Okay, so after watching that, it's pretty clear that I'm terrible at putting the ball away. This is honestly something I've been bad at ever since I started playing pickleball. In fact, almost every group that I play in, the joke is constantly that I can't put a ball away.
So to help try and deal with this, I decided to take another lesson with Omrik because not only does he have phenomenal counters, his overhead is also completely ridiculous. Now I'm not gonna lie, this lesson was honestly pretty humbling and embarrassing to take. Not because Omrik did anything wrong, but because I realized just how bad my overhead actually was.
There's so many things related to proper technique that I either didn't know or just wasn't doing. So trying to implement all of them inside of the lesson was very difficult, but I'm sure with enough time I'll get there. But in the moment it was like, geez, Louise, I'm really bad at this. And if you are any reasonable tennis player or used to be a reasonable tennis player, like four or five and above, maybe even four and above, you might not even need this video.
Most tennis players already have great overheads, but if you came from pickleball and never really had any formal overhead training, then you'll probably want to watch this video because I think I'm generally bad. If the ball goes a little deeper than just here, I don't think I do a good enough job getting back. Like I think I'm taking it like back here rather than like the balls here. Those are good.
So I would say an overhead is simple, but it's also hard. Just like the counter thing, right? So there's four parts here already.
Okay. Okay. Now, one of them that you identified, which is I gotta use hips, right?
So talking about... Who can hit a hard overhead? Who can't?
A large percentage, I would say 70-80%, it's from two parts. One, your hips, because that's where you're getting most of your muscle. If you look at me, I'm not the most built guy, right?
But I'm using every single ounce of my body to just put all of my weight into that motion. What you're doing is what a lot... of pickleball players or i should just say non-tennis players do is you're using the wrist forearm snap rather than the shoulder so in a tennis overhead or even a tennis serve people that have good serves or good overheads are can you do just very simple motion yeah can you toss a ball to me okay okay That exactly is the issue. Okay. So, yeah, you can toss a ball, but you're not tossing it like a football or a baseball player is supposed to.
Pronation is what you're lacking, because right now you're just going, that's fine, but that's just this motion rather than here. Now, it's not just this part. It's my shoulder coming back and my shoulder rotating with this pronation motion, right? So... for you yeah when you say open stance it's just this this never happens because this is super awkward to do like what you know compared to if you turn now i it's much easier for me to do that pronation motion and then gets all of it going so the four parts hips one okay the shoulder drop back is two the pronation is three which is that wrist and then the last part which you do a pretty good job is that wrist motion right now even though this is all the motion the reason you shanked a couple and a good chunk of pickleball people miss hit it this hand is equally as important as this hand yeah when that ball comes up if you just If you just try to wing it here, it's hard in three dimensional region of space.
Compared to if this is up here, it's gonna help you guide and make that contact point much simpler. I think I have noticed too, watching some of my videos, the hand will go up, but it also goes down very quickly. Like, it's initially and then it's down right away.
Yup, and then you're just winging it and then it's just doing this and you're like, I hope to God I make contact. Rather than I'm here and I finish through that motion. The longer you keep this, the more likely you're gonna make contact dead center of your paddle or wherever you're looking for.
I see, makes sense. So in all of this, sure, we can hit a hundred overheads. If you're trying to improve your overhead, you should be working.
It's which aspect... What kind of movement of that overhead do you want to work on? I'll start with the simplest one.
It's literally just throwing a ball back and forth. So inside of your wrist, when you start, is facing me, right? Or facing whatever part of my head. And by the time I finish, it's going to face outward to...
If I'm a righty, it's going to face to the right. If I'm a lefty, facing to the left. If you've done that proper pronation.
So inside, or to the left-ish, by the time you finish, out to the right-ish. Okay? If you've done that, that means you've done this full extended of your elbow motion.
If you haven't, you've just done this, right? And it's going to point right to me rather than pointing that way. Good, perfect.
Good, nice. I must not have been pronating very hard because I can already, this feels, finishing here feels very foreign. Correct. If we're doing the pronate portion to it, right, it's going to be very simple.
That one. You'll just stay flat. You don't have to worry about the rotating the hips portion. Okay? And you can do the left arm.
You don't have to. I'd suggest trying to do it. Okay? All you're gonna do is when you start, okay, wherever you are, this paddle, okay, or slash this inside wrist is gonna face you slash behind you. When you finish, are you just finishing here?
Okay. So if you're finishing correctly, it will go either flat down. or this way. Now, if I'm hitting anywhere middle to my right side, it is going this way. If I'm going that way, that's the only time it'll go probably flat.
