there is a higher learning curve to this machine compared to the Lobster. I am wondering if you have a common place where your various drills are listed? I've copied some of them by freezing videos and copying the settings, but it would be great if you had someplace where they I could copy/paste the ones you have.
Hi Ginny, glad your enjoying the videos. All the drills that I use on my machine I included in my favorite drills video. Also, I’ve asked the owners to create a Facebook group for spinshot owners where we can all share drills.
I love your instructions. Please keep them coming. Would you please do a video on not hitting out balls? In particular, The out balls that I have trouble reading are the very hard hit balls close to the net when I am at the NVZ line. I think I have to decide on whether to let the ball go or not before the ball is stuck by the opposing player. What do you do? What do you look for?
I Ended up getting the Spin Shot, Love it! only used it once so far though you should do a couple videos on how you utilize it for training for newer folks, I know there’s 12 drills built in Maybe do a video or two and go over the best basic drills and then show the settings you’re using on the phone app for each drill or maybe do a video on a proper practice session with the machine to work on the normal basics. For noobs like me Good videos though, you do lots of good angles.
Hey Jeff, that’s awesome. I’m actually planning for my next video coming out next week to be exactly that. I’m going to be going over my 5 favorite ball machine drills and I’ll share the spinshot settings for all of them. 👍
Hi Mark, Thanks! Yeah, I love the ASICS. I compete in the Gel Resolution 8 because they’re a little more durable, and I teach and do my day to day stuff in the Gel Challenger 13 because they’re a little more comfortable.
John your videos are good because you use the basic progression method of teaching. I will use this today after hurricane Nicole. Thanks California Bill
To be honest I don’t even know I’m doing it sometimes. I guess it’s comfortable for me. When I’m competing I use more two handed backhands so my left hand is usually on the paddle in my ready position
Great video. I'm assuming when you speed up those are all in bounds? Speed up is not to actually hit your opponent but make them respond? Some of those balls are low I'm assuming there is a lot of topspin to them?
Yes, almost always in front. You’re trying to give them less reaction time to read the shot and since the person in front is closer to you they’ll have less time to react. Typically you’re going for body but you can mix it up depending on who you’re playing and how they sit in their ready position, as well as where their strengths are.
John, I understand your rationale for disguise. However, I have a problem using my wrist to speed things up as I have some chronic injuries. Is there another way of speeding it up while maintaining the short backswing and making it appear like a dink is coming? Thank you.
Yes, if you're going to buy the more expensive lobster then I think the Spinshot is quite a bit better for a similar price range. If your'e looking at the entry level lobster then the Spinshot is not really in the same category.
Need a breakdown of when to have your partner on the same side when serving or have your partner stand off to the side of the court when returning. See it mostly in mixed and assume it is to keep the team at their strongest sides. But haven’t seen a strategy breakdown.
Hey John, curious about the following. What is your grip circumference? You are a bigger guy, like me, so I'm curious if you have a thick grip circumference because of our larger hand sizes? (I can't tell if thick is good for stability or thin because it allows for wrist movement). Thanks :)
I like my drip to be as thin as possible. In general a thicker grip will stabilize the wrist and a thinner grip will give you ability to wrist flick easier. I prefer the latter
They may be ready but that doesn't mean they're going to be able to read the ball and react in time. If you think its that easy to "be ready" than I don't think you've experienced playing anyone yet with a great speedup/attack game.
@@johncincolapickleball Isn't that the truth. A sneaky speedup is one of the most difficult things to counter even if you know your opponents are capable of it.
I've added the links to Parts 1 and 2 of this series in the description box. If you haven't seen those yet check them out.
These are very good instructional videos. I really like them.
I love your stuff, John. I try to absorb everything I can find from top pros who are kind enough to impart their wisdom to us mortals, and your videos IMO really stand out in terms of giving us more things to consider beyond just how to hit X shot or Y shot. Your clear, logical and understandable approach to demonstrating the concepts is very much appreciated!
Thanks so much Tim, I’m going to try to keep the videos coming like that. I’ve got lots in my mind that I wanna do.
Way to go John. Love your drills. Can’t believe I played for 5 hours today and I’m watching your drills now. 63 years old and I feel like I’m 22 lol
That's Amazing, Pickleball can do that!
