Pro Tips for Amateur Pickleball Players from our Godfather Pros

Pro Tips for Amateur Pickleball Players: How to Actually Level Up

If you've been playing for a while and feel like your game has stalled, you're not alone. Plateaus are common — and most of the time, the path forward isn't learning something new. It's getting sharper on the fundamentals you already know. We asked some of the top pros in the game for the one piece of advice they'd give to amateurs looking to take the next step.

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Mari Humberg — Make more balls than you miss

"Make more balls than you miss. A lot of players want to work on things that look flashy, but what you really need is to get the fundamentals locked in. Make sure your dinks, resets, and thirds are solid before you ask anyone how to learn a backhand flick."

The foundation of every good pickleball game is consistency at the kitchen. Flash comes later. Reliability wins matches.

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Gabe Tardio — Watch yourself play

The biggest blind spot most amateurs have is that they don't actually know what their game looks like. Gabe's advice: film yourself and watch it back. Count your unforced errors. Track how often you're making it to the kitchen line. It's uncomfortable, but it's the fastest way to identify what's actually costing you points — not what you think is costing you points.

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Pablo Tellez — Work on your third shot drop

The third shot drop is the bridge between the serve and the kitchen game. Without it, you're stuck at the baseline while your opponents control the net. Pablo's emphasis is simple: if you want to stop losing to bangers and move the needle from 3.5 to 4.0 and beyond, put serious time into your drop game. The players who master it are the ones who get into kitchen rallies — and that's where pickleball is actually won.

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Tina Pisnik — Stop playing so many games, start drilling

This one stings, but it's true. Playing game after game feels productive but often reinforces the same bad habits over and over. Tina's take: get your reps in through drills first. Build your kitchen game until you can sustain a 10-shot rally without breaking down. Then take that into rec play. Drilling before competing builds technique. Competing before drilling just bakes in mistakes.

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Rafa Hewett — Keep the ball in front of you

Movement and contact point are underrated fundamentals, especially at the kitchen. Rafa's cue: imagine a V-shape extending out from the center of your body, and train yourself to always make contact inside that zone. When the ball gets behind you or to your side, your options disappear. Moving your feet to stay in front of the ball keeps you in control of every exchange.

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Kate Fahey — Add spin to everything

The difference between how amateurs and pros hit the ball often comes down to one thing: spin. Pros aren't just pushing the ball. They're rolling it, slicing it, and brushing through their shots with full follow-through. Kate's advice is to start adding spin intentionally and to stop cutting your swing short. Finish your strokes. Let the paddle do the work. That's where real shot quality comes from.

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The Common Thread

Every one of these tips points back to the same idea: fundamentals first, flash second. Get your dinks, drops, and resets to a level you trust. Move your feet. Watch your own game honestly. Drill with intention before defaulting to games. And when you play, make your opponents beat you — don't beat yourself.

That's the level-up formula. It's not complicated. It just takes reps.