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Hey Picklebackers! 🏓✨

If you come from a tennis background, stepping onto the pickleball court can feel familiar—but also a little tricky. The good news? Many of your tennis instincts give you a natural edge, especially in singles. The challenge comes in doubles, where the soft game rules.

In this issue, we’ll break down which tennis skills carry over, where you’ll need to adjust, and how to fast-track your transition.

🎾➡️🏓 Tennis Skills in Singles Pickleball

Singles pickleball feels the most like tennis because it’s more about covering ground, hitting solid groundstrokes, and constructing points.

1. Groundstrokes & Passing Shots

• Tennis players thrive here. You’re already comfortable trading baseline rallies and using topspin to push opponents back.

• Passing shots (crosscourt, down the line) and lobs are weapons in singles just like in tennis.

Adjustment: Shorten your swing and aim for consistency. Overhitting is the most common tennis-to-pickleball mistake in singles.

2. Serve & Return Advantage

• Your tennis serve strategy (depth, placement, spin) gives you an edge. Even though pickleball serves are underhand, you can still manipulate spin and direction.

• On returns, depth is critical—pushing opponents back makes their approach difficult.

Adjustment: Forget about aces. Focus on depth and placement instead of power.

3. Footwork & Endurance

• Tennis singles footwork—split-step, recovery steps, lateral movement—is extremely useful.

• Covering the court alone requires stamina and anticipation, skills you already have from tennis.

Adjustment: Court is smaller, so it’s about quick bursts and recovery, not long sprints.

4. Mental Toughness & Patience

• Tennis players are used to long singles points, which helps in grind-it-out rallies.

• Point construction skills (working the ball side to side, setting up the passing shot) translate perfectly.

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🎾➡️🏓 Tennis Skills in Doubles Pickleball

Doubles pickleball is more about teamwork, positioning, and the “soft game,” which is where tennis players face the biggest learning curve.

1. Net Play & Volleys

• Tennis volley instincts (compact swings, reaction speed, paddle out front) transfer directly to kitchen-line battles.

• Tennis doubles players already understand the importance of dominating the net, which is central in pickleball.

Adjustment: Dinks and resets. Unlike tennis, where net play is mostly aggressive, pickleball doubles requires soft control and patience at the net.

2. Doubles Court Awareness & Positioning

• Tennis doubles players already know how to cover lanes, poach, and communicate with a partner.

• Angles and anticipation from tennis doubles help you set up opportunities in pickleball.

Adjustment: Learn the non-volley zone (NVZ/kitchen) rules. You can’t just crash the net like in tennis—you must stop at the kitchen line and play more patiently.

3. Serve & Return Strategy

• Like in singles, tennis instincts help with deep, accurate serves and returns.

• Placement is key in doubles—serving or returning toward a weaker opponent is just like targeting a weaker doubles player in tennis.

Adjustment: Serve is less of a weapon in doubles pickleball, so don’t rely on it to win points. Instead, think of it as a way to start the point strategically.

4. Communication & Teamwork

• Tennis doubles experience teaches you to call shots, cover lobs, and move in unison with a partner. That’s invaluable in pickleball.

• Anticipating when to switch sides or cover middle balls feels very natural for ex-tennis doubles players.

Adjustment: Stay disciplined with court coverage. Because the pickleball court is smaller, “over-poaching” (taking too much space) is more costly than in tennis.

5. Soft Game Patience

• This is the biggest hurdle for tennis players in doubles. Tennis players want to finish points quickly with pace, but high-level pickleball doubles often involves extended dink rallies and resets before attacking.

Adjustment: Embrace patience. Use your tennis feel at the net to control tempo instead of always speeding up.

@letspicklenow

➡️🏓 From Tennis to Pickleball: The Art of the Push! Tennis players, listen up! When transitioning to pickleball, remember: it’s all about ... See more

✅ Key Takeaways

• Singles Pickleball → Tennis background is a huge advantage. Groundstrokes, serves/returns, movement, and passing shot strategy all transfer directly.

• Doubles Pickleball → Tennis background helps most with volleys, net instincts, and doubles positioning. The challenge is learning the soft game (dinks, drops, resets), since raw power alone won’t win you matches.

Whether you’re grinding out singles rallies or battling at the kitchen line in doubles, your tennis foundation gives you a head start. The secret is knowing when to lean on your old instincts—and when to rewire them. Master the adjustments, and you’ll find yourself winning points in ways that feel both familiar and brand new.

See you on the courts!

Dill-lighfully yours,
Your PICKLEBACKCLUB Team 🥒🎾

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