I can see why the pause is an essential foundation. So far in my first year I really focused on structure and positioning, and I haven't given much thought to attacking balls in the yellow zone. Green balls arrive so quickly at my level without forcing the matter. Recently I discovered that even with great positioning, I struggle against a certain kind of banger who can consistently clear the net with barely any margin, over and over again. I've been trying to handle these with a block that's properly accomplishing its goal less than half the time. Lately I've added punch volleys and swing volleys to my PB tutorial feed and I'm thinking much more concretely about how to use footwork to prevent getting jammed up, and how to use my free hand to maintain balance. I feel like I'm getting to a level now where my new skills need to be incorporated with far more deliberation. In this case, the deception is actually an advantage, because the foundation for this skill is identical to the volley dink I'm already using, with one small extra motion.
Where do you target in the speed ups? It seems like all these shots have a good chance of going out.
Typically you’re targeting the person right in front of you. Specifically where on their body depends on the person and their tendencies but always a good place to start if the forehand side hip/shoulder.
Yes, some might be going out, but when you’re taking it right at the person in front of you I can hard for them to lay off of it or get out of the way even if it’s going out. Also, when you’re practicing this shot find the correct power and spin that brings the ball down right inside the baseline.
Thank you, John. I keep getting better at this game and seeing nuances like this help in my progression.
Thanks Michael, It’s always fun to see progress in your game!
good series. my question, on the speedup you didn't mention if the ball has to land in, if say the opponent moves out of the way. or is the speedup really intended to be hit back or a body shot not returned. couldn't see where your speed ups landed.
Excellent video demo, John. I will adapt the drills, as I normally have to, to coach 2 players in their forties as we do not have walls or a PB machine.
Love it 👍
👍 Thanks John. I learn so much from your teaching. Keep the videos coming please and thank you. 😎
Thanks so much! I will
Love your videos, especially the butterfly net drill. Can you talk a little about grip pressure particularly in part one.
Check out the videos on my channel, I have a whole video on grips. I talk about my philosophy on grip pressure in that video. 👍
John, your videos are really great. I look forward to your updates. A lot of your teachings stick in my mind while playing, specifically I come back to the dinking idea of catching the ball.. Paddle in place first - that one has really changed my game as you said it would 😊I'm wondering if you could do a tour of your facility? Maybe a little UA-cam "short"? I would love to see just a quick walkthrough as I'm inspired to find something similar in my area
Thanks Mike, Im glad to hear the videos are helping!
That's a great idea, facility tour soon. Thanks
Really good stuff! Thanks John! 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks!
Great video, thank you John.
Thanks David! I appreciate the support
Good job John!!! Love it!
Nice to see someone doing UA-cam videos that actually knows what they're talking about lol. Also doesn't hurt that your last name ends in a vowel like mine🤣🤣
Is this kitchen drill one of the preprogrammed ones on the SpinShot? Have a SS and trying to get dinks it dialed in. Thanx, I enjoy your videos. I love when you include the settings you use for the SS drills!!
Usually I start with one of the preprogrammed drills but I’m always tweaking them a little bit to get it to do exactly what I want. There’s a lot of variables (ball type/ ball wear/ temp/wind) You’re setting may not be exactly the same, but usually it’s a good starting point.
Your videos are just so helpful. Thank you for including tips/drills/suggestions that are not as common as the typical UA-cam pb videos. I had a Lobster, but after seeing your review, I sold it and bought the spinshot. I do love the different drills that are available, even though there is a higher learning curve to this machine compared to the Lobster. I am wondering if you have a common place where your various drills are listed? I've copied some of them by freezing videos and copying the settings, but it would be great if you had someplace where they I could copy/paste the ones you have.
Hi Ginny, glad your enjoying the videos. All the drills that I use on my machine I included in my favorite drills video. Also, I’ve asked the owners to create a Facebook group for spinshot owners where we can all share drills.
I love your instructions. Please keep them coming. Would you please do a video on not hitting out balls? In particular, The out balls that I have trouble reading are the very hard hit balls close to the net when I am at the NVZ line. I think I have to decide on whether to let the ball go or not before the ball is stuck by the opposing player. What do you do? What do you look for?
I Ended up getting the Spin Shot, Love it! only used it once so far though
you should do a couple videos on how you utilize it for training for newer folks, I know there’s 12 drills built in
Maybe do a video or two and go over the best basic drills and then show the settings you’re using on the phone app for each drill or maybe do a video on a proper practice session with the machine to work on the normal basics. For noobs like me
Good videos though, you do lots of good angles.
