If my partner retreats during a rally, should I retreat to be the same distance from the net, or should I remain at the kitchen line?

It’s never gonna be dead.

Apparently, every pro on the PPA needs to watch your video, because virtually NONE of them (assumiong two right-handed players) follow this approach (mixed or gender play). The court of the forehand player is NOT open IF the player drops the ball to of the backhand of the opponent opposite from them nor is his/her partner blocked from going forward while protecting their line. BOTH players are in the appropriate position to defend the opponent's shot in that instance. Watch Ben Johns play with ALW (who is without debate, the BEST female player on the planet WITH the most lethal two-handed backhand in the entire game).

Excellent explanations of common errors that may seem obvious when explained but somehow happen all the time. Great tips. Thanks.

I only started playing 8 months ago and just automatically toss the bat into my left hand when I see a backhand ball coming my way. I think due to not having a good backhand (and never playing tennis etc) my brain just instructed my hand to toss the bat over to my left hand to get more coverage and it worked. I just practice hitting the ball against a wall with my left hand to try to get my strength and accuracy better and it feels great having that extra span of coverage .... also it very often freaks out my opponents...as they become fixated watching to see if Im going to do it 🙂... I do it without even thinking about it, so it's not even intentional... another thing I notice I do without thinking is, I hold that bat in my right hand quite loosely and if I get a return that is nearly out of my reach ... I allow the bat handle to slip right down in my hand so I'm only holding the last inch of the handle and 9 x out of 10 it allows me to reach and hit a return back. 🙂 seems to work well! Have fun Pickleballing everyone!

Can you tell me-is the open/neutral/closed of the paddle a result of grip or is it more in wrist movement?

First, everyone, stay safe. We are in Port Saint Lucie, this morning was quiet…not so much now.😮 We played indoors this morning. Coach: why does it seem the ball is so much faster INDOORS? Same ball, same players as outdoor courts. Many shots felt like they were shot out of a cannon! And some of those ground strokes were from LITTLE ME! Physics must be involved? The balls sound louder, too, echo, etc. Why do the balls feel like they are speeded up…a lot!? Thanks.

Thank you for the great advice! Much appreciated

The really weird thing is, in open play, when facing 3.25s and below, their ball strikes can be so erratic, it's often hard to pounce on these errors, because you have limited scope to predict the popcorn vector of all the balls coming at you. I actually take a step back against weak opponents for precisely this reason. It's _way_ easier to react to seventeen different flavours of mis-hit from one step further back.

Anna Leigh Waters uses a continuous strip of lead tape around her new Batam ALW. She can get away with this because the stock SW of her paddle is around 105. The continuous lead tape increases the twist weight from around 7 to over 9! The caveat is the swing weight of her paddle goes up about 20 points, as well. This results in a really high SW, but the placing lead tape continuously around your paddle dramatically increases TW

Way too long for such little amount of information. Also, basic. Not quite as advanced.

what about volleys that come straight at your chest/face? I can't move aside quickly enough

My wheelchair wheels don't have this much camber - is it absolutely necessary to play?

Thanks for your review. Is the paddle noisy? Sounds like it from the video. Would appreciate your comments. Take care.

I love the Pickleball play tutorials. Very sorry I purchased these Tyrol shoes. I read the reviews before purchasing and someone indicated they run large and to order half size smaller. Unfortunately, I took that advise and ordered an 8, when normally I get a size 8.5. Too small & tight. I had hoped they would "break in" if I wore them. Each time my feet were uncomfortable during play to the point of distraction. They hurt so bad that I cut my time short to go home and take them off. I reached out three different times and final word was that Tyrol would not exchange nor return them because they had been worn. Most companies have 30 or even 90 day return timeframe. Tyrol has zero window. If you buy these, do not leave the house. Walk only on carpeting. My pair has maybe 1 tiny scuff mark that I can probably wash off and the bottom of the shoe is pristine. I don't think it would have worked if I had lied. They are not brand new anymore. Tags cut off. All laced up. I don't like to lie anyway. They will only take back shoes that they can sell again to someone else as brand new. These shoes are expensive, so be careful about making sure you have the exact right size before going out to play on the courts.

I definitely believe in RTX, but it seems in some cases a ball that goes through the middle untouched is simply a winner.

Very educational video. From the theory and actual playing experience, I have discovered that the head weights is constantly change with how you hold the handel when you hit the ball. The closer you hold the paddle toward the end of the handle will increase the head weight, thus the power.That explains why i always hold the the handle at the very end close to the butt to drive a ball. And hold the paddle very close to the neck or over the neck as the handle didn't exist to hit a very sofe dink. Now from your video, I know why I did it, and why it works. Because it really is scientificly explained from your video about the distance changing to increase or decrease head weights, or power.

The Pickleball System is a complete knowledge base that can get you to a consistent 4.0 level of play. It's taken me two years to make my way through it all. I went from a highly inconsistent 3.0 to a solid 4.0. It took me extra time to complete because I had to unlearn a lot of stuff I had learned from local court advice and I had to honestly admit what my true weaknesses were. TPS gave me the tools to analyze my game and the methods to develop it. Highly recommended for those that are committed to permanent improvement. Thank you Tony and CJ.

