Week 19
Oct 20 - 25, 2025
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.
Brad Douglas
October 27, 2025
Focus Areas
What I Worked On
This week was all kitchen battles and baseline work. Monday's kitchen games felt comfortable, but I noticed I'm still too tense during rallies compared to warm-up dinking. Cam caught both Dru and me missing dead dink opportunities—gotta be more aggressive when those chances appear.
Wednesday brought a breakthrough against Cam in kitchen games. Our strategy shift to "bring the fight to him" actually worked, though redirecting his topspin shots with half-court limitations remains challenging. My baseline drives are evolving—focusing on relaxing my wrist for more whip is adding power and spin. The transition zone drills (drive, drop, work in) continue to be my favorite—switching between power and finesse feels like real gameplay.
Friday might have been my best session in weeks. Short drilling followed by skinnies against Dru where everything clicked: driving with pace and accuracy, dropping consistently into the kitchen, then controlling rallies and finishing points. Cam's burpee punishment for losers definitely sharpened my focus. Poor Dru.
What I Learned
Kitchen Control
I'm getting more comfortable in the kitchen, but there's clear room for growth:
- The tension difference between warm-up dinking and game dinking is real — I need to loosen up during actual play
- Missing dead dink opportunities is costing me points — Cam specifically called this out with both Dru and me
- When I took more aggressive chances on attackable dinks, most paid off — gotta keep recognizing these moments
- Our "bring the fight to him" strategy against Cam actually worked, though redirecting his topspin shots remains challenging
Baseline Power
- Focusing on relaxing my wrist is creating more whip action in my drives
- I'm seeing noticeable improvements in both power and spin
- The baseline drip shots (especially alternating forehand/backhand) are feeling more natural
- Still need to better recognize when to use these shots in actual match play
Transition Zone
This continues to be where I feel most progress:
- The drive-drop-work-in drill translates directly to game situations
- Switching between aggressive power shots and finesse shots feels more natural
- Friday's skinny games might have been my best play in weeks — driving with pace and accuracy, then dropping consistently into the kitchen
- Something about resetting ball after ball in the transition zone is clicking for me
- Cam's burpee punishment for losers definitely sharpened my focus (sorry Dru)
What Still Needs Work
- Footwork and Balance: I'm falling back on shots too often, which means my footwork is lazy. Need to dial this in so I'm not hitting off my back foot. When the tension rises during games (versus warm-up dinking), my positioning suffers and I miss opportunities.
- Recognizing Opportunities: Cam specifically called out that both Dru and I were missing dead dink opportunities. I need to be more aggressive when these chances appear—the few times I took risks this week, most paid off. I'm starting to see these moments, but need to consistently capitalize on them.
Win of the Week
Friday's skinny games against Dru were everything I've been working toward. For once, all the pieces clicked together—placement was there when I needed it, power was there when I wanted it. I was driving with confidence, dropping with precision, and finishing points with authority.
These are the days that keep me coming back for more—when you catch a glimpse of the player you're working to become. This is what pickleball is supposed to feel like.
What's Next
Next week I'll be diving deeper into my footwork challenges with focused drills on moving and resetting under pressure. Cam mentioned we'll be building my counter-attack game with more baseline-to-kitchen transition work. After seeing how the burpee consequences sharpened my focus this week, I'm actually looking forward to more of that intensity—nothing fixes lazy footwork faster than the threat of punishment reps!