Hey Jeff, that’s awesome. I’m actually planning for my next video coming out next week to be exactly that. I’m going to be going over my 5 favorite ball machine drills and I’ll share the spinshot settings for all of them. 👍
Got a lot out of this 3 parter. Thanks !!!
Awesome, Thanks!!
Great lessons! When do you decide is a good opportunity to speed up the ball?
Greatest pickleball content on UA-cam right now. Like Zane but with a better voice
haha, Thanks so much! I appreciate that
Hi John...love your videos. Keep them coming. I see you wear Asics. What model do you recommend? Thx!
Hi Mark, Thanks! Yeah, I love the ASICS. I compete in the Gel Resolution 8 because they’re a little more durable, and I teach and do my day to day stuff in the Gel Challenger 13 because they’re a little more comfortable.
Why do you put your left hand on your hip? Is that for balance or what is the reason behind that?
John your videos are good because you use the basic progression method of teaching. I will use this today after hurricane Nicole. Thanks California Bill
To be honest I don’t even know I’m doing it sometimes. I guess it’s comfortable for me. When I’m competing I use more two handed backhands so my left hand is usually on the paddle in my ready position
Thanks Bill!
Great video. I'm assuming when you speed up those are all in bounds? Speed up is not to actually hit your opponent but make them respond? Some of those balls are low I'm assuming there is a lot of topspin to them?
Yes, easy to speed up, even keeping the ball low over the net, but put the ball out of bounds. Grip pressure, top spin, etc. all play a roll.
Hi John, are you still available for lessons? I don't see your info on the LGT website anymore?
Hi Bob, not at LGT anymore. I do teach a little bit still in Crystal Lake.
When you are going to speed up the ball, do you aim for your opponent or will the ball have enough top spin to land inside the baseline?
I try to both, I usually try to aim for their dominant shoulder/hip but also hit it at a speed that if they get out of the way it's still landing in
Thanks man!
Another awesome video. What setting are you using for the Spinshot?
Thanks, Ive got a video coming out this week about Spinshot drills and the settings I use.
When building a practice wall would a 15% tilt upward be the best angle?
John- For clarification, the speed up is always at the person in front, and always at a body part of that person?
Yes, almost always in front. You’re trying to give them less reaction time to read the shot and since the person in front is closer to you they’ll have less time to react. Typically you’re going for body but you can mix it up depending on who you’re playing and how they sit in their ready position, as well as where their strengths are.
John, I understand your rationale for disguise. However, I have a problem using my wrist to speed things up as I have some chronic injuries. Is there another way of speeding it up while maintaining the short backswing and making it appear like a dink is coming? Thank you.
Don't see the link to the first two videos? Should be right above Spinshot Machine.
I just posted them in the description box. Sorry about that.
Do you recommend the Spin Shot machine over the Lobster?
Yes, if you're going to buy the more expensive lobster then I think the Spinshot is quite a bit better for a similar price range. If your'e looking at the entry level lobster then the Spinshot is not really in the same category.
Need a breakdown of when to have your partner on the same side when serving or have your partner stand off to the side of the court when returning. See it mostly in mixed and assume it is to keep the team at their strongest sides. But haven’t seen a strategy breakdown.
Hey John, curious about the following. What is your grip circumference? You are a bigger guy, like me, so I'm curious if you have a thick grip circumference because of our larger hand sizes? (I can't tell if thick is good for stability or thin because it allows for wrist movement). Thanks :)
I like my drip to be as thin as possible. In general a thicker grip will stabilize the wrist and a thinner grip will give you ability to wrist flick easier. I prefer the latter
It's nice, but if your opponent is always ready for your speedup then it doesn't matter if it looks like your dink or not.
They may be ready but that doesn't mean they're going to be able to read the ball and react in time. If you think its that easy to "be ready" than I don't think you've experienced playing anyone yet with a great speedup/attack game.
@@johncincolapickleball Isn't that the truth. A sneaky speedup is one of the most difficult things to counter even if you know your opponents are capable of it.
The young folk will have a lot wrist issues down the road.
It’s not a strain on the wrist when done correctly and relaxed. It’s the same movement professional badminton players have been making for years.