Hi Everyone, Eugene here!

At all levels, for many players, their biggest frustration is with players that speed up the ball at bodies. What is the best way to deal with these speedups?

1. Make sure your paddle is always upright at nose height when you're up at the kitchen line.
2. Keep your paddle at 11 o-clock stance for right handed players (1 o-clock stance for left handed players). When defending speedups, you want your paddle at this angle because your backhand covers most the ground at all times.
3. If you're trying to reset their speedup, try to hold your paddle at a 3/10-5/10 grip strength so you can put it back in the kitchen. If you're trying to counter attack their speedup, try to hold 5/10-7/10 grip strength to keep a steady pace back at the opponent.
4. Pattern recognition - watch other players paddle face and notice if they like to speed up at a certain spot, so you're also pre-emptively preparing for these shots.

Try this out next time when someone's about to speed up at you!

If you are finding it hard to get your paddle in position on time, you may want to try using a lighter paddle.

Below are some of our recommendations for light paddles!

Selkirk AMPED Control Epic [Lightweight]

Selkirk AMPED Invikta [Lightweight]

View our full pickleball gear selection here!

Eugene Mak (Yumo Pickleball Ambassador)

@I_am_counting_my_calories

#TeamYumo