So what most people don't do is they're like, oh, well, let me just start like I normally would. Let me get ready for my match and then do the whole thing. That's too many parts to work on one particular aspect, right? I see.
So if I were to teach you, right, it's this. We start wherever, cut off all the other motion, start where proper... pronation starts and where proper pronation ends. That's all we care about. Right?
Okay. Good. Yep.
That's perfect wrist. Good. Now, when you finished, you went here, right? That's fine. But, if I'm going fully extending with the pronation, when I pronated with tossing that ball, was there any bend in my wrist, or in my elbow at all?
No. Okay. So, when you tossed it, there was no bend when you finished.
Why is there a bend in that one? I finished with a bend? Yeah. I actually didn't even notice. Okay, let's try it again.
Good. Again, if you kitchen fault, who cares? But when you finish, that last one where you're fully extended, that's what we want.
Good. Nice. Also, I can just tell literally just from this, even without this, these are harder than I normally get.
Because the pronation that wasn't there before. Because you were just snapping wrist on that first couple when we were warming up. Like these few alone are like a noticeable jump. Absolutely.
Yeah. Good. So the last three, when we did this, this arm is fully extended, where there is no bend in that elbow. That is how I know that you've fully attempted to pronate.
I see. Because if you haven't, you'll do this. I see. Where, oh, there you go. Okay, there's only some here where you could have still kept going with that pronation motion.
So let's get to the next one because I think that's what you're going to need to do is where is my contact point and how does this left hand basically help me with? Okay, so I'll start. again because i've also never shanked these like this so this is very again your your contact now is a little bit delayed because your other one it's very simple it's here here yeah right you don't have to time it very hard because from back here now i have to cross all this region of space to try to time it perfectly so yeah there are times to do this one the one that you do there are times to do the put away one similar to how we toss the ball this other drill requires no paddle okay so when we do this I'll start in the two progressions so the one easy progression is you'll stay flat and then when you're ready to hit you want to get your arm up now as I do this okay it's gonna involve the pronation and the left okay well where's the pronation coming you're not actually pronating but you're prepping your pronation so when that ball goes up I go to here so left arm goes up but then so does my right arm coming back here okay now obviously you're not gonna have a ball so it's gonna look like This it's just empty arm back here somewhere on the backside of your head.
Okay. Now the first couple just catch it Good Good, where did you catch it? Like here ish. Okay. What is here ish describe it to my left of my head?
Okay, so it's Either square at your head or slightly to the left of my head, right? Every time you hit overhead, you're like back here. I see.
Right? And when you do that, that forces you to hit. So you would probably either straight or to the right of your head, right, is where you would want it?
Straight ahead is ideal. Okay. As dead center to your right shoulder slash middle of your face, you have this little margin where that ball should land if you're going to hit your most powerful and consistent overhead.
As you get... too much to the right side of your right shoulder, that your timing's going to be off. And then to the left side of the center of your head, your timing's going to be off. I was going to say, too far left would probably be the worst scenario.
I mean, because you're like... Well, you're just going to be falling in this direction, or you'll be falling in this direction, which both are bad, right? Ideally, you just want it within this little margin.
Rarely did I see it dead center of you. Yeah, I have no idea why it doesn't match up. The reason you don't, you're winging it with just this arm.
Sure. The second this left arm comes into play... You track here, because it's natural to catch here. It's not natural to catch it way out here.
Okay? All right. So, one more time.
Let's just see where you catch it. See if you notice that, too. Okay?
Good. What does your right arm do? Did I? I probably wasn't putting it up, did I?
Right? So, again, when we do this drill, there are two parts to it. The first part, just the left part. Now, can you do both? Both.
Yeah, that should be fine. That should be fine. Good, now this, is this getting ready for my pronate?
Elbow up. Okay, got it. Right? Elbow up as you're ready for your pronate. There you go.
What's the point of this left hand? To track the ball. Okay, so. When does that tracking start? Immediately.
The second I hit, right now you're here, you see it in the air, you're like, oh, now I should. No, the second I've made contact, I know it's a lob, I track with this. So, one at least from tennis, one of the drills that you do when you're practicing your overheads is, the second it's fed, you do this, and you're just rotating in the air with both arms up.
I see. Right? So you start that way?
You start right here. I see. Instead of me having to wait, wait, wait. And at the last second, the timing of this is way too hard, right? Just like all the other shots that we do, The shorter and less variables that I have, the easier it is for me to execute that shot.
Let's hit, okay? Again, I don't care about the rest. Kitchen fault, miss it, make it. I don't care, okay?
Okay, that was fine. Where did this arm start, Dino? I don't. So if we were to get those videos, you're here.
