Stop Blocking, Start Countering! How to Drill Counters Like a Pro (from a Pro Drilling Session)

Welcome to the Flying Pickle Academy. I'm coach Dominic Catalano. Today we're gonna level up your game by being able to counter that fourth and sixth shot off of pace from a third and fifth shot. Because the game is sped up, right, and the game is becoming more fast-paced, you're seeing many more third shot drives. The issue I see is the players on the opposite side just blocking that fourth shot off the third shot drive and blocking that sixth shot off of another drive on the fifth shot. So what we're gonna work on today is actually countering on the fourth shot and the sixth shot. During this video we're also going to give you some footage of a live pro drilling session where we are drilling this live, where we're going at players on the third shot drive and then countering that fourth and sixth shot. So this counter drill that we're gonna do, you can work this counter drill with just two people, three people, or four people. Ideally you'd want four people to put it in an actual game situation, but you can make it work any which way. What Suzanne and I are gonna do, we're gonna work it as a two-player drill to start. When you watch our footage from our pro drilling session, there we did it with three players but a coach feeding the ball in. So we're gonna give you multiple options and multiple views of how this drill can work. So to start off, Suzanne is going to be the one countering, I'm gonna be the one driving, and what I'm gonna do is I'm not gonna sit back at the baseline, I'm gonna step in and I'm gonna be about five, six feet inside of the baseline. I want her to have the least amount of reaction time, but what she's reading is she's reading my position or where the ball is coming to me. If the ball comes to my forehand here, Suzanne is gonna sit heavy down the line, that's her coverage. If the ball comes here inside and I run around this, Suzanne is gonna slide with me and she's gonna cover her inside hip, which is her right hip, and her forehand. So right now I'm just gonna give her different feeds and different looks. Good, there's that counter, good, there it is, there it is, good lead, and as you watch Suzanne to do this drill, you can get from this angle too. When I go to step outside and hit this down the line, you're gonna watch Suzanne cheat a little bit. So she'll slide, so mimic that slide, she's gonna slide and open up to her backhand right there, and then if I come in here, she's gonna slide the opposite way and open up to her forehand. That's great footwork by Suzanne and it's good anticipation. Good, little too big, there it is, that's it, good. Next thing to watch is watch on Suzanne right here. When she goes to hit this, there's no backswing. She's nice, short, compact, it's nice and sweet, she gets that paddle out in front and she creates her power off of one, my drive, which is coming at her fast, and two, off of her acceleration through the ball, not a big backswing back. If she takes a big backswing, as she goes to hit this now, she's gonna be late, but watch how she stays nice and short. Nice, good. One of the main reasons that we do this drill is because we've become so accustomed to playing good defense on pickleball, right? Good blocks, good resets, that's all fine and dandy until you have a team that's coming at you and they're gonna continue to put pressure on you with the third shot, the fifth shot, the seventh shot. They're getting aggressive and if you're just playing defense, they're gonna continue to be aggressive. So instead of just blocking this third shot or fifth shot, fourth shot, excuse me, I'm blocking the sixth shot and they just keep coming at you, now we have to flip the script on them. We have to say, okay, you're gonna drive that third, I'm ready for it and I'm bringing it back at you with the fourth. You're gonna drive that fifth, perfect, I'm bringing it back at you with the sixth. We need to turn that defense into offense. Welcome to the Flying Pickle Academy. Today we're gonna show you a pro drilling session, so let's just get right into it. What I want to do, Nick you're on your side, Grayson you're on your side, I'm gonna feed it, you don't get to watch me feed it. I'm feeding it to Nick up close and he's gonna attack right at you, so then you can start a hands battle. Stay on it. You got your goggles? Now start mid-court to start. Yeah, nice, way to just read his paddle and then settle yourself down too when you come in. Okay, so Gray, so the whole point of this is you know Nick's driving, right? What do I have to do? What do I have to do? I have to counter this ball, right? We can't block this ball. If we block this ball, he's just gonna keep coming, right? So it's now, it depends on position. If a ball goes to his forehand, what are you gonna do? Ball goes to his forehand, I'm gonna open up here, right? Ball goes to his backhand, I'm gonna almost shade this way and open up this way. So I'm gonna start shading a little bit to the side where it is so I can anticipate that. If he drops it, perfect. Now I adjust, but if he drives it, now I'm sitting and sitting. If you sit here and almost open up to the forehand when he's going two-handed backhand and he goes here, that's a good shot by him, but also my partner better be helping me out a little bit, right? You want to feed it now and I'll be collateral damage? So now you can go, now he's the only one who's gonna attack because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me to attack you cross-court, but you can counter back to me, okay, if you want. All righty, that's a good spot. Yeah, nice way to speed it up again. So that's good, right? You're sitting on that, but what's my issue is that you're sitting on it, but then he goes to hit, you go here, all right? And now what's happening, you're late, right? So as soon as he's gonna go and you're gonna sit here, sit here, and I'll go right from there. Don't pull that paddle back. That first one, so much better. Love that attack. Way to step into that. Great reset, Nick. So right, and okay, it's not his backhand, he's running around it. That's perfect, right? As soon as he runs around, oh yeah, come right here. I'm gonna sit here heavy because that should be his backhand, but if he's gonna run around it, I'm gonna sit heavy here. If he goes there, perfect, that's fine. That's what we want. We want him to go cross-court. Yeah, way to get it down. That's a good ball, Gray. Oh my god, I gotta reset. If you have it, I mean, I just need to reset it. You're already engaged, right? So if you got it, go. That's it right there, right? You're on it. Here's the other thing to think about. This ball's coming so low, so get a little lower in your ready position. Oh nice, Grayson, better getting a little lower. See, that one you were up again. You're gonna be able to get on top of more balls, like Suzanne is saying right there, if you get down. That's a nice spot. So I want, if I go that side, Nick, I want you to hit the two-hander. All right, so hit it, but what do you have to do? I gotta cover. Right, you got to recognize where this ball's going, you gotta slide. I'm just trying to stay engaged in the chaos here. Hey, just slide. This is perfect practice for me. Yeah, do what you're supposed to do over there. It's perfect practice. No, I missed the easy one. Good dig. That's a great dig. Nice, Nick, that's what. Where you going? Oh no. Oh, good job. Oh yeah! So two-part in that drill. One, she had Nick on the opposite side hitting drives. So he's working on his attacks through the transition area, right? So he'll want to attack balls that are attackable in the transition area. And second part is Grayson on the defensive side. We typically will get defensive on that drive. What Grayson's working on right there is countering that, being ready for it, not just blocking that ball. Because if we just block it, they're gonna come attack the next ball. We need to counter it, do something with that next ball. All right, so Nick's gonna be right in front of Suzanne. So Suzanne is gonna drive it. This is a little scary. Wait, that's your, oh, that's our backhands in the middle. Yeah, two backhands in the middle. Fine. All right, ready? Here we go. I don't know how to, like, approach up very quickly off my attack, but I guess I can work on it. You got to make that noise, too. Yeah. I'm gonna go inside and outside, too. I want you to drive your twoie. Spot. See, because for me, that's your better drive. Yeah. You get more top and control on your two-hander. Nice, Grayson. Nice combo, Nick. Yeah, boy. Nice, good counter. Oh, that's too good. Oh, that's a good spot. Yes! I knew it was coming. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's a better letting it get deep on you. Yeah, I know. Get it out in front. Okay. Recognize my feet a little bit earlier, so that if it's higher, take a step back, right? Oh. There. Right? Feels weird to step back when you're attacking. Go. Good, Grayson. Spot. The transition is tough. You're in one