Leigh Waters Reveals Game-Changing Drills: Top pickleball coach Leigh Waters recently shared three simple but powerful drills for amateur players. She offered advice on the Talk Pickle To Me podcast, revealing practice routines also used by her daughter, World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters, to improve skills and win matches.
Boring but Effective: Consistency Drills
Waters stressed the importance of consistency drills, even if they’re not fun.
“You have to do the consistency drills, which are super boring. When I coach Anna Leigh and Christian Alshon, I make them dink from every direction and they have to make 100 on their own ball. It’s so monotonous and boring, but it makes you work your brain.” – (Waters)
“You have to figure out how to apply pressure on yourself in practice, somehow. And those consistency drills are more about applying some kind of pressure. It’s funny because in pickleball, the game used to be all about dinking cross court 400 times and whoever could outlast the other person won.” – (Waters)
“It’s really less about being able to dink 100 times because that’s not going to happen in a match. It’s more about being able to make consecutive balls to a target under a little bit of pressure. You really have to be able to do those monotonous types of drills.” – (Waters)
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Add a Weapon to the Game
Waters encouraged players to find a strength and focus on building it.
“Everybody has different weapons. Some people have speedups, some people are counters. Some people have the best thirds, develop whatever that is. Your defense can be off the charts, but if you don’t have a weapon, you can’t win. Find your weapon, develop it, and make sure that you’re constantly working on it. Once it gets good and it’s your weapon, don’t forget about it. You’ve got to work on it all the time because you can’t lose it.” – (Waters)
Improve Your Hands
The final tip focused on developing fast hands for quick play.
“Figure out how to make your hands fast. If you have slow hands, whether you’re an amateur or a pro, you’re not going to win a game. Back in the day, 100% you could get away with it. Now, you can’t.” – (waters)
She suggested wall drills or working with a partner who speeds up the ball or counters often, similar to how Christian Alshon trains.
Why This Matters
Leigh Waters rarely shares public coaching advice. These three drills offer a rare look into the practice routines of top players like Anna Leigh Waters. Amateur players can use these tips to boost their game, develop skills under pressure, and prepare for more competitive matches.
News in Brief: Leigh Waters Reveals Game-Changing Drills
Coach Leigh Waters revealed three drills to help amateur pickleball players: consistency drills, developing a weapon, and improving hand speed. She shared the tips on the Talk Pickle To Me podcast, noting her daughter, World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters, uses them too. These drills build pressure skills and fast reactions.
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