Pro Tips: Coach Tony Ramsdell
Though Tony Ramsdell is now the Director of Tennis and Pickleball at Lake Tahoe’s Northstar Resort, SoCal locals may know him from his years helping to run the Riviera Country Club’s pickleball programming in Pacific Palisades. The PPR Pro had been teaching tennis full-time for more than a decade when he picked up a paddle and never looked back. His number-one reason? “The welcomeness of the sport,” he says. Read on to learn more about this fun-loving coach and up your own game with his insight and advice.
Describe your coaching style. I’ve always seen the court really well and been able to figure out what people need to do and what they’re missing. Pickleball is a fun sport because its uniqueness really brings out individuality in people’s games. Let’s say your movement isn’t the best but your ball striking is great—how do we use your ball striking to the best of your ability to limit those movement mistakes that you’re going to make? Identifying player types is really important. Are you a hugely athletic person who can just get away with certain things or do you have to protect yourself from this part of the game? All those little things add up
What’s the first thing you teach a new player? Just getting a feel for the ball on the paddle. It’s such a different feeling compared to any other sport. As soon as I get somebody on the court, I want them to hit a hundred balls from the kitchen line or the baseline—it’s just about repetition. You’re not going to get better by not hitting the ball.
Is there an overlooked element that makes a big difference on the court? Being balanced when you hit every ball. So much gets taught technique-wise—follow through, backswing, this and that—but if you’re taking two or three steps after you hit a ball because you are off balance, it’s going to take away from everything else you’re trying to build.
Any tips for building balance? I like to hit and freeze. If you hit your shot and you can hold that position after making contact, you’re going to have better control of your paddle, which is going to lead to you creating the ball that you want. We tend to see people running through the ball a little too much and kind of falling forward. You’re better off being two steps behind that kitchen line on your way in and in control than you are being on top of that kitchen line and being off balance.
Your favorite way to add some flair to your game? The between-the-legs dink in a dink battle, that’s definitely my go-to. You’re not swinging, you’re just sticking that paddle down and blocking it back. So, it’s actually kind of a little cheat code, and I hit it when I get lazy because I don’t have to move my feet at all, the ball is already there. It’s surprisingly easy if I throw a couple of hand feeds in between someone’s feet to help them do it.
The best off-court exercises for on-court advantage? Yoga, stretching, and Pilates. Pickleball is played so low that really keeping your core and lower body limber is important. As soon as your knees start to freeze up, and hips especially, bad things are going to happen. I live and die by my massage gun as well. That thing is an absolute lifesaver before and after.
