Chasing FiveZero | Pickleball Journey

The Journey

Follow our weekly progress as we work towards becoming 5.0 level players through professional coaching and strategic training.

Progress Post

Transition ZoneFootwork

Week 19Oct 20 - 25, 2025

Week 19

Week 19 was all about finding my rhythm in the kitchen and unleashing power from the baseline. After Cam called out our missed opportunities on dead dinks, I started taking more aggressive chances—and they paid off. Friday brought my best skinny game performance in weeks, where everything finally clicked: driving with pace, dropping with precision, and finishing with confidence. The tension between practice comfort and game pressure remains my biggest challenge.

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

Transition ZoneDrives

Week 18Oct 13-18, 2025

Week 18

This week was all about taking balls out of the air and transition zone work. I'm finally feeling the difference between defensive plucks and offensive pushes during dinking rallies. Those gritty baseline drills are paying off, but my wrist tension is still holding back my low-to-high brush shots. The uncomfortable zone is where growth happens—and I'm here for it.

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

DrivesFootwork

Week 16Sept 29-Oct 4, 2025

Week 16

The fundamentals are paying off! After drilling baseline drives all week, my footwork has taken a major leap forward and my backhand finally feels comfortable. Still struggling with finishing points and need to incorporate more resets instead of always countering. The unglamorous work is starting to show real results—this is what progress looks like.

By Brad Douglas

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Forehand DriveBackhand DriveFootwork

Week 15Sept 22-27, 2025

Week 15

This week was all about fundamentals: brutal footwork drills that exposed my conditioning gaps, backhand flick breakthroughs, and learning a completely new forehand attack. My kitchen game feels solid, but those split-second decisions on when to apply pressure versus concede position are what separate 3.5 from where I'm trying to go. Raw, honest reflections from the journey to 5.0.

By Brad Douglas

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Backhand FlickDinkingTransition Zone

Week 14Sept 15-20, 2025

Week 14

This week was all about deception and transition zone comfort. I'm finally making Cam work harder in drills, staying lower through my shots, and learning when (and when not) to attack. The biggest lesson? Staying loose - when I tighten up, shots sail; when relaxed, I can put the ball exactly where I want it. That moment when patience, strategy and execution clicked together felt like a glimpse of my 5.0 future.

By Brad Douglas

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CountersSpeed-upsGame Play

Week 13Sept 8-13, 2025

Week 13

This week was all about seeing training translate to real results. From windy Monday drills to breakthrough game days where everything clicked, I finally felt the game slow down. My counters still need work (too "jumpy"), but my drops, court positioning, and patience reached new levels. For the first time in months, all the disconnected pieces started forming a complete player.

By Brad Douglas

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Kitchen GameWardlaw DirectionalsBackhand Flick

Week 12Sept 1-6, 2025

Week 12

This week was all about kitchen battles and taking balls out of the air. The breakthrough came when Coach Cam pointed out I was standing up during roll shots instead of staying down through contact. My footwork remains my biggest weakness, especially during baseline drills where my tennis inexperience shows. The raw truth? I'm seeing improvement in taking balls out of the air, but still taking too many risks when I should be playing what's in front of me.

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

DinkingDropsVolleys

Week 11Aug 25-30, 2025

Week 11

Even in a shortened holiday week, I made critical breakthroughs in my defensive game. Learning when NOT to attack might be my biggest win yet. My backhand slice drop is feeling natural, while my hands battles expose a practice vs. gameplay mental disconnect. Sometimes the quietest breakthroughs build the strongest foundation.

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

Backhand FlickBackhand RollWardlaw Directionals+1 more

Week 10Aug 18-23

Week 10

Week 10 focused on backhand fundamentals and Wardlaw directionals from tennis. My hybrid drop shot emerged as a surprising offensive weapon, while kitchen line confidence continues to build. Despite missing easy shots, I experienced a breakthrough moment staying calm under pressure—glimpsing what playing at a higher level feels like.

By Brad Douglas

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DinkingDrivesCounters+1 more

Week 9Aug 11-16, 2025

Week 9

This week's breakthrough came from a mental shift: roll first, attack second. After struggling with inconsistent dinking and positioning, I found more control by focusing on pressure instead of power. My counter game is improving, but a humbling loss was the reality check I needed. Follow my journey from 3.5 to 5.0 pickleball with raw insights on what's working and what isn't.

