Week 3
Week 3
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Week 3

June 23-27

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

Brad Douglas

June 30, 2025

Focus Areas

DinkingSkinny SinglesCountersServe and Return

What I Worked On

This week I dove deep into four key areas: dinking, counters, skinnies, and serve/return work. My dinking is improving—I'm starting to see openings to move opponents around at the kitchen line, though I'm still working on recognizing when to play offensively versus defensively. Counters remain a major challenge—my court positioning needs serious work, and I keep falling back on my heels instead of leaning forward with confidence. The skinny court drills exposed my precision issues; I tighten up when the court feels smaller instead of keeping my grip loose and trusting my swing. On serves and returns, I'm mixing up my serves well, but returns remain inconsistent—I'm focusing less on topspin and more on pace, height, and depth. My preparation timing is holding me back, and I'm still hesitant to take balls on the rise rather than waiting for them to drop. Cam kept hammering one point home: prep is everything—and I felt that truth in every session.

What I Learned

Dinking

I'm seeing real progress with my dinking game this week:

  • Finally spotting those openings to move opponents around at the kitchen line
  • Still wrestling with when to play an offensive dink versus resetting defensively
  • My touch is improving—softer hands, better consistency on basic dinks
  • Need to stop letting so many balls bounce when I should be taking them out of the air
  • When balls do bounce, I'm occasionally "mushing" them into the net
  • Cam's mantra keeps ringing in my ears: "It's not about power—it's about placement"—and it's slowly rewiring how I approach attack opportunities

Counters

This is where I'm really struggling:

  • My court positioning falls apart under pressure
  • Keep catching myself on my heels instead of leaning forward with confidence
  • Using two hands on backhand resets has been a game-changer when countering hard shots
  • Need to commit to staying in the point rather than backing away when shots come in hot

Skinny Court Work

Exposed some real weaknesses in my game:

  • I tighten up mentally when the court "shrinks"—grip gets tense, swing gets choppy
  • Need to focus on precision rather than power when working in confined spaces
  • Finding it challenging to maintain my normal shot selection when boundaries feel tighter
  • Working to keep my grip loose and trust my natural swing even when targeting smaller areas

Serve and Return

Mixed results here:

  • Serve feels solid—I can mix up pace, spin, and placement consistently
  • Returns remain frustratingly inconsistent
  • Focusing less on fancy topspin and more on fundamentals: pace, height, and depth
  • Preparation timing is killing me—often late getting into position
  • Still hesitant to take balls on the rise instead of waiting for them to drop
  • This all comes back to Cam's constant reminder: prep is everything

What Still Needs Work

  • Prep Work: I'm constantly falling behind on preparation—especially under pressure. Too many shots are coming off my back foot when the pace ramps up. Need to focus on getting into position earlier so I can make deliberate shot choices instead of desperate reactions. As Cam keeps hammering home: prep is everything.
  • Court Positioning: I keep catching myself on my heels during counters instead of leaning forward with confidence. This defensive posture is killing my ability to stay in points when shots come in hot.
  • Skinny Court Precision: I tighten up mentally and physically when the court feels smaller—grip gets tense, swing gets choppy. Need to trust my natural swing even in confined spaces and keep that grip loose.
  • Attacking vs. Resetting Dinks: Still wrestling with when to play an offensive dink versus resetting defensively. I'm starting to see the openings to move opponents around, but my execution and decision-making need work.
  • Taking Balls on the Rise: Still hesitant with my returns, waiting for balls to drop instead of confidently taking them on the way up. This hesitation is costing me control of points from the start.

Win of the Week

Finally experienced that kitchen line control I've been chasing. During a dink rally, I started seeing the court differently—noticing my opponent leaning one way, I'd place it the other. Three exchanges in, I had them scrambling side to side, creating just enough space to slip in a well-placed attack.

It wasn't just hitting the winner that felt good—it was orchestrating the whole point through patient dinking first. For those 15 seconds, the game slowed down and I was dictating rather than reacting. Felt like a 5.0 for half a second. I'll take it—these glimpses of what's possible keep me grinding through the frustrating days.

What's Next

Next week we're diving deep into the reset and counter game—the shots that separate good players from great ones. While continuing to refine my soft game foundations, I'll be tackling the pressure moments head-on.