Tanner Tomassi’s Pickleball Improvement Tips: Professional pickleball player Tanner Tomassi shared his top tips for improving skills fast in a detailed 12-minute video. Tanner Tomassi, who has a 6.0 DUPR rating and plays on the A Tour, explained common mistakes and shared ways to fix them so players can get better quickly.
He said, “Hey everyone, I put together a list of my best pickle ball skills I would focus on if I was looking to improve my game the fastest.”
Handling Fast Shots and Third Shot Drops
Tanner Tomassi explained that many players hit balls into the net when trying to return fast shots because their paddle is too far back. He said, “I’m all the way out in front and I can catch the ball. I don’t have any takeback.”
He also taught a tip for third shot drops. Players should wait for the ball to fall before hitting it because the spin is less. “Look how I’m letting the ball bounce before I hit it,” he said.
Better Footwork and Reacting Faster
One of his most important tips was about moving the feet. “Most players dink at the kitchen line like this with cement feet just using their arm to reach,” Tanner Tomassi said. He showed how staying active with footwork helps control shots.
When a partner speeds up the ball, he advised putting the paddle out in front early. “See how my paddle was out in front?” he said. He also showed the wrong way: “This is what everybody does. Here we go. Watch my paddle. Look where it is.”
Fixing Overheads and Handling Dead Dinks
If a player keeps missing overheads, it could be because their elbow isn’t straight. Tanner Tomassi explained, “Only overheads when your arm is fully extended.” When the ball comes in low, he showed how to turn the paddle sideways instead of swinging over the top.
He also warned about hitting a “dead dink,” which sits up for the opponent to attack. He said, “Nine times out of 10, the opponent is going to attack that ball.” Tanner Tomassi showed that stepping back gives time to react: “Back up. I’m back in it.”
Covering the Middle and Defending Lobs
When covering the middle, players should step straight sideways. He said, “The mistake those amateurs make is they always step like this.”
For defending lobs, the diagonal teammate should run back to hit the ball, while the other slides back. “The reason they slide over and back is if I try and hit the ball and it’s high, Zach is able to punish and hit that ball hard,” Tanner Tomassi said.
Avoiding Chicken Wing Shots and Attacking Properly
Tanner Tomassi taught how to avoid getting hit in the shoulder during fast exchanges. He said, “What we want to do is the balls over there. The tip of my paddle should be pointed at it like this.”
He also explained that pros attack with their paddle tip down instead of sideways. “With our paddle tip down, there’s two main advantages,” he said. It helps players attack low balls and avoid hitting wide.
Tanner Tomassi demonstrated that attacking with the paddle sideways leads to mistakes. He said, “Okay, I mistimed it by a millisecond and it caused the ball to go way over there.”
News in Brief: Tanner Tomassi’s Pickleball Improvement Tips
Tanner Tomassi, a professional pickleball player, shared his best training tips in a 12-minute guide. He showed how better footwork, smart paddle positioning, and simple fixes can help players improve quickly. His advice focused on making fewer mistakes and playing with more control.
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