Jeff Napier (OddPickleball.com) and I (MarcoPickleball.com) are hosting $285 four-session workshops at Cañon Tennis & Swim club in Fairfax, California. We have made Socratic pickleball, the fastest track to impressive top-level play, more accessible than before.

We have opened it up to all levels. We will match you with players at your skill level. We have also eliminated the requirement to attend four weeks in a row. You can now attend on the Monday evenings of your choice. Eventually, we’ll probably add other days and times.

So what is Socratic pickleball? You will be playing ordinary pickleball with three others at your skill level or two others and a coach. After many of the rallies, we will discuss what happened, and strategies for improvement. We will help you break habits such as coming too slowly to the NVZ, not watching opponents’ body positions, serving slumps, and techniques such as how to handle slammers at the net, dinking rallies, dropshots, topspins and backspins. We may surprise you by discovering changes in your play that will enhance your game considerably and sometimes instantly.

For instance, when you are on the right-hand side, try returning hard and low near the sideline toward the baseline corner, and watch what happens! You’ll find it’s a shot that right-handers as well as left-handers miss all the time.

Want to learn Around the Post or Erne shots? You can learn that here!

For intermediate and advanced players starting at 6pm, you don’t have to have performed a 3rd shot drop, but should know what it is. You should be aware of ‘popping the ball’ and are somewhat proficient in keeping it low most of the time.

If you are more of a beginning or low intermediate player, you’ll enjoy our 7pm sessions, where we will show you proper form for immediate success, help you remember things like coming to the kitchen at the right times, and work with you on any issues you may be facing, such accuracy in serving.

We have led several Socratic sessions now. We can tell you everyone had fun, and the results were fantastic for every single participant.

Because many players couldn’t attend four weeks in a row, we have worked out a new plan in which you can attend any four sessions. You can join any time and skip a session or two, then attend in following weeks. Right now it’s Mondays at 6pm and 7pm, but we’ll consider more days and times if you can’t make it Monday evenings.