Pickleball with Rich Roe

Week of September 26, 2026

Day 1:
Class 1: Pickleball Positioning (intermediate/advanced). Even intermediate and advanced players need to dial in their positioning and strategy for the first 4 shots. Today, we practice “Serve and Stay”, “Return and Run”, where to target thirds, and “Fourth Find Feet”. 

Class 2: Intro to Pickleball (beginner). Beginner pickleball players will learn the basics of the first four shots. 

Day 2:
Class 1: Pickleball “Third shot” (intermediate/advanced). A quality third shot is key to advancing your game. We will practice drives, drops, and the drive/drop combo. We will incorporate Liveball to practice the skills in a fast-paced environment. 

Class 2: Pickleball Fundamentals (beginner). Knowing the rules helps you understand where to be and what shots to go for. We also go over the somewhat confusing scoring system! 

Day 3:
Class 1: Pickleball “Kitchen” (intermediate/advanced). Paddle position, creating pressure, compact strokes… We will review the core strategies of effective play at the net. 

Class 2: Pickleball Liveball (beginner). While the serve and return are important, beginners often don’t get many opportunities to practice third shots, fourth shots and beyond. Liveball is basically pickleball starting at the third shot as I coach you through the best plays. 

Day 4: 
Class 1: Pickleball Combos (intermediate/advanced). We will practice the most effective combos, especially for the serving team: drive & drop, drop & reset, reset & aggressive dink, aggressive dink & put away. Learn how to link these shots to gain advantage through the point. We will incorporate Liveball to practice the skills in a fast-paced environment. 

Class 2: Pickleball Net Play (beginner). Today we focus on the “kitchen” or “Non-Volley” zone up near the net. 

Day 5:  
Class 1: Pickleball Lateral Positioning (intermediate/advanced). You will learn “Shading”, your lateral position. You and your partner will learn to shift together throughout the point for maximum court coverage. 

Class 2: Pickleball Shots 1-4 (beginner). You will get into the flow of the game as we map out the first four shots of the game. 

Day 6: 
Class 1: Pickleball Tournament (intermediate/advanced) Put your new skills to the test in a fun tournament. 

Class 2: Pickleball Tournament (beginner) Put your new skills to the test in a fun tournament.

 

 

Rich Roe is a professional Pickleball Instructor (PPR) and Certified Personal Trainer (ACE). For 30+ years, Rich has been helping people reach their goals. From the moment he started playing pickleball, he has been obsessed with the sport. Rich coaches in his hometown of Laguna Beach and leads pickleball retreats in Costa Rica. 

My passion is teaching positioning and strategy to all levels. “Rich has the ability to simplify concepts so I can implement new skills immediately”. He has also designed pickleball-specific strength training programs for off-the-court training and is available for private sessions at the Ranch.