Travis Rettenmaier

Travis Rettenmaier Professional Pickleballer, MLP owner/player and here to help you get better while having a laugh.

05/29/2026

One Drill to Level Up Your Coordination Fast

If your hands feel slow or out of position at the kitchen line, this fixes it.

Three levels. One drill.

Level 1️⃣
Catch and hold.

Tap the ball back and forth and control it cleanly.
No chasing low balls.
Contact in front.
Clean control.

If you can tap consistently, your base is solid.

Level 2️⃣
Now use the edge.

Same drill, but off the edge of the paddle.
Control it.
Then stop it once and send it back.

This forces precision.

You cannot cheat this drill.

Level 3️⃣
Stop and hit off the edge.

Now it’s about perfect positioning.

If the ball isn’t in front of your belly button, you won’t make it.

And that’s the lesson.

Ball control.
Hand-eye coordination.
Positioning.

When you can control the edge while moving, you’ll dominate hand battles at the kitchen line.

Master the small drill.
Win the big points.





05/27/2026

Position Wins Points

The most important thing in your game isn’t a shot.

It’s position.

How many times have you heard, “Get low”?

But what does that actually mean?

Here’s how you train it.

Use a chair.

Set it behind you and get low enough that your hips stay engaged and your head is in front of your toes.

Like you’re guarding someone in basketball.

Chest forward.
Weight on the balls of your feet.
Eyes level with the ball.

Now have someone toss you balls at net height.

Stay in that position and volley from there.

If you’re upright, you’ll miss.
If you’re low and forward, you’ll feel balanced and explosive.

Low doesn’t mean stiff.
Low means athletic.

When your head is in front of your toes, you move better, react faster, and control volleys cleaner.

Train the position.
The shots will follow.





05/26/2026

Pickleball Is About Managing Errors

Everyone wants to hit winners.

The best players don’t.

They manage errors.

The real key to getting better is simple.

Don’t miss.

I see it every day.
Routine balls flying wide for no reason.

There is no advantage to missing by inches.

Draw a line six feet inside the baseline and six feet inside the sidelines.

That’s your working zone.

That’s where we live.

On serves? Same thing.
Aggressive when it’s there, but controlled.

Six feet inside.
High percentage.

At the kitchen line, we only flirt with the lines when we’re attacking.

When it’s a true winner opportunity.

Otherwise?

Play middle.
Play big targets.
Make them miss first.

Winners are earned.
Matches are won by discipline.

Manage errors. Win more games.





05/19/2026

Unloading Your Hips Changes Everything

The biggest theme this week with my students?

They’re not unloading their hips.

Most rec players turn like this…
All upper body. No real coil.

That’s not power. That’s just rotation.

Real coil starts in the lower half.

Think of your hips like they have two little eyeballs.

Wherever you’re about to hit, those eyeballs need to turn first.

Forehand side?
Hips turn first.

Backhand side?
Hips turn first.

Whether it’s a groundstroke or a kitchen attack, that small hip load sets everything up.

When the hips unload, the upper body follows.

That’s where max spin and effortless power come from.

No coil in the hips means no whip in the swing.

Turn the hips.
Unload the hips.
Rip the ball.





05/17/2026

Use the Cobra to Steal Time

Deception wins more points than power.

Today we’re using the Cobra.

When I set up for an attack, I’m not just thinking about contact.

I’m thinking about his eyes.

If I can divert his attention for even a split second, I own the point.

So when I hit the Cobra, I exaggerate the hand motion just enough to draw his focus.

His eyes go to my hand.
They stop tracking the ball.
Now I speed it up.

Surprise.

The beauty of this move is it works whether you d**k or attack.

Same setup.
Same distraction.
Different outcome.

If your opponent is watching your paddle instead of the ball, you’re already ahead.

Control their eyes.
Control the rally.





05/16/2026

The Most Fun D**k Drill to Level Up Fast

If your kitchen game feels flat, it’s probably your movement.

This drill forces it.

Today we’re d**king off the edge guard.

Yes, the edge.

Why? Because if you can control the ball off the side of the paddle, your focus, balance, and precision go through the roof.

Here’s the key:

Head down.
See the ball.
Connect cleanly with the side edge.

No lazy footwork.
No reaching.

You and your partner move together and stay balanced every rep.

If you can hit 10 in a row off the edge, your regular d**ks will feel easy.

This drill builds:

• Movement
• Precision
• Contact awareness
• Soft hands under pressure

Control the edge.
Own the kitchen.





05/12/2026

Master Underspin by Yourself

You guys love solo drills, so here’s one that levels up your underspin control.

Hinging the wrist is step one.
Controlling the spin is step two.

Backhand side:

Stand next to the net.
Toss the ball slightly up.
Carve under it and try to make it land on the other side… and spin back over the net.

If you can make it return 8 out of 10 times, your feel is elite.

Forehand side:

Same setup.
C**k the wrist.
Carve under the ball.

This is not about power.
It’s about precision.

If you can control the spin next to the net, controlling it in a match becomes easy.

Soft hands.
Clean carve.
Repeat.





05/11/2026

Maximize Your Topspin — Solo

If your topspin isn’t jumping, it’s not your strength.

It’s your wrist and racket head speed.

There are two progressions to build it by yourself.

Level 1️⃣ — Net Skim Drill
Stand close to the net.
Feel like you’re turning a door handle.

Brush. Brush. Brush.

No big arm swing.
All wrist.

Your goal is to skim the net without clipping it.
If you’re hitting flat, you’re not brushing enough.

Level 2️⃣ — Deep Target Roll
Now mirror that same motion from farther back.

Set up a cone deep.
Same wrist action.
No arm.

Wrist. Wrist. Roll.

Do not decelerate.
Keep brushing through contact.

If it’s too hard, back up.
If it’s easy, move closer.

The key is constant brush and racket head speed.

Topspin isn’t forced.
It’s created by acceleration and feel.

Work on it alone.
Own the spin.





05/03/2026

The Nastiest Spin Serve You’ll Ever Hit

If you want a heavy spin serve that jumps off the court, you need two things.

1️⃣ Circular backswing
2️⃣ Contact at the left hip

That circular motion loads the whip. It keeps the paddle moving fluid instead of stiff and linear.

Now here’s the key.

Make contact right around your left hip.
That’s when your swing path is naturally moving upward.

Upward path equals heavy topspin.

Get the toss out in front.
Brush up the back of the ball.
Finish high.

You’re not slapping it flat.
You’re carving up the back and letting the spin do the work.

Circular load.
Left hip contact.
Brush and finish.

That’s how you make it kick.





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