Pickleball tips
John Lamm · Pickleball coach in Austin, Texas
Looking for pickleball lessons in Austin that actually fix the points you keep losing? Start at the kitchen line. If you play open play anywhere in town, from South Austin Rec Center to Pickleland, you already know where most 3.5-4.5 points end: a fast exchange at the net. One player speeds it up, two or three balls fly, and somebody misses.
Those points aren't luck. Hands battles are a skill, and they're one of the fastest ways to move up a level. I'm John Lamm, a 6'5" left-handed pickleball coach in Austin with a 4.6 DUPR, and this is the stuff I drill most with players who are stuck on a plateau.
Most players don't lose firefights because their hands are slow. They lose because of three fixable habits.
Paddle too low. If your paddle drops below the net between shots, you're always late on the next ball. At the 3.5-4.5 level, the ball gets to you faster than your paddle can travel from your knees to your chest.
Swinging instead of blocking. Big backswings at the kitchen turn a winnable block into a pop-up or a ball in the net. In a hands battle, the shortest stroke usually wins.
Speeding up the wrong ball. Attacking a low, unattackable ball hands your opponent the first clean counter. Good players don't attack more often. They attack the right balls.
The good news: all three are habits, and habits change with focused reps.
You can do all of these with one partner and a basket of balls. Each takes 5-10 minutes.
Stand at the kitchen with a partner and volley back and forth at medium pace. After every shot, bring your paddle back to chest height, tip slightly up, before the next ball. The goal isn't speed. It's building the habit of being ready. Once it feels automatic, increase the pace.
One player attacks at the body; the other can only block, with no swing and no follow-through. Absorb pace and redirect it low. This teaches you to use your opponent's speed instead of adding your own. Switch roles every two minutes.
Most attacks go to the backhand side and the body. Have your partner feed fast balls to your backhand hip and chest. Keep the paddle in front of you, punch short, and aim at their feet. A compact backhand counter is one of the biggest separators between 4.0 and 4.5 players.
Play a dink rally where you're only allowed to speed up a ball that bounces above net height. Speed up anything lower and you lose the point. This builds the decision-making that separates 4.0 from 4.5. Keep score so there's real pressure.
Your partner speeds up at you; your job is to block the ball softly back into the kitchen instead of countering. Learning to neutralize a speed-up keeps you in points you'd otherwise lose, and it frustrates bangers.
Pick two drills per session, 10 minutes each, before you play open play. Rotate through all five over a couple of weeks. Then pay attention in your games: are you still getting caught with your paddle low? Are you attacking balls below the net?
If you record your matches, watch only the hands battles. Count how many you won and how you lost the others: late paddle, big swing, or bad attack choice. That one count tells you which drill to prioritize next.
Private pickleball lessons in Austin typically run about $45-$145 per hour depending on the coach's level and credentials. Here's what I charge:
New students get $20 off their first package.
I teach at public courts across Austin: South Austin Recreation Center (1100 Cumberland Rd), Mary Frances Baylor Clarksville Pocket Park, and Brentwood Neighborhood Park. You pick the location that's closest when you book.
Do I need to be a 3.5 to work on hands battles? No. Newer players benefit from building a ready position early. We'll just slow the pace down.
Can my doubles partner and I take a lesson together? Yes. The Bring a Friend package is built for doubles partners, and the per-person price drops as the group grows.
Do I need my own paddle? No. I have loaner paddles and bring balls.
What happens in the first lesson? About 10 minutes of hitting so I can read your game, then focused reps on the 1-2 things costing you the most points. You leave with 2-3 specific things to practice.
If you're stuck at the same level and losing the fast exchanges, that's exactly what I coach. Book a lesson or send me a message on my site, or start with a Tape Review if you want feedback first.
About the coach
John Lamm
Pickleball coach in Austin, Texas
6'5" lefty, 4.6 DUPR. I coach 3.5–4.5 players stuck because they can't finish points, lose kitchen firefights, or don't know when to speed up. Each lesson: a quick read of your game, then focused reps on what's costing you points — hands and counters, speed-ups, serve and drive, transition footwork. Want film? I'll break down your matches with PB Vision. Newer player? I'll build clean fundamentals from day one. You leave every lesson with 2–3 things to practice.
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