Got it. Rather than here. So I just gotta come back further. Got it. Good, there you go.
Yep. There, that was perfect. Nice, that was good.
Now, pronating looks good, left arm looks good, take back, not so good. I can tell this is just very, I never did that, or went this far back. But again, if you're trying to get power, that's what you need.
Got it. Nice! Oh yeah!
Too good! I can see why this has to be broken down into steps. Because I can feel how many things I'm like, is this back? Is this up?
Am I moving? Am I doing this? I mean, I've told you this multiple times. racket sports it seems easy from an outsider perspective as you get to higher higher levels you're like oh my goodness i didn't know a counter had 10 things i don't know overhead had six things you know like that's the simplest shot like every single person has hit an overhead, that's the easiest thing to do, smash.
But are you hitting a good overhead that involves, you know, your pronating, your racket back, your left arm up, your hips, like all of it, right? Yeah, cause I can literally, like, even just some of these, I'm like, holy cow, this feels even worse than before. I can tell it will get better, but the amount of things you're thinking about just to make it happen.
So that's why I'm breaking this down by different components. Now, when we get to the end of this, In order for you to get better at your particular overhead, you're gonna pick which of those components you think is currently hindering you, right? Cause that's what you're gonna fix. And then, you know, three weeks from now, four weeks from now, you'll add in a different component. The other things.
Okay, so the last part is probably the main one that you need for the power portion. Okay, which is... The hips part is pretty much how you get every single bit of your power.
Okay? Now, yes, your arm does some. But again, this, the pronation part.
is more rather than either the wrist snap, the muscle, whatever it is. A large portion is, can you rotate this? So when we do this, I don't care about all the other portions of the lesson that we just did.
I don't care if you shank it, I don't care if you prone it, whatever. Can you start sideways? And when you finish, can you finish with your weight on that front foot? Ideally, maybe even leaning forward.
So, finish balanced on one leg? Finish balancing on one leg, if you're trying to do maximum power, right? So, if I'm trying to do full, full, I'm going to hit it as hard as I can.
I'm going all of my weight here, so I can stay, and then I reset. But, if I'm not trying to go full power, can I hit, be balanced enough? Freeze!
Freeze! Ah, you're falling, right? I see, I see. Your weight's not balanced on that one. I see, I see.
Freeze. Good. Good.
Now, those are good, but all of that power, that's the old Chris Olsen power. Okay. It's all arm.
I don't know if you're much of a football watcher, but in NFL, there's a common joke video that goes around with the Dallas quarterback, Dak Prescott. His warm-up videos, he does this. He goes...
He's like turning his hips every single time and he like exaggerates this. And as he's doing this, he goes really quick with it. And it looks like he's almost like dancing.
That is what creates power. Dak can throw really far because he can do this motion. really quickly. When I rotate my hips quick, okay, well, is my arm attached to my hips or my body? Yeah.
When it's here, right, this, as I turn quick, what has to happen? My arm. has to come fast.
So now it's not just my normal arm speed, I've added an extra speed that is this hip speed that's coming into play. Now I've got my hip speed and my hip weight that's gonna allow me to launch it even faster with my arm, right? So the reason these hips are important, it's not just me turning for the sake of turning, it's the speed and the violence that I turn my hips with, okay?
So this is where again, as we do this drill, I might teach you how to how to do it someone that doesn't have great hips or mobility we're not going to add this portion to it right because that's where those injuries come into play you're you're just hitting with just that slow motion which sure you're using your weight but it's not adding any speed that goes to that overhead So as we do these next ones, once you're here, how quickly can you go from sideways to forward? I see. So the speed portion, that's the hard part.
I see. And that's where you either need video recordings or you need a drill partner that says, yeah, that's quick or that's not quick, right? There is no magic, oh, I'm doing this fast or not.
It's can someone else or something see if it's quick enough, right? And again, that's where, or those football players, those quarterbacks, they do that over and over and over again because they want to make it as fast as they can. There's no such thing as too fast.
Okay, move your hips as fast as you can, but as you do that, if you're too rushed, your other portions of your overhead now get rushed, right? Because now, can I time my arm coming in at the perfect time? Am I hitting it at the right spot?
All of those get messed up. Got it. Sir, nice.
That was better. Turn. There. That one was the best one.
Got it. Quick. Good. That was arm quick, not hips quick. Not hips quick.