By Brad Douglas

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Serve and ReturnTransition ZoneKitchen Game+1 more

Week 8Aug 4-9, 2025

Week 8

This week was all about fundamentals. I focused on preparing earlier for serves and returns, which dramatically improved my contact. In the transition zone, we tackled a brutal drill: getting 4 kitchen bounces in a single point, seven times in a row. My kitchen line game still needs patience—I'm too aggressive when I should be letting balls bounce. The 7-11 drill exposed my tendency to rush the 5th shot instead of setting my feet. Progress is happening, but the journey from 3.5 to 5.0 is teaching me that patience might be the skill I need most.

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

Kitchen GameSkinny Singles

Week 7July 28-Aug 2, 2025

Week 7

This week was laser-focused on kitchen play, working on dinks, flicks, rolls, and counters. Had some hit-or-miss moments when trying to do too much—a recurring issue I need to address—but my counter game is improving with better anticipation. Skinny singles showed dramatic progress; what used to be a mental challenge keeping the ball in bounds is no longer a confidence issue.

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

Kitchen GameCountersForehand Drive

Week 6July 21 - 26, 2025

Week 6

Coming back from vacation, I struggled then found my groove in the kitchen. Working on roll shots and that game-changing backhand slice dink with the "scoop" technique. Finally comfortable in hands battles and seeing real progress on forehand drives. The biggest revelation? Placement truly trumps power. Raw, unfiltered journey from 3.5 to 5.0.

By Brad Douglas

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DropsForehand DriveBackhand Drive+1 more

Week 5July 7-13, 2025

Week 5

With Dru away, Coach Cam and I focused on intense, targeted training this week. Major breakthrough on my backhand drive—finally relaxing my technique and letting momentum flow through the shot. We fixed my kitchen game by addressing those frustrating defensive dinks I kept dumping into the net. The drive-and-drop drills are paying off, though I'm still working on kitchen patience and recognizing when to add spin versus playing safe. My backhand is transforming from liability to weapon!

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

DropsServe and ReturnStacking+1 more

Week 4June 30 - July 4, 2025

Week 4

This week I battled through fundamentals with mixed success. My resets are more consistent—staying down better and improving touch with each rep. Drops are progressing, but I still tense up on hard returns. Forehand returns show real improvement in pace and depth, while my backhand remains untrusted territory. Started implementing stacking in games, which felt awkward and mentally distracting. The truth? Everything in this journey comes down to reps—and I'm grinding through them all, setbacks included.

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

DinkingSkinny SinglesCounters+1 more

Week 3June 23-27, 2025

Week 3

Follow my journey from 3.5 to 5.0+ pickleball as I tackle dinking, counters, and transition zone challenges in Week 3. See real progress with kitchen line control while confronting my struggles with court positioning and preparation timing. Raw, honest reflections on what's working, what isn't, and those brief moments when the game slows down and everything clicks. Perfect for intermediate players looking to break through their plateaus with actionable insights from focused training sessions. #ChasingFivezero #PickleballProgress

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

4th ShotVolleysDinking

Week 2June 16–20, 2025

Week 2

This week I focused heavily on improving my 4th shot game, where I'm getting more comfortable with decision-making on when to let balls bounce versus taking them out of the air, though I still need work handling drives when I'm off-balance.

By Brad Douglas

Progress Post

Backhand FlickTransition ZoneDinking

Week 1June 9-13, 2025

Week 1

This week was a mix of feel, footwork, and finesse. I spent a lot of time in the trenches — dialing in the backhand flick, refining my dinks, and grinding out reps in the transition zone. Cam kept hammering one point: prep is everything — and I felt that truth hard in every session.

By Brad Douglas

More Coming Soon

We're building out more features to enhance your journey experience. Stay tuned for training drills, video analysis, and more detailed progress tracking.

Training Drills

Step-by-step drills and exercises

Video Analysis

Detailed breakdowns and feedback

Progress Tracking

Metrics and improvement data