If you’ve spent a decent amount of time watching pickleball instructional videos on YouTube, there’s a good chance you’ve come across this one.

It was made in 2018 and introduced a concept that has since been adopted by players, teaching pros and social media influencers across the pickleball landscape: Respect the X.

It’s designed as an easy way for players to remember who should be taking the middle ball (generally speaking), depending on where the previous shot was played from.

The man behind the now-famous concept is Tony Roig, who is one of the original online pickleball coaches and has now spent nearly a decade educating players. He has the highest accreditation available in pickleball coaching – Master Teaching Professional – and has coached players from beginner all the way to the PPA Tour.

To this day Roig gets recognized by players at pickleball events as the “Respect the X” guy, but his teaching has gone far beyond that in the years since. He has released more than 700 YouTube videos, designed detailed curriculum for his online training courses, taught hundreds of camps and clinics, recorded more than 300 episodes of his “Pickleball Therapy” podcast and written multiple books about pickleball instruction as well as many instructional articles that have been featured on The Kitchen’s website and elsewhere.

Read next: Enhance just UPGRADED our top budget paddle with the MPP Turbo ArmorGrit

“Everything that I do within pickleball is all about strengthening players, and my role is transferring knowledge,” Roig said in a recent interview with The Kitchen. “That’s all I’m focused on. I’m not trying to run tournaments, run facilities, sell paddles or shoes or anything else. It’s about helping other players improve their knowledge of the game, and hopefully in doing that also improve how they live their lives.”

Earlier this year Roig launched his latest initiative within the game – Tony Roig Pickleball. It’s a one-stop shop for players who want to learn more about the game and improve. Through TRP he has released several mini courses breaking down different areas of the game, as well as a more in-depth “Pickleball Builder” program, which is a step-by-step guided course that takes players through key shots and strategies starting from basic things like the serve and return to more nuanced topics like when to drop vs. drive the third shot, dinking strategies, the mental game and more.

“I spend most of my time developing curriculum and creating content in an organized fashion that can be easily navigated by players, regardless of where they’re starting from,” Roig said. “The goal of Tony Roig Pickleball is to help as many players as possible, and make it easy for them to understand the concepts that I think are really important in our game.”

Sign up for a Tony Roig Pickleball Camp today!

TRP Camps offer a transformative camp experience designed to tap into your pickleball game at a deeper level. Take your next step forward and let the TRP Coaching Team show you the way.

Find a list of all upcoming camp opportunities here.

Use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 10% off your camp enrollment.

Figuring out what matters in pickleball – and what doesn’t

If you’ve seen any of Roig’s videos or articles, you might have picked up on the fact that he sometimes goes against the grain in his teaching.

One recent series focused on three “myths” that he says pervade our game, discussing topics like moving with your partner, the forehand player covering middle and the process of getting to the kitchen line. While a lot of pickleball instruction on the internet attempts to teach players how to hit flashy shots like the two-handed backhand and other more advanced strategies, Roig finds that most players will have more success if they simply focus their efforts on mastering the fundamentals.

Through his years of teaching, he’s broken the game down into a hierarchy of shots that are the most important.

  1. Return of serve: According to Roig, this is the single most important shot in pickleball – yet no one practices it. Any deficiency in your return of serve puts you at a huge disadvantage.
  2. Fourth shot: A good fourth shot makes the most of your inherent advantage as the returning team. You get to hold your position at the kitchen line and make it more difficult for your opponents to advance forward.
  3. Serve: You can only score points when you have the serve, so a reliable one that gets the job done is key to setting yourself up for success.
  4. Third shot: There’s too much focus on the third shot, Roig says. It’s definitely important, but not as important as the three shots ahead of it on this list.

“At the 3.0 level and 3.5 level, if you have a player who masters their return side shots, they’re virtually unbeatable in their group,” Roig says. “Their third shot drop or dinks don’t really matter, but with a good return of serve and fourth shot combination, nobody at their level is gonna beat them.”

While Roig has the knowledge to discuss more advanced topics and coach advanced players, he also knows that the vast majority of pickleball players fall in the 3.0-4.0 range and he primarily caters his content to serve that audience.

Roig leads all Tony Roig Pickleball in-person camps and clinics, where he provides personalized coaching geared toward players over 50 who are looking for a stronger, more dynamic relationship with “the sport they love.”

“I’m always trying to find out what really matters in pickleball – what actually wins matches,” Roig said. “Let’s not get too caught up in the fancy stuff, and instead teach people how to be a solid, well-rounded player. Things like footwork at the kitchen line, serving well and returning well. Even at the pro level, it’s the basic stuff that wins over time.”

Read next: Expert review of the new JOOLA POWER FX paddle

Reaching players through every medium

Today you can find Tony Roig Pickleball content on a wide variety of platforms.

YouTube channel: Roig publishes a weekly instructional video on YouTube. Sometimes he’s breaking down a specific shot, sometimes he’s focused on certain strategies for different formats (men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles, singles, etc.), and sometimes he analyzes pro matches to see what amateur players can learn from the best in the game.

Blog: Roig has dozens of instructional articles on his website discussing everything from how to beat bangers to how to deal with elbow pain. He’s been a trusted content contributor to The Kitchen and you’ll come across his articles in the community.

Pickleball Therapy Podcast: The podcast all about the mental game is recognized as one of the top pickleball podcasts. Roig says he started it more for himself than anything else. He wanted to be a more mentally tough competitor (he plays senior pro) and a better partner, so he started doing a lot of research on how our brains work in competitive environments. As it turns out, other players needed help in those areas as well, and the podcast has gone out weekly since 2020.

Books: Roig has written two books about pickleball instruction. His latest book – “Pickleball Therapy – The Book” – helps players gain an improved perspective so that they can perform better and enjoy the game more. Hundreds of readers and a 4.9-star rating mean something’s working.

In-person camps: Tony Roig Pickleball currently has 10 camps on the schedule over the next several months, visiting several different areas of the country. The camps are designed for players over 50 who want to more fully understand how the game works. Not just a quick tip – the whole picture.

PPA Tour/MLP announcer: Roig is in the booth at PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball matches he attends. He says following the pro tours keeps him up to date on trends in the sport and allows him to discover new ways to help players.

The central theme in everything Roig does: Impacting as many players as possible who want real improvement in their understanding and play. He doesn’t give individual lessons, instead spending his time building teaching content that can reach players wherever they are in the world.

“I think I can have a bigger impact on the game by designing quality instructional content,” Roig said. “The Respect the X video is a great example of that. If I was just on court giving a lesson to one player, I’m only helping that player. By focusing on creating good content I can help thousands of players Respect the X, and that’s of greater benefit to the sport.”