Playing better pickleball after 50 starts with habits that keep you balanced, prepared and in control. In this recent video, Coach Tony Roig shares several tips that can help players cut down on mistakes and move more safely.

Here’s a few pieces of advice that Tony teaches to his students:

Move your feet before reaching

At the kitchen line, avoid leaning sideways for a volley or tipping forward to reach a short dink. Instead, take a lateral step toward a wide volley or step into the kitchen for a dink that has bounced. Establish your balance before making contact. Reaching without moving your feet can leave you unstable and compromise your shot.

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Prepare for the speedup

A soft rally can turn into a fast exchange at any moment. After each dink, bring your paddle to a ready position instead of leaving it down.

Tony emphasizes anticipating a hard shot: Being prepared for pace still allows you to handle a soft ball.

Get set before returning the serve

Running through your return adds forward momentum that can send the ball long. Get your body set, strike the return, then begin moving toward the kitchen line. Separating those actions gives you more control over the contact.

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Practice the soft game and choose clear targets

Using a wall to practice, aim for dinks that bounce off the wall gently rather than quickly. That softer touch helps develop shallow dinks that give opponents fewer opportunities to attack.

For volleys, choose a target safely above the net instead of trying to just barely clear the tape. Tony suggests allowing at least a paddle’s width of clearance.

Watch the full video here or above for more tips.

Tony Roig is a nationally-recognized coach, Sr. Pro Player, developer of “Respect the X” among other widely used strategies, and is the voice behind the weekly Pickleball Therapy podcast. To find out more about Tony and his coaching visit TonyRoigPickleball.com. You can access their 4 FREE Mini-Courses to get going.