Pickleball Tips from Tanner Tomassi: Tanner Tomassi, a top-rated pickleball player with a 6.0 DUPR ranking, recently shared seven easy tips to help players level up to a 5.0 rating. In his latest video, filmed on a pickleball court, Tomassi showed viewers how to play smarter and move better by practicing a few key techniques.
The tips cover everything from footwork and counterattacks to dinking skills and offensive plays. Tomassi said these strategies come from hundreds of hours of experience, and if done correctly, can quickly improve anyone’s game.
“By the end of this video, you’ll be a brand new player,” said Tanner Tomassi.
Stay Low After the Third Shot
One of the first major tips Tanner Tomassi gave was about staying low after hitting a third shot drop. Instead of standing up and then reacting to the ball, players should stay crouched and move forward like a crab.
“You need to already be low. Here’s what that should look like. So, I hit my drop. Look how I approach. Low, low, low. Perfect. Low. Perfect. I get into the kitchen. No problem.”
He also showed a mistake many players make.
“See that? I’m up and then I get down. You’re never going to be consistent. Stay low the whole time.”
Smart Decisions on the Fourth Shot
The second tip explained how to handle the fourth shot. That’s the return from your opponent after you hit a drop shot. Players should ask themselves one thing:
“Can I get it out of the air? Can I get it out of the air?”
If they can hit it before it bounces, they should do so to keep pressure on the opponent. If not, they should step back and swing like in tennis instead of gently tapping the ball back.
“I always want to apply pressure. If I have real estate, I’m at the line. He’s not. Apply pressure.”
Attack From the Kitchen Line
The third tip focused on when and where to attack balls. Tanner Tomassi explained that attacking wide balls is better than middle balls because it creates more space and options.
“If I go to speed up a ball from here, the middle of my box, I no longer have that option. And look what happens. The ball goes out.”
He demonstrated this idea in action.
“Did I tell you where I’m speeding it up? No, I have no idea.”
This shows the importance of hiding your attacks and using angles.
Reset Crosscourt, Not Straight
Tanner Tomassi’s fourth tip was about how to reset the ball during rallies. He suggested hitting the ball crosscourt instead of directly forward.
“The net is two inches lower here. It’s way easier to be consistent.”
If you go straight ahead, your opponent may lean in or use an Ernie shot to finish the point.
“Look, he can use his reach. Look at that. Use his reach. Next to impossible for me to get this ball down.”
Master the Counterattack
Tip number five was about the counterattack, which Tanner Tomassi called the most important skill on the list. He showed how to stay still and use just your arm and wrist for power.
“It’s not about how hard we hit it. It’s about prioritizing hitting the ball down toward our opponent’s knees.”
“The main mistake I see is people stepping around like happy feet.”
He explained the perfect form:
“Use my elbow for power and my wrist to get the ball down. That’s the key.”
“Look at the trajectory of the ball. Straighten down. Secondly, I was completely still, snapped, and reloaded, ready for that next shot.”
Take Control of the Kitchen Line
The sixth tip focused on dinking, especially how higher-level players stay close to the kitchen line and cut off balls early.
“He hits aggressive dinks. I cut them off by getting them out of the air. I’m not letting them bounce and then backing up.”
He also talked about what to do with strong dinks:
“I use my inside foot to cut it off and I go middle to reset.”
This is the smart move to regain control instead of trying to attack.
“No aggressive ball, you cross step, you go middle.”
Use Dink Deception
The final tip was about a move called “holding your dink.” This means pausing before hitting the ball to confuse your opponent.
“When I hold, it’s going to make my opponent freeze because he doesn’t know if I’m going to speed it up, if I’m going to dink it to a different spot or just dink it back.”
Tanner Tomassi showed how this works:
“Oh, see, you thought I wanted to. One more. One more. You won’t know when it’s coming. You see though, he has no idea.”
Zach Maro, his practice partner, added:
“I had no idea.”
Tomassi also explained his favorite time to use this move:
“So, I do a big wind up to make it look like I’m going to just rip it at one of them. So then they try to protect themselves, but then I soften up and go right through the middle.”
News in Brief: Pickleball Tips from Tanner Tomassi
Tanner Tomassi, a 6.0 DUPR-rated pickleball player, shared seven easy tips to help players reach a 5.0 level. His advice focused on better footwork, attacking smart, handling pressure, and staying low during key shots. These tips can help players quickly level up their game through simple, focused practice.
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