Non-Volley Zone

Pickleball Kitchen Strategy-STOP Attacking!

By CJ Johnson / November 2, 2019 /
Pickleball Kitchen Strategy-STOP Attacking!

If you want to play better pickleball, you need to stop trying to hit a winner every time. If you learn to stop attacking marginal shots and be more patient, you’ll win more points. Easier said than done?   How many times have you been at the NVZ and attacked a ball where the apex…

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The Pickleball Reset Shot-How to Control the Ball

By CJ Johnson / September 14, 2019 /

How do you hit the reset shot from “no man’s land” without popping it up in the air? Recently, I shot a video with Laura Fenton Kovanda where we focused on the reset shot. That’s the shot that you use when you’re transitioning from the baseline to the non-volley zone. Afterward, the emails came in…

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The Second Hardest Shot in Pickleball

By CJ Johnson / September 7, 2019 /

Most people consider the third shot is the toughest pickleball shot to hit consistently. Do you know the second hardest shot in pickleball to master? If you said the Reset Shot you’re correct. Here’s what 4 time US Open Champ Laura Fenton Kovanda has to say about the resetting the ball to the kitchen. What…

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Reflex Volley Drill for Faster Pickleball Reactions

By CJ Johnson / September 30, 2018 /

[Tweet “How would you like to improve your reaction time when you get into a volley exchange at the net? This single person drill will improve your reactions in no time at all!”]   If your feeling that your reaction time is a little sluggish at the net. This reflex volley drill is going to…

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Pickleball Playing Tip-The Kitchen & the Bathroom?

By CJ Johnson / September 23, 2017 /

Pickleball Playing Tip-Think of the pickleball court as rooms in your home—the kitchen, the bathroom, and the hallway. We all know where the kitchen is on the pickleball courts—the first 7 feet on each side of the net.  Like in your home, the kitchen is the meeting place on the court. It’s where all the…

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Pickleball Strategy-What’s a Dink Shot and Why Hit it?

By CJ Johnson / July 15, 2017 /

When you hear the word DINK, many people think Double Income No Kids, but that’s not what it means in Pickleball! We talk about the dink shot, we practice it, and you see a lot of sayings on t-shirts but what’s a dink and why exactly do we use it? A dink is typically a…

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Pickleball Drills-Block Effectively and Win More Points

By CJ Johnson / February 2, 2017 /

It’s fun to watch the best pickleball players change a dinking game into an attack. They are so quick and their ability to block is amazing! Do you block effectively? Would improved blocking help you win more points or more pickleball games? When I did an inventory of my shots, my score for blocking was…

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Pickleball Drills-Shuffling Dink

By CJ Johnson / December 14, 2016 /

Even if you aren’t really into practice, something we call the shuffling dink is a great warm up before you play. It gets your heart rate up and leaves you huffin’ and puffin and ready for some stretching.   You can use pickleball drills to help you with several different key fundamentals, just don’t try…

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Stay at the Net to Play Better Pickleball

By CJ Johnson / November 18, 2016 /

  You’ve probably been taught the importance of moving to the net at as quickly as possible. Getting there is half the battle now you need to stay at the net. When Laura Fenton Kovanda, a top-ranked 5.0 player, gave a clinic to our club this year she worked with us on both aspects how…

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