With the plastic ball and racquet face being so slick, it’s much more difficult to hit shots with consistent top spin, forcing you to take some pace off the ball.

Have you considered the PPA in Bristol, TN final doubles? Alshon and Duong did use the slow game on occasion,but the hard game overshadowed all else. Cool match, but this style is more like Padel. Is the slow game dying?

So I use to use running shoes and ocassionally would slip, I bought new K-swiss shoes, I luv em but have already slipped 3 times in them the 1st 2 times I played. I'm explosive when I move so I catch my self rolling on the ground after a shot, is there light pickleball shoes that provide better tractions?

I’m calling bs on this. Just because one pickle ball shoes has slightly more heel hook than one tennis shoe doesn’t mean that they all do. Being at the net in tennis isn’t that significantly different to what you do playing pickleball. Id put money on the fact that a pro tennis play like Nedal puts more lateral pressure into a shoe than any pickleball player. Also I run new balance tennis shoes for both which has significant curve around the heel. It isn’t a pickleball specific thing. This feels like an ad rather than anything impartial

Who is this lanky new guy who can't dink?! 😂 Loved the video, Tony, thank you! It was an honor to share the court with you. Btw, 10-20-30 has become a big part of my warmup sessions.

What if the ball bounces outside the non volley zone, say on a drop shot, you run forward to hit the ball after it bounces, but your momentum causes you to step in. Is that a violation? I've been called on it from players and I don't know if that is correct?

Nothing worse than having to attempt to win a point from mid court because your partner is guarding the baseline for some reason.

Cutting edge and riveting presentation, watch a bloke as he hand writes stuff on a whiteboard….

Seems like the X does not work as well at the baseline, since one has to have a great backhand stroke if a right hander. Seems like forehand can crossovef?

C'mon dude. I know you’re an experienced coach, but the editing on this is horrible

This is brilliant! I'm left handed and I use stacking alot, so both of us are on our strong side. This will allow us to know who should defend the middle. Thanks.

Great new and improved video on Respect the X. The addition of the breakdown of the pros was helpful. Thanks for helping us improve our game.

Good explanation. Thanks.

Great demonstration screen. Congrats on the new tools!

I love RTX! It also allows the non-hitting player focus on defensive repositioning. That is never mentioned specifically.

Thanks Tony appreciated!

Thanks Big T!

It is a great way to distribute responsibility. Cover the line or middle. Seems to work the best if both players on the team shade to the area the ball is coming from. The toughest ball is still the one hit from the middle to straight down the middle. Since I am a lefty that plays on the right side, I just usually yell “yours” to my partner or take it myself if I am closer to the NVZ.

Beautiful slo mo of your drive, Tony. All the pieces brought together. Will DL this clip and watch it every day.

I have heard you teach this in the past, but I never thought about it. I listened today. Think if you added this comment, it would make it simpler to understand. WHEN THE PERSON STRAIGHT ACROSS THE NET FROM YOU IS HITTING THE BALL, YOU ARE TO PROTECT THE OUTSIDE LINE OF THE COURT. leaving the other person to take the middle. seems easier for me to get it. no thinking about all the different angles and who takes it.

Like the new format, but if you can find a way to not block the screen with your body, it would be better. Otherwise, great stuff.

Get to the point

Its your partners fault he has no clue on position. He is clumsy and making you a target . Imagine your playing basketball and your partner is trying to shoot full court basketball shots over and over and he is trying to do this backing up and on his backhand with bad footwork

Why the 14mm over the 12.7 mm for yourself?

Excellent "map" of when to Break the X. Makes sense. Best content on the net. Thx.

Good stuff coach. I find that the tutorials and videos have to be filtered through the factor of age. Being older than many players, some things are more difficult or not workable for me. I will also say that most seniors I know seem to have no desire to drill. They want to get better or not, by playing rec games. That leaves a big gap in the journey to "better", and I think it's the larger factor. Some basic mechanics of play taught by you and others are very helpful but require PRACTICE to implement. You can't acquire new skills if you don't practice, especially at ages above 65. Thanks for the great content.

great rehab for pb elbow is taking an elastic band around your fingers and opening and closing the band. Then taking a towel on a flat surface and with your hand down and crunching it up, and releasing it. Do this every day to strengthen the tiny muscles

Well said, well explained, sound advice. Appreciated!

You let me use that paddle in Incline Village in May. I have my own now. Thanks for letting me try it. I love it. I did add the weights like you.

Thanks! I may get one this fall once my current paddle wears down. Did you get the standard grip circumference (4.375") or thin grip circumference (4.125")?

Put the middle dink to the left foot of the right side player.

I would go a step further; The conventional 3rd shot... an arching ball that drops into the kitchen is problematic for 2 reasons. 1. Can be hard to hit, especially from deep or with pace on the ball-especially in any kind of wind, and 2. You are inviting a kitchen battle with someone who is already AT the kitchen. The better solution (haven't finished video yet so please excuse if I'm being redundant, is a 70-80% low drive that lands about knee to ankle level on your opponent. Preferably the player who is not established at the kitchen yet. A. They might not even get it back, and B. If they do, it will just be a reset that will allow you to move up and establish yourself at the kitchen...