7 Pickleball Tips Every 5.0 Player Swears By
Summary
Tanner packs seven habits that 5.0 players rely on. Against chest-high drives, keep the paddle already out in front and block instead of reaching from a low ready position. For kitchen topspin, get the outside leg behind the ball with the paddle tip below it and brush up with a quiet wrist. On your own pop-up, take ground back while the ball is in the air so you have time to defend the smash.
Against an aggressive third-shot drop, cross-step with the inside leg to cut it off and cup the wrist toward the target. Two-handed backhand dinks want sidespin and a deep low squat, not a topspin wrist flick. If opponents love to lob, stand more upright or a step farther back so you can cover. After a third-shot drop, approach the kitchen low like a crab so you’re already down for the next ball instead of standing tall and having to drop late.
Key takeaways
- Paddle out front to block chest drives — don’t reach from low
- Outside leg behind the ball + tip down for kitchen topspin
- Retreat on pop-ups before the overhead arrives
- Cross-step and cup the wrist on aggressive thirds
- Two-hand BH dinks: sidespin from a deep squat
- Vs lobbers, stand more upright / a step farther back
- Crab-walk low into the kitchen after your drop
Action items
- Pick two tips and make them the only cues for one practice game
- After every third-shot drop in drilling, stay in a low crab walk until you reach the line