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CJ Johnson
Tony Roig
Most Players Spin the Pickleball Wrong! – Pickleball Spins – Part 2
Will learning pickleball spins give you a small marginal advantage? Perhaps. But there are costs associated with learning and hitting with spins.
Check out Video 1 in this series to learn more about whether spins suit your game.
Earlier this year, one of our students returned for a second camp. He’d only been playing for a year or so but was athletic and was developing a technically solid stroke. He was well on his way to being a solid 4.0.
As he started to warm up on the first day, we watched in stunned silence. A choppy windshield wiper motion replaced the smooth, consistent stroke he’d been using.
He explained that between the camps, he was told by his playing partners that to “break out” and get to the next level, he needed to learn to spin the ball, and that’s what he’d been spending his time doing.
It didn’t take long for him to lose his consistency, quickly followed by his confidence. His goal for this camp was to regain his consistency and return to his previous level.
Unfortunately, this is a story we’ve seen once too often.
This week’s video covers a common misconception about how to impart spin onto the pickleball.
This error can cause you to make many mistakes in your game and can result in your game moving backward – actually deteriorating. We made this pickleball video because we have seen too many players be negatively affected by this incorrect technique.
It is important to remember that pickleball is not tennis. The solid pickleball paddle and smooth hard pickleball are hugely different from the strung racket and fuzzy yellow ball used in tennis. Thus, the shot techniques used by tennis players to impart topspin to their shots do not translate onto the pickleball court.
Brushing up on the ball, or the windshield wiper motion that the player above was trying to learn, which is of great value in tennis, is counterproductive in pickleball. Brushing up on a pickleball with a hard paddle will not give you the results you are looking for.
We’ve seen a lot
If you are trying to impart spins into your shots by using the erroneous shot mechanics demonstrated in this video, we recommend pausing your work. Please wait until you have a chance to watch Video 3 in this series, where we show you the proper technique to hit pickleball spins.
We also recommend watching (or re-watching) Video 1 in this series. It asks the question: Are spins worth it? Hint: The answer depends.
Tony Roig
Hola. Hello. Konichiwa. After 40 years playing tennis, I am now a full-time pickleball player and professional. As a 5.0 rated Senior Pro Pickleball Player and an IPTPA-certified Master Teaching Professional, my focus is on helping players like you learn to play their best pickleball. In 2016, shortly after starting to play pickleball, my friend Tom and I jumped into the highest division at the first US Open in Naples, Florida. That morning it became clear just how much there is to learn in this seemingly simple sport – a lifetime of learning if you so choose. Since 2018, I have been on a mission to share my knowledge of pickleball so other players can enjoy the game at a higher level and attain their pickleball objectives. When not studying or playing pickleball, I like to travel with my other half, Jill.
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