So think of it as when you do this motion, because our whole body's connected, when I turn inadvertently whether you realize it or not your hip is connected to your elbow okay the thing of it as there's a little elastic rubber band sure if this goes quick okay if my hip is is already gone that rubber band is now pulling pulling pulling basically that's my rib cage it's like ah this hurts unless this comes through so the hips should go first the hips will always go first so similarly to other sports so that's what i love about pickleball or tennis all of these shots that you hit you can translate from a different sport so golf when a golfer golfs what goes first arms it's it's this they go boom and then And then as this hip goes, this comes through, right? Same exact concept with your overhead. The quicker this goes, your hip can't go and your arm stays back here. Otherwise you're ripping something right here. Right?
So your arm is attached to it. Instead of thinking arm speed, think hip speed, which will make your arm go fast. Got it.
So I just wanted to pop in here really quick and explain this hip thing because it's something that I thought I was particularly bad at and there's a few cues I came up with that just make it a little bit easier for me to get in the habit of using my hips. First, Amrik made a great point. If you turn your hips far enough, your paddle's going to drop and eventually your arm wants to follow with it.
And if you want to try this yourself, just try standing sideways, put both your arms up and then only turn your hips, but try to leave your shoulder in place. eventually that paddle head is going to drop as if you were trying to scratch your back. So this is a good cue for me when I'm out on the court to know if I'm using my hips.
Because if that paddle head never drops, then I probably didn't use my hips. And a lot of times before this lesson, I think I was opening my stance up so I was square with the court, and then I would just swing with my arm. So there was never any paddle head drop, and I really was never using my hips.
So the nice thing about this is you can practice this at home, just turning your hips constantly and seeing if your arm drops. Good! There you go! I can feel that.
Did you fence that one? You fenced a Franklin! Dang!
Nice! Okay. Hip, hip, hip, hip! Nice!
Good, Chris! It definitely helps to think, move this first. Correct. Because I think before I was thinking so much about my arm, Yup. that the hip just came as a byproduct.
And... I purposely... didn't tell you this, but if you watch those videos of the last couple, when your hip comes first, you know what happens to your arm?
This automatically goes up and this drops because that motion causes this to to drop so you inadvertently start pronating earlier anyway okay and which adds to that extra piece of power that you do so those are better and better but is that the fastest that your hips can move no no okay so as you do this if you just have to have more and more repetition where you either need cameras or you need a drilling partner that says quicker quicker quicker right and there there are measurable things of how quick you're moving this that tells you if you're hitting it hard yeah When you hit with this, so I've had a couple of matches where I've just had long playing days or tournaments have been long or I've hurt my shoulder. I can still hit the crap out of the overhead because when I think, oh, I'm hurt. Okay, let me use my hips.
Let my arm just be like loose coming through. Okay. The biggest misconception of like the intermediate players, overhead to them means.
grip strength 10 everything in your body at 10 contraction swinging as hard as i can no because when i swing and people that hit a really hard swing this is as loose as possible the only thing that is contracting or moving with a lot of speed is your hips and that shoulder otherwise my arm if my grip strength is probably like a two two out of ten three out of ten it's very very minimal it's just hard enough so that when i hit it i don't lose my my paddle out of my hand, right? There, look at that, fenced it. There, good. Hips on that one though.
That was all arm. Got it. Good. Hit quicker, hit quicker, hit quicker.
Ah, nice, Chris. Okay, so while you guys enjoy some slow-mo clips of Amrik hitting his overheads, I just wanted to pop in here and talk about some things that I think are good takeaways for you. My guess is if you don't have a good overhead, you're probably bad at one of the four things, or if you're like me, you are probably bad at doing all four of the things. What I have found with drilling overheads is you really need to segment these into smaller steps when you practice, because at least for me, it was very hard to do. all four steps and do the entire motion to work on my overhead.
It's much better for me to isolate a movement and then only work on that. So like earlier in the lesson, Amrik said, start with the paddlehead dropped below your back and then finish and pronate properly. You don't have to hip turn. You don't even really have to put your left arm up, though we both would suggest that you do that.
And this way you can isolate one specific movement, work on dropping the paddlehead back and then pronating at the end. Another drill that we did, but it didn't quite make it into the full video, is just having someone toss a ball, or you could even do it yourself. Just take a ball, toss it up with your left hand, and then immediately start tracking the ball on the court and stay underneath it.
So you'll obviously want to toss it a little bit behind you, in front of you, or to the side so it forces you to move. But now this forces you to shuffle laterally, backwards, forwards, in that motion with both your arms up ready to hit an overhead. This can be good for getting your left hand to help you track the ball better.
And then of course, just a minute ago, you heard us talk about the hips, which is relatively easy to work on at home. You can kind of just focus on isolating your hips and getting those to move before the rest of your body. So I think there's smaller ways to break these things down that make it a lot easier to drill and implement later.
But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this video and I'll catch you in the next one.