Pickleball Volley Mastery Drill: Pickleball coaches introduced an advanced exercise called the two-touch volley drill to help players improve control and patience at the kitchen line. The drill focuses on staying calm, keeping a light grip, and connecting with the ball in front of the body to avoid being jammed.
Importance of Connection with the Ball
In this drill, players practice letting the ball touch the paddle lightly before pushing it back. This overload method adds complexity, making one-touch volleys in real games easier. “So Mike’s making this look very easy. This is a this is a difficult drill. It requires focus, patience, good connection, and we got to keep hold of the ball as well,” a coach explained.
Staying Calm Under Pressure
The lesson stressed the importance of calmness at the kitchen line. Rushing volleys often leads to mistakes. Coaches noted that top players keep their paddle up, wait until the last moment, and then change direction to surprise opponents. “So I’ll put my paddle up in a game and I’ll wait and I’ll wait for the last minute and then something might change where a player will guess, ah, he’s going to attack middle and they’ll step middle and then I can go back down behind them,” the coach said.
Drill Progressions for Greater Control
The drill progresses in three steps. First, players use two touches. Next, they alternate between forehand and backhand. Finally, one player uses a single touch while the other uses two touches, making the game faster and harder. “This is really good, Mike. Really good,” the coach encouraged.
Building Mastery of Ball Control
Players also work on dragging the ball across the body to practice changing direction. This allows them to brush, punch, or pull the ball like “brush strokes on a painting.” The drill builds the ability to control shot placement instead of only hitting hard.
Encouragement to Stick with the Drill
The coach reminded players that the drill is not easy, but it is rewarding. “Mike’s making this look very easy. This is not an easy drill. So, stick with it, and it’ll make you a better player. If you enjoy these videos and you want to evolve your game, make sure you like and subscribe to Suckup TV,” the coach said.
Impact of the Drill
The two-touch volley drill challenges players to slow down, keep their grip light, and gain more control under pressure. By training with extra touches, players find one-touch volleys easier in real games, making them calmer, sharper, and more strategic at the net.
News in Brief: Pickleball Volley Mastery Drill
The two-touch volley drill is an advanced pickleball exercise that improves calmness, control, and ball connection at the kitchen line. It includes three progressions to increase difficulty and helps players resist rushing. Though challenging, coaches say it builds patience and makes one-touch volleys easier during real games.
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