🎯 Short Shot Sorcery — the drop-volley move that started my villain era
🥷 The Disguise Game — body fakes, theatrics, and full-on pickleball deceit
💃 Artistic Athleticism — Annalee Waters turns singles into performance art
🥒 Choke Up or Shut Up — my hand-speed experiment that actually worked
😆 Get Pickled — the reel that proves we all know that guy

Let’s get to it!

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Remember last week, when I vowed to dedicate seven full days to studying the short-shot sorcery that Cameron used to puppet-master me around the court?
(If you missed that saga, here’s the link.)

Well… mission in progress.

I found a Jordan Briones tutorial that breaks down the short drop-volley — not just how to hit it, but when to pull it out, and what comes next after you force your opponent on the run.

Watch the tutorial here (just the first five minutes for the drop-volley goodness… or stick around for bonus lessons on the lob and the ATP if you’re feeling studious).

Jordan’s main point: don’t swing.
The drop-volley works because you let their pace do all the heavy lifting.

Quick checklist:

Now that the mechanics finally make sense, it’s just reps until it feels automatic.

When you’ve hit a deep return and your opponent is swinging from behind the baseline, leaning back, or stuck on their heels…
that’s your green light.

This is the part of the tutorial that really hooked me — Jordan shows you exactly what to expect next:

Two very different reactions, both fantastic for you.

Now you better believe that on every deep return, I’m watching my opponent’s body position like a hawk.

If they’re leaning back or hitting off their heels?

Drop shot, baby.

Since I’m already in my short-shot era this week, I stumbled into a tutorial that pairs perfectly with the drop-volley theme: shot disguise — specifically, using body fakes to lie your face off at the kitchen line.

Holding your dinks? Yeah, that’s a thing. We’ve all heard about that.
But the part that hit me right between the eyes was this:

I don’t know why I haven’t connected this before — maybe because I left my basketball brain on the sideline — but the same fakes I used as a point guard work beautifully in pickleball.

It’s all theatrics, and when you do it on purpose? It’s savage.

The tutorial shows how a controlled big backswing or a dramatic step can pull your opponent’s eyes in one direction… while your paddle delivers the ball somewhere completely different.

And the best part?
I accidentally did this twice in league play this morning — not even intentionally — and it was killer.

Now that I am going to do it intentionally?

Pray for my opponents.

If you want the full buffet of deception tricks (including holding your dinks, paddle-face manipulation, and body fakes), here’s the tutorial — it’s absolutely worth a watch.

If you’ve got any other go-to disguises or downright deceptive moves, hit reply and share — I’m building an arsenal.

Every once in a while, pickleball serves up a moment that’s not just athletic…
it’s art.

Cue this clip of Annalee Waters playing singles and unleashing what I can only describe as pickleball ballet.

She lunges for a sideline ball, and to quickly recover position, she whips out a 360° twirl.

Then on the next ball?
She does it again.
Back-to-back twirls.
A double spin combo.

It’s smooth, it’s lethal, and honestly… it’s beautiful to watch.

This little move is probably most practical in singles — but I’m 100% adding it to my doubles game strictly for theatrics and crowd pleasure.

Plus, I’ve seen Lance do this once or twice during a game and… yeah,
It’s super sexy.

Watch the clip and see if you’ve got the artistic athleticism to pull this off without getting dizzy or falling into the kitchen.

Earlier this week, I watched a quick tutorial where the player said something that made me pause mid-scroll:

He even name-dropped Gabe Tardio, who basically holds his paddle like it’s table tennis (you can see the reel here):

Cool info… filed away… didn’t think much more about it.

Then — plot twist.

At couples league night, one of the guys we play against was absolutely carving the ball.
Insane resets.
Stupid-good placement.
Nasty spin.

And suddenly I realized:
DUDE WAS CHOKED UP TO HIS ELBOW.

I’d never noticed it before, but now that I’d seen the tutorial, it jumped out immediately.
I asked him about it afterward, and he said the same thing:

So, of course, I had to try it.

The results?
I’m kinda mad no one told me this sooner.

What I noticed:

The only drawback:
My backhand felt a little jammed up, and my index finger was sore from choking up so high. But that feels like a short learning curve, not a dealbreaker.

I think I’m officially a choke-up convert.
At least for a few more games (need to see if it holds up as well as it did today).

If you’ve been hunting for more control or quicker hands, it is absolutely worth testing in your next match.

And if you already play choked up?
Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!

You know that friend.
Every group has that friend.

The one who treats a Tuesday rec game like it’s Championship Court at the PPA.
The one who fires body bags with the enthusiasm of someone getting paid per bruise.
The one who thinks “verbal intimidation” is a legitimate third-shot option.

An older Instagram reel resurfaced this week, and it absolutely cracked me up.
The shirt alone — “Get Pickled” — is worth the click.

If you need a 30-second laugh, here you go.
Enjoy it… and definitely send it to the person in your crew who channels this energy.

💥 That’s it for this week’s Five Dink Friday!

If you picked up a new trick — a drop-volley upgrade, or a choke-up cheat code — forward this to a partner who loves adding fresh spice to their game.

And if this was forwarded to you, hit subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s drop…

Until next week — may your fakes be filthy and your doubles partner be less intense than the Get Pickled guy. 😆

—Janelle

P.S. Since I won’t see you before Thursday — Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy your turkey… and may the tryptophan not sabotage your pickleball throwdowns.
And remember: STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN — unless the ball bounces in there first or you’re carving the bird.