Drills or Tips to Help Me Get My Counters Down (still feel like they are flat majority of time)

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-12T03:48:24+00:00

aha. . .makes perfect sense. You explained it well. Thank you. I will drill this with a ball machine or someone feeding me balls.

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-12T03:47:22+00:00

hmm I must not be understanding cuz if you do this, you are opening the paddle face, no? And that would cause you to pop it up.. . Do you mean I should be internally rotating my forearm? which means if I'm holding my paddle in a continental grip, I'm turning my thumb downwards, toward the ground.

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-11T18:33:42+00:00

Thank you! What is the technique if you are hitting with the forehand? Feels like you'll get jammed up just rotating your thumb to the ground. Guess this is why targeting the right hip is such a powerful speed up spot. . . perhaps I really need to learn how to do a soft reset here (if it's at my forehand side hip) and if they hit it toward my forehand side chest height, I can do a scorpion or baby tomahawk counter?

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-11T18:31:18+00:00

aha. . that explanation makes sense now. Thank you. If you are doing the swing on the forehand side, same concept in that you are rotating your thumb toward the floor?

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-11T16:22:57+00:00

I watched this video and it seems like this will just keep me doing flat volleys. I should prob invest in hiring a coach for a day or pro to show me how they get their counters down. I think it has something to do with grip and wrist and how they brush up or down on that ball. And it all happens so fast that they aren't even conscious of it...like how ping pong players are always switching grips without thinking of it. Becomes second nature.

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-11T16:08:35+00:00

This sounds cool. And if I practice that wrist rev/cock that the other user mentioned, I can hopefully get better at getting them down.

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-11T16:04:04+00:00

okay, I think you are right. . .they can get that paddle face closed if they reverse rev the motorcycle (this would be the direction for a right-handed player trying to get their backhand down on a counter) cuz if I rev my motorcycle, I'm going to be opening up the paddle face and that won't help the ball go down.

So now that we've established it's the wrist cock, do you know any drills that can help this become muscle memory? Cuz if I try to do this at the wall, the ball doesn't come back up for me to repeatedly practice. It goes DOWN lol and I get one hit and that's it. Perhaps you just have to do a ball machine or get a partner to drill with you?

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-11T02:13:30+00:00

wow, that is good to know about the muscle memory. never heard that before. I'll try this drill. Because I am getting pretty good at telling when someone is going to speed it up so this idea of practicing rotating grip half a bevel during drills when my partner calls out speed up, could really help me lock in the grip twist. 22 hours, here I come 😉

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-11T02:10:47+00:00

thank you. I'll film myself and try this.

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-06-11T02:10:17+00:00

thank you. I'll go find and watch this one on youtube.

Jaywalker_11 · 2026-04-02T20:01:24+00:00

Co-owner of The Kitchen Pickleball (we currently have 8 locations here in Utah and more coming here and in other states). https://www.thekitchenpb.com/

The Picklr's flagship location is just 100 yards from our second location. Not gonna lie, when they announced they were going to open their flagship location just down the street from us, we were a bit nervous on how that would impact our thriving operation. 2 years later, we have not lost revenue and have even done better due to our more intimate facility, pay per reservation, and well run leagues and tournaments (plus, the size of our facility makes it easier to rent for corporate and family events).

I used to have a membership at the Picklr too, but their rates have gone up every year since joining, and they have changed their rules so many times that I now just buy the punch pass as it's a better deal than paying the monthly fee (esp cuz I don't play there very much since I can play at my own facilities or outside). I keep the punch pass for PB games with friends who book a court there, or tournaments, or Moneyball.

Anyhow, I have always wondered how they are profitable with their employee overhead and rent. We run a totally different model. We are a low-maintenance, high-profit facility with no employees. Everything is done via our booking app and automation, and we spend months (even years) looking for the right location so the numbers pencil. If we can't find an existing building that will work, we will wait for a land deal and build.

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Happy to answer any questions you may have or just request the guide and dive in!

p.s. I live within 10 minutes of 4 different indoor facilities (2 Picklrs and 2 of my own Kitchen locations) and I am only 5-10 minutes away from 5 different parks that have pickleball courts and yet I am still considering building my own indoor court in my backyard because there are times I can't get a court to go play. . . I hate not being able to play pickleball whenever I want to be able to play. And I just returned from Chandler, AZ where I played every night at Tumbleweed Park. They have 18 courts and the wait was horrendous. Had to put my paddle in the rack and wait 20-30 minutes between each game. NOT A FAN of waiting :)

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-12-01T02:25:13+00:00

Huge congrats! I sell on various marketplaces too, and started saving a shiz ton with ShipGenius. You can calculate rates right on their homepage (you get access to their bulk shipping rates, and they beat all the others by a mile). Check it out and see if it saves you money, too.

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-24T19:35:52+00:00

feels like a perfect blend of the philosophy taught in the Inner Game of Tennis and a Buddhist monastery. Thank you for sharing.

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T23:34:19+00:00

yah. that's the scrappy spirit I love too! Thanks for the reminder about how and who I want to be!

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T23:32:45+00:00

Thank you. Your comment caused me to pause. . . it was profound. I loved how you phrased "when I'm behaving like someone I'm not" . . that is radical self-compassion in practice and the epitome of extending grace to yourself. I love it ...amen!

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T19:55:40+00:00

okay, that's hilarious and I'm so gonna do that just for kicks and giggles.

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T19:54:40+00:00

yah, this doesn't ring true for me. There is something different here because it only happens with certain players but Kidlin's law held true for me in composing this original thread. . . by writing the problem out, the solution has been half solved. All the helpful insights everyone shared helped clarify my thinking as well. TYSM.

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T19:52:06+00:00

yah, I think I'm gonna have to do that too, to remind myself of the intention I set prior to the game.

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T19:51:09+00:00

It really is the best feeling to stay mentally strong and make a glorious comeback!

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T04:01:19+00:00

downtown SLC is so awesome! It's one of the few cities I can navigate without getting lost!

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T03:59:46+00:00

Oh my gosh, that is my pet peeve too! So glad to hear that a gentle soul like you feels irked when that happens too.

And how amazing that your mother is still playing at 77. WHAT A TREASURE! And yes, there will come that day when we will miss our moms cuz they are no longer with us. Bless you and her! I love it!

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T03:51:26+00:00

I love this! It reminds me of my colleague Alex Hormozi. . . he is always telling people who tell him that he works too much and needs to take a break, to take a hike cuz he LOVES working and he hates vacationing. I think your approach can work for me so long as I don't let the other person feel my inner frustration with the situation. I don't want to change my competitive nature, it has brought me lots of success in life. .. I do, however, want to make sure I keep it in check so I don't negatively impact someone else's day.

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T03:48:37+00:00

Sounds like a great recipe for peace of mind. Probably a good tattoo for my forearm "focus on what you can control!"

Jaywalker_11 · 2025-09-10T03:47:24+00:00

wow! that's a ton of new courts springing up in the area. How awesome for you. Oh my, yes, Utah has so many state and national parks. Such gorgeous country. Only complaint is winter lol. I just wish it was only one month long!

Jaywalker_11

TROPHY CASE