Pickleball Split Step Drill Technique: Professional pickleball coach Dominic Catalano is helping players connect the sport of baseball to pickleball through a simple drill. In a lesson on Selkirk TV, Dominic Catalano showed how the pre-pitch routine of a baseball infielder can improve readiness and footwork during a pickleball rally. His method teaches players how to stay alert and react faster by using a move called the “split step.”
Baseball Drills Meet Pickleball Play
Dominic Catalano explained the drill by first showing what baseball infielders do. When a pitcher is about to throw, the infielder gets into a “ready position” by making a small jump called a split step. This prepares them to move quickly in any direction to catch the ball.
He then placed his paddle down and said, “As an infielder when the pitcher is about to pitch the ball and he goes to release that ball, I’m going to almost go into a split step or a ready position.”
Moving from the Baseline to the Net
In pickleball, this same movement is useful when players move from the baseline to the kitchen line. Dominic Catalano showed how players should split step just before their opponent hits the ball. This keeps them balanced and ready to move in any direction.
“Right before she goes to hit that ball to me, I’m going to go here, boom, and I’m going to split step and I’m going to be in that ready position,” he said as Susanna hit the ball toward him during practice.
Each time Susanna prepared to hit, Dominic Catalano timed his split step to land just before contact. “As she goes to hit this, boom, I’m there and ready,” he explained. He repeated this several times to show correct timing and foot placement.
Focus on Footwork and Timing
Dominic Catalano reminded viewers that the key to success is good timing. The split step must land just before the opponent hits the ball—not during or after. He said, “The key is I want to have my feet set. I don’t want to be in the air as she’s hitting that, so my timing needs to be pretty impeccable.”
After a late step, he admitted his mistake: “One more time—I was late there, that’s my fault.” Then he corrected himself: “Here we go again. Good. Now I’m ready.”
A Simple Move That Can Make a Big Difference
The split step drill helps pickleball players react faster and stay balanced during points. Just like in baseball, the move improves quickness and sharpens focus. Dominic Catalano’s lesson shows that athletes can take skills from one sport and use them to get better at another.
His drill offers a fun and simple way to connect the two sports and gives players an easy method to improve their game.
News in Brief: Pickleball Split Step Drill Technique
Pickleball coach Dominic Catalano teaches a baseball-inspired split step drill on Selkirk TV. The move helps players stay balanced and ready during points, just like infielders preparing for a pitch. By copying this pre-pitch move, pickleball players can improve timing, footwork, and reaction at the kitchen line.
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