Pickleball Paddle Reading Drill: Professional pickleball coach Dominic Catalano introduced a new training method called the “Line of Sight Drill” during a recent session. This drill, shared on Pickleball Academy, helps players become more aware of the court by watching their opponent’s body movements, not just the ball. Inspired by Dominic Catalano’s background in professional baseball, the drill helps players better predict where to place their next shot and take advantage of opponents’ positioning.
A Baseball Trick That Works in Pickleball
Dominic Catalano, a former pro baseball player, explained that he used to watch the ball, his glove, and the batter at the same time to make accurate plays in the infield. He now teaches the same idea in pickleball. Players should line up their paddle, the ball, and their opponent in their view to decide where to hit next.
“Today we’re going to hit on something that I kind of took from baseball and relate it to pickleball. And it’s a line of sight drill that I like to use. It just ups your game, it ups your awareness, and it ups your IQ on the pickleball court.” – (Catalano)
How the Drill Works on Court
During a drill with coach Maria, Dominic Catalano showed how to use the line of sight. When a slow ball or a reset comes in, the player gets into position to see the ball in front of them, the paddle behind the ball, and the opponent across the net.
“If I go to hit and right before I go hit Maria pinches middle and I see that, that’s easy for me just to go inside out right down the line.” – (Catalano)
He explained that if Maria moves to cover the line, he can aim for the middle instead. He emphasized good posture and getting low to see everything clearly.
“If I stand straight up… I don’t see Maria. She’s trying to get me to look down or look away from her and her partner.” – (Catalano)
In the practice, Dominic Catalano asked Maria to give him dead dinks so he could watch her closely and flip the ball to an open spot based on her movement.
“So I’m lined up and at the last second Maria pinched a little bit to the middle. Boom. And I flip right behind.” – (Catalano)
Watching for Movement and Using It
After showing how to use the line of sight to dink to open spots, Dominic Catalano asked Maria to try. He started moving early to see if she would notice and change her shot.
“She’s seeing me move. If I don’t move, it’s just right back,” he said as Maria placed her shots smartly. Maria then explained how not using this technique can leave a player open to attack.
“When we make the decision to now take that ball off the bounce or take a step back, our eyes are now on the ball, which means I’m missing all the information and all the data that’s happening in front.” – (Maria)
She added that when a player is only watching the ball and not the opponent, they lose the chance to hit a smart shot.
“I know that they can’t hurt me because they’re not aiming at where they have to go and they’re not surprising me because I’m expecting that ball.” – (Maria)
Using the Drill for Fast Shots
In the final part of the drill, Dominic Catalano asked Maria to use the line of sight not just for dinks, but also for speedups—faster attacks that catch opponents off guard.
“I want her to speed up, I want her to find that winner. I want her to catch me cheating, moving a little early, and she finds that hole.” – (Catalano)
Maria began spotting where Dominic Catalano was moving and aimed her shots away from him. This made it hard for him to respond in time.
“She found the line. As I’m trying to recover back forehand, she goes backhand. I like that too. Love that.” – (Catalano)
Maria showed how watching the whole court, not just the ball, made her more accurate with fast shots.
“Maria doesn’t see that if she’s not in good position getting below the ball and having that paddle, ball, opponent in line.” – (Catalano)
The Power of Awareness in Pickleball
This drill teaches players to raise their court awareness. By keeping the paddle, the ball, and the opponent all in view, players can make smarter and faster decisions. It works for any skill level and helps turn simple movements into chances for winning shots.
This method can help players avoid common mistakes, like hitting the ball without knowing where their opponent is. With better awareness, players can choose better targets and surprise their opponents. Dominic Catalano and Maria showed that success in pickleball is not just about reacting to the ball—but about reading the whole court.
News in Brief: Pickleball Paddle Reading Drill
Professional coach Dominic Catalano introduced the “Line of Sight Drill” to help pickleball players improve court awareness. Inspired by baseball, this drill teaches players to see the paddle, ball, and opponent at once to make smarter shot choices. Coach Maria also showed how to counter players not using this technique.