Pickleball Minute: The 5 Keys to Become a 4.0 Pickleball Player

How to quickly make it to the 4.0 level

Words I like: “You won’t grow if you’re the best on the court.”

Pickleball Minute: 5 keys to become a 4.0

These are the exact habits that separate 3.5s from 4.0s.
Start doing them and watch your game take off.

1. Let out balls go out

   1. This simple fix can be the difference between winning and losing.

   2. Don’t extend the point when you already have it won.

   3. It’s easier said than done, and that’s what leads us to step number 2.

2. Drill 2 times a week

   1. I’m not asking you to dedicate all of your free time to drilling.

   2. Just 2 to 4 hours a week is all it takes.

   3. Nothing will get you from your current level to 4.0 faster.

3. Perfect the drive-drop combo

   1. Many aspiring 4.0’s drive the ball way too much.

   2. Remember this simple principle: We drive the ball so we can drop the ball.

   3. If your drive forces your opponent hit the ball short in the court, drop the next shot and continue moving forward to a more optimal position.

   4. If you drive instead, you’ll rarely be able to get away with that at the 4.0 level.

4. Know when to speed up vs. when to dink

   1. This is another thing that has to be drilled.

   2. I see so many players speed up from bad positions, and even more players not speed up from optimal positions.

   3. If you can make contact with the ball above waist height, attack.

   4. If it’s below waist height, dink.

5. Play with (and against) better players

   1. I know what you are thinking…

   2. “Better players don’t want to play with me.”

   3. Please for the love of all that is holy, change your mindset.

   4. Every 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0+ player you see were once in the same exact position as you.

   5. Somehow they figured out how to play against better opponents.

   6. You can to.

   7. The biggest mistake players make is asking players that are way to far out of their league to play.

   8. If you are a 3.5, ask some 4.0’s to play, not 4.5’s, and certainly not 5.0’s.

If you want to learn about more tactics to get to the 4.0, reply “YES” to this email.

Want help implementing all 5?
New drills were just uploaded to the Pickleball Drills App this morning.
These, along with hundreds of others already inside the app, will take you to the 4.0 level and beyond.

Download the Pickleball Drills App 👇

Easy to implement, hard to stay consistent,

Austin Hardy

PS - Your face when you get invited to play with the 4.0s