Your Ready Position Is Your Foundation

Before you can hit a great shot, you have to be standing like you expect one.

Most players think good pickleball starts with the swing.

It doesn't.

It starts before the ball ever leaves your opponent's paddle.

If your stance is off, your grip is wrong, or your paddle's tucked against your chest, you're already a half-second behind - and in this game, a half-second is everything.

Get Your Pickleball Ready Position Right

Stand with your feet at shoulder width, weight on the balls of your feet, body leaning slightly forward. This isn't a resting position - it's a launch position.

• Balanced, not flat-footed
• Weight forward, not on your heels
• Ready to explode left, right, or forward

If you're standing like you're waiting in line at the grocery store, you're not ready to play.

Hold Your Paddle Like You Mean It

Grip pressure should sit around a 3 or 4 out of 10 - firm enough to control the paddle, loose enough to feel touch shots. Squeeze any harder and your hands tense up, your reactions slow down, and your dinks turn into pop-ups.

Keep the paddle out in front of your body - think of it like holding a glass of wine, arm slightly extended, not hugging a pillow. Chest height, out front, ready for anything.

Let Your Shoulder Do the Work

When you strike the ball, initiate the swing with your shoulder - not your elbow or wrist. It's a small adjustment that pays off big: more consistent contact, more power with less effort, and a lot fewer arm injuries down the road.

And always make contact in front of you, inside what I call your circle of contact - picture a hula hoop around your body. Ball too close, too far, or too deep, and you're fighting your own body to hit it clean.

The Bottom Line

You can't out-hustle a bad ready position. Get your stance, your grip, and your paddle height right before the point even starts, and everything else - your reactions, your consistency, your confidence - gets easier.

Coach Brett's Pro Tip
"Champions aren't just ready to hit the ball. They're ready before it's even coming."

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Related Content

• The 9 Ready Position Fundamentals Every Pickleball Player Needs - go deeper on each tip
• Back to the Dadgum Minute hub

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