Clinic Recap – Advanced & Intermediate Sessions

This past weekend, we worked hard on several key skills during each session. The Advanced group was challenged to target specific angles from the mid-court — also known as transition shots — while the Intermediate group focused on hitting third shots with purpose and playing live games with their group members.

Advanced and Intermediate + Monthly Clinic Class Recap

The Advanced group focused on hitting targets with precision. We began practicing dinks aimed toward the corners of the kitchen, which forced the opponent to move outside the court. This type of shot opens up space and creates opportunities for an aggressive dinker to attack the open spot immediately after.

The next exercise we worked on was hitting drives from mid-court at the cones. We focused on inside-out shots, which pull the opponent off the court and allow the net player to finish with a putaway once the opponent is out of position. We practiced both backhand and forehand inside-out drives.

Tip Given: Move in the direction you’re hitting the ball. Players should transfer their energy toward the intended target — that’s how you generate control and balance in each shot.

Another drill focused on volleys — both angled and straight down the line. These exercises helped players realize that power isn’t always necessary; precision and placement make a much bigger impact.

Biggest Takeaway for the Advanced Group:

Hitting hard feels good, but hitting with accuracy sets you up for the next winning shot.

Intermediate Monthly Clinic Class Recap

After a dynamic warm-up, we began focusing on resets from mid-court. Many players in the Intermediate class found it challenging to reset the pickleball with control and ease. We worked on placing the paddle in the correct position to let the opponent’s power do the work.

By holding the paddle tighter, the ball rebounds faster; by keeping a softer grip, you absorb more of the impact. The paddle angle should be slightly open to allow the ball to lift with a natural arc — though each situation will be different.

The key is to get comfortable reading different types of incoming shots. The faster the ball, the less movement is needed during the reset. The slower the ball, the more the player should help lift it — using the body, legs, and forward momentum to guide the ball back softly over the net.

The next exercise focused on hitting from mid-court, alternating between drives and drops, and then playing out the points. Players were paired in twos, while two others rotated in to play with me — allowing everyone to experience when a drop is truly effective and how to dink with purpose and control.

During the final 10 minutes of our monthly pickleball clinic, players enjoyed a series of short games to put everything they learned into practice.

This concluded our monthly Hawaii Pickleball Clinic — great effort and improvement from everyone!