Hey friend!

This is something I think about a LOT in the course of my coaching, my Roman Empire, and it's one of the oldest debates in racket sports, with pickleball as no exception:

Should you focus on technique first, or strategy, to improve?

The typical answer is "both" — which is true, but not very useful. So here's my actual take after years of competing and coaching.

Both matter to be sure. Technique is how you execute. Strategy is how you think. You can't have a complete game without either. But here's what I've noticed with pickleball - even players with somewhat questionable technique can still advance pretty far, and sometimes those with extremely clean technique...stall (i.e the ex-tennis player who can't seem to bang balls past a 4.0 level).

Understanding the game gives your technique a reason to exist. When you know why you're getting to the kitchen line, why you're targeting feet, why you're resetting instead of attacking, you have important context that now can inform what may need technical work.

A very simple example is complete beginners, who typically just hang out somewhere at the baseline or transition and just bang balls back and forth (i mean this is why pickle is so great - it's just fun to hit balls and most can do it). But If I tell just one of them to get to the kitchen line and try to hit more balls from there, their team will immediately start winning more points, with no technical instruction or changes to anything.

Strategy is the framework. Technique fills it in. It helps enormously to know what you're building before you start upgrading the tools, and in my experience it helps accelerate progress.

PIckleIQ, as they call it. 🧠

Think of game understanding as the umbrella. Underneath it, every technical skill has a home, a moment it belongs to, a purpose it serves. Without the umbrella, you're collecting tools with nowhere to put them.

My personal feeling is that if you have a really solid conceptual understanding of the chess game of pickleball, we can build execution over time. But it's a lot harder to convince one of the strategic merits if they are overly focused on technique.

What do you think? Does this match your experience of improvement? Hit reply: I'd love to know what has made the bigger difference for you!

---

This Week on YouTube: The 4th Shot

This week's video is a perfect example of strategy and technique working together. The 4th shot is one of those moments where most players default to the same shot every time, without thinking about why. I break down all four options and how to actually choose between them in the moment.

​

---

🌴Athena Pickleball Retreats - Corrected Link 😬

I'm researching the possibility of hosting boutique, immersive coaching intensives — focused, fun training over 3-7 days with smaller groups of serious players. If you're curious, add your name to the interest list and I'll keep you in the loop as this takes shape.

I want in!

---

Weekly Clinic Schedule

All sessions are held at California Smash in El Segundo, CA. Come see me!

Get the Cali Smash app to register for clinics:
​Android ​
​Apple​

Interested in working together 1-1? Just reply to this email for more info.

---

That's it for this week! Happy pickling <3

Coach Jess
​Athena Pickleball

---

​Unsubscribe · Preferences​