This is the premiere episode of our Practice Like a Pro 7-part series with pickleball pros Susannah Barr and Nick Wade. We mic’d them up during a real two-hour drilling session so you can hear everything they say while training — raw, unfiltered, and behind the scenes.
In Part 1, you’ll dive into aggressive dinking with a focus on ATPs.
What you’ll learn in this video:
✅ Pro pickleball dinking strategy
✅ How to look for and execute ATPs off of dinks
✅ How to keep dinks aggressive without giving up ATPs
✅ How pros really drill
🎥 Watch the whole series:
Part 2 Commit to your Backhand → https://youtu.be/napjMy8Ehhw&list=PL7aPrF3CyOzpQKOo3N2sehVWzuzoFnVoD
Part 3 The Survival Drill → https://youtu.be/AUyb6m8i6K4&list=PL7aPrF3CyOzpQKOo3N2sehVWzuzoFnVoD
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 Intro — Practice Like a Pro Series Premiere
0:14 Welcome to Part 1: Warmup + Dinking Focus
0:47 Explaining the Dinking Game with ATP Bonus Rule
1:06 Goals: Creating ATPs vs. Avoiding ATPs
1:19 Why you need to practice against ATPs
1:40 Susannah & Nick discuss ATP opportunities during drilling
2:13 Adjusting strategy and footwork mid-drill
3:08 Recognizing more ATP chances than expected
4:18 Technical adjustments: timing, placement, control
5:11 Live aggressive dinking rally practice begins
6:13 First scored game with ATP bonus rule
7:00 Aggressive play and pro-level commentary
9:12 Strategic discussion: angles, positioning, and partner pressure
10:08 Taking more balls out of the air
11:22 Grounding vs. frantic play — controlling the pace
12:00 More scored points + ATP attempts
13:08 Pro adjustments and shot selection during play
15:22 Switching sides & setting up for tiebreaker games
16:01 New rally with aggressive dinking & ATP battles
18:20 Pressure, mistakes, and how pros reset mentally
19:24 Susannah shares mindset tip on handling pressure
20:07 More aggressive dinking rallies (final games)
25:04 Wrap-up: warmup, aggressive dinking, ATP strategy recap
26:05 Final thoughts: footwork, placement, and avoiding ATPs
26:30 Playing smart while still being aggressive
27:03 Series outro + invite to Practice Like a Pro playlist
🎥 Watch Next:
👉 Practice Like a Pro Playlist → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7aPrF3CyOzpQKOo3N2sehVWzuzoFnVoD
✨ Want more personalized coaching? Join our Flying Pickle Academy Online Coaching Community for step-by-step training and direct pro feedback → academy@theflyingpickle.com
🏓 Want to bring a premium indoor pickleball club to your hometown? We’re growing The Flying Pickle nationwide and looking for partners to open new clubs. Email us at academy@theflyingpickle.com to learn more.
Follow on Instagram:
Susannah Barr: https://www.instagram.com/susannahbarr.pb/
Dominic Catalano: https://www.instagram.com/dominic_catalano_3dpickleball
Maria Lopez: https://www.instagram.com/coach_mlopez/
The Flying Pickle: https://www.instagram.com/theflyingpickle/