If you’re looking to play in a pickleball tournament soon, this one is for you.

Tournaments can be intimidating, especially as a rookie, but content creator Tanner Tomassi shared his coaching strategies that will help you at any skill level.  

1.     Start with controlled third shot drives at 70% power

“You’re going to be nervous going into this tournament, so start out by hitting your third shots as third shot drives at 70% power. This takes the pressure off of you and puts it onto your opponent who’s also going to be nervous,” explained Tomassi. “If you try and hit a third shot drop while you’re nervous, you’re going to be shaky and hit it sky high or into the net. I’m also trying to apply a little spin so that the ball dips over the net and my opponent is forced to volley up.”

Now, where should you aim this drive?

“The best spot to aim it is down the middle, more toward the person who’s running up.”

A common amateur pickleball mistake Tomassi shared is that players often hit the ball directly at their opponent. So, driving the ball down the middle is key because it causes confusion for your opponents in terms of who’s going to take the middle ball. 

2.     Prioritize attacking balls out of the air and avoid speeding balls up off the bounce

Tomassi emphasized that this is the most important tip. 

“Only look for speed ups out of the air. It’s such a higher percentage for you to win points. The issue 4.0 players fall into is after two or three dinks they get nervous and tight, and they bail themselves out by hitting a crappy speed up off the bounce and lose the point,” said Tomassi. “You have to get comfortable with that discomfort. Let your opponent pull a stupid shot and you be cool, calm, collected, and attack only out of the air.”

3.     Respect the X

“Respect the X” means to play at a diagonal, so if you’re playing in a dink rally and you hit a diagonal shot, you and your opponent should step over to cover the likely diagonal return, and your partner can cover the line. 

“It doesn’t matter if it’s my forehand or backhand. We want to stay true to this strategy when we’re at the kitchen line because the ball comes so fast, we don’t want to have a gray area of who should take what ball,” Tomassi explained. 

4.     Be intentional with court position at the kitchen line

For example, when you’re playing and you hit a dead dink that your opponent can attack, you want to take a step back because it gives you time to reset the ball or counterattack it. 

“If I’m at the kitchen line and hit a dead dink, but I stay on the kitchen line, my opponent can attack it, but then it’s too hard for me to know where it’s coming. That tiny adjustment by stepping two feet back makes such a difference on you being unattackable and attackable,” insisted Tomassi. 

5.     Cheat code for being consistent on 3^rd shot drops

“After you hit your serve, you do not want to creep into the court. This is extremely common at 3.5 and 4.0 level play,” said Tomassi. 

Tomassi demonstrated after a serve, then you and your partner take a step into the court, but the opponent hits a deep return, then you and your partner are stuck hitting your third shot drop with the ball getting passed by you. 

“You never want to hit a third shot drop off your back foot, so after your partner serves, make sure you stay back, so you can hit your third shot drop and let that momentum carry you into the court,” he mentioned. 

And the final tip Tomassi shared is this.

“Don’t beat yourself. Your opponents are going to be nervous, so don’t bail them out. Have the mindset to ‘Make them beat us.’ You don’t miss a ball trying to be a highlight reel. If you play consistently, I promise you at any level you will do good, or even win,” he concluded. 

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