Winning the Kawamoto way: Use the same strategies as the pros to win more games

Tony Roig

Contributor

Last Edited

Sep 23 2025

Adaptive court positioning

Court positioning is always important, but particularly so at higher levels. During their two signature wins in Cincinnati, the Kawamotos were able to:

- Effectively cover the court and cut off angles of attack.

- Maximize their defensive percentages.

- Still apply offensive pressure when the opportunity presented itself.

This "adaptive" court positioning allowed the Kawamotos to regularly be in the best spots to hit their next shots. The other top teams use this approach as well. Waters and Bright are both great at positioning to track balls down, and Johnson and Black also flow well with the rally.

But in Cincinnati, the Kawamotos were at a different level in their positioning. They redefined the transition zone: What many players treat as a danger zone, they used strategically -- using this area of the court to adjust their positioning and neutralize rallies.

From my vantage point, the Kawamotos’ court coverage and movement was the biggest strategic reason they beat the top teams.

Maximum net respect

As a coach, I know that my students get tired of hearing me say, “Whatever you do, don’t hit it into the net. Hit it out. Let them smash it at you. But for the love of everything that is good in the world, do not hit it into the net.”

What do the pros do when they play? They almost never hit it into the net when they are in control of the shot (in other words, not under stress). The Kawamotos in Cincinnati showed how simply keeping the rally alive can change a team’s fortunes.

They trusted their defensive abilities to reset balls and eventually get the point back to neutral (or let the opponent go for too much and miss a shot). Play with that in mind the next time you hit the court, and we bet you'll be surprised at how many more points you win.

Next shot focus

The Kawamotos lost Game 1 in the best of 3 semifinal and were down 4-9 in the deciding Game 3. Yet they found a way to win.

In the finals, they were again down after losing Game 1 and Game 2 in the best-of-five Championship Sunday format. They won three in a row to claim the title. So, how did they do it?

1. They played each rally independent from all the others.

The footage shows two professional pickleball players going about their business. Make one, miss one, keep battling. They were never rattled.

Pickleball is played one rally at a time -- actually one shot at a time if you really think about it. There is no other way to play it. While the concept of "one shot at a time" may sound too simple when stated plainly, it is true. And the idea is often forgotten in the heat of playing.

To give yourself the best chance to win, it's all about the next shot.

2. Jackie kept the team from getting down.

There were multiple examples, but the one that stood out to me was at 6-6 in Game 5 of the finals. Johnson and Black had just scored 2 points to tie the game.

Jackie got a fairly easy sitter to smash, but mistimed the shot and hit the ball into the middle of the net. After the miss, Jade can be seen standing a bit flat footed at the kitchen line.

Jackie turns toward Jade, tapping her paddle and urging her onward. The next rally they got the serve back and proceeded to win the next 5 points to win the game 11-7, claiming their first PPA title.

Often when we miss a shot -- particularly at a critical juncture of a match (like 6-6 in the deciding Game 5 when your opponents are on a run) -- we can fixate on the miss and get down on ourselves. Having the ability to avoid that outcome is a powerful skill.

Learn to be the Jackie for your team so you can battle through the unavoidable mistakes you (or your partner) will make.

Tony Roig is a nationally-recognized coach, Sr. Pro Player, developer of “Respect the X” on the In2Pickle YouTube channel, and the voice behind the Pickleball Therapy podcast. Visit BetterPickleball.com for information on coaching from Tony and the BP team through their Camps, Academy, and No. 1 online training program: The Pickleball System.

More instruction