Pickleball

Pickleball Fun is Never Having to Say You’re Sorry

Jeff

Help

– Would you be willing to help? I would like to write a post about Pickleball Pet Peeves. If you would be so kind as to send your most annoying Pickleball Pet Peeves to me at info@jbrish.com, I will write a post about them in the near future! Thank you for that!

The other day I was on the Pickleball court and the match was going along well for our team when it suddenly took a turn and we lost a large lead. At that point, my partner missed a shot off of a great return. He looked at me and said: “I should have gotten that.”

Well, maybe yes and maybe no. There are times when the opposing team makes a very good or excellent shot and it proves to be a winner. On those occasions, I just admit to myself that they did best and won the point. Should I/we “have gotten that shot?”

Nobody wins all the points in a Pickleball match (at least not often). It is that Michael Jordan quote in action:


I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. - Michael Jordan
Quote Via

Even someone as great as Michael Jordan doesn’t make every shot or win every point. There are some times when you just can’t “get that shot” because it is too good.

When I play with someone and they miss a shot, I don’t expect them to say “sorry.” I don’t get agitated or upset. There is no sorry. I understand they are doing the best they can and I accept that a missed shot is a missed shot and let’s move on. I miss my share, and some would say more than my share, of shots too.

In our Pickleball group, I would guess that about 10% of the people are out there just to have fun and get exercise; win or lose. Another 80% are very competitive and want to win as many matches as they can and they put a lot of effort into the game. Perhaps the last 10% are ultra competitive and exert the most effort to win every point and take each point very seriously.

Of course we all like to win, but the best athletes in the world no matter what their sport, can’t win all of the time.

For me, and I believe many others, the enjoyment of playing Pickleball is when you never have to say you’re sorry. What do you think?

Pickleball: Inventors and Birthplace at Bainbridge Island, WA – Video

Jeff

35 years +/- after the fact, Barney McCallum, one of the innovators of Pickleball, and others are interviewed to tell the story of the birth of the sport of Pickleball. The video shows Joel Pritchard’s original Pickleball court. Barney also explains how he created the basic shape of the paddle which is similar to those used today. Pickleball is now played around the world!

Pickleball Serve: Is Variety the Advantage You Need to Win?

Jeff

Many of the essays, articles, books addressing the Pickleball serve will advise players to hit the ball high and deep and sometimes the word SLOW is used in conjunction with the advisory. The idea is twofold:

  • 1) Keep the opposing team away from the net and
  • 2) Make them supply the pace (power) behind any return shot

The two elements above may help the serving team get to the net as quickly as possible and it is true that the idea is to gain control of the net. All else being equal, the team “controlling” the net should win most of the points.

The popularity of Pickleball is soaring and more and more young people are finding their way to the Pickleball courts. This is great for the game. With their athleticism and speed, the serve is taking on more importance as a factor in the game.

Tennis and Pickleball Coach Mark Rennseson, with more than eighteen years experience, agrees with The Pickleball Show host Chris Allen that, once again, all things being equal, the team serving the ball only has a forty percent chance of winning the point. The receiving team has a 60-40 chance of winning the serve so why not try to change those odds?

Mark also suggests that since the serve is the only time you have complete control of the ball and where it is going to go, you should take advantage of it by doing more with the ball than “just getting it in play.” He doesn’t believe serving high and deep is the way to go for everyone.

Coach Rennseson encourages the more adventurous and perhaps intermediate to advanced players, to take more of a chance to gain the advantage. By varying the type of serve, the receiver’s potential for hitting a weaker return increases thus enabling the serving team to gain the upper hand. The issue of missing the serve a couple of times a game might not be that bad if the server(s) can cause the receiving team to make enough errors.

You can listen to this discussion via the podcast of The Pickleball Show, episode 7, starting at 13:19 into the show.

As a matter of fact, the Pickleball video (below), Pickleball 411: Three Serves and Why You Need Them, provides an explanation of what the three types of serves are and reasons for using them. NOTE: This is not an instructional video of “HOW” to execute these shots, but an explanation why you might want to use them.



“In this episode (above) of Pickleball 411, our host, Rusty Howes, is joined by Jennifer Lucore, Alex Hamner and Bob Youngren who demonstrate the different serves they use and explain when and why they use them. We hope this detailed episode will help all of you take your pickleball game to the next level!”

Deb Harrison also agrees that having “the ball in your hand” on the serve warrants doing more than just getting it in. You can listen to her explanation of what to do with the serve at 13:02 minutes in to The Pickleball Show podcast 11.

To summarize:

  • If you are just starting out playing Pickleball and you are playing with beginning to average players, keep the serve high and deep.
  • If you are playing among intermediate to more advanced players, i.e. 3.5-5.0, you might want to try to do more with the serve. Varying the serve keeps the opponents guessing and may cause an instant of hesitation in a very fast game. In Pickleball, fractions of seconds can make the difference.
  • High and Deep Serve can be used at any level and is used for a change of pace.
  • The Power Serve – This serve is low, deep and hard. This serve is varied by changing location. Right, left or in the middle of the appropriate service court. Of course, one needs to practice to be able to get this serve in consistently.
  • Soft Angle Serve – Once again, keeps the opponents guessing and, when done right, can force them to the outside of the court leaving a lane down which one can hit the ball.

What is your philosophy about the Pickleball serve? Have the above points changed your approach to the Pickleball serve?

Pickleball: Did you Know…When is a ball Dead?

Jeff

Those who play the sport of Pickleball learn early that it is a fault to step into the kitchen after hitting a volley UNTIL the ball is dead. So the question arises: “When is the ball dead?”

According to the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP), p. 29, Section 8 – Dead Ball Rules:

8.B. A ball is not declared dead until it has bounced twice or has violated one of the fault rules (See Section 7).

After a second bounce or if the ball has violated one of the fault rules specified in Section Seven it is declared “dead!”

Show Time for Pickleball

Jeff

The Pickleball Show

It was news to me when I discovered that there was a podcast called “The Pickleball Show.” One of the steps any game or sport needs to take before it becomes more mainstream is to find a way to get into the public eye. Having a podcast about Pickleball is one move to help accomplish that. Chris Allen is the congenial host who has good interviewing skills as well as the gift of gab. His sense of humor also adds to the enjoyment of the podcasts.

I have listened to three plus shows thus far and they have been quite interesting for me. The show with Gail Leach, author of The Art of Pickleball, was quite informative.

I actually started listening to the podcasts out of order because the first one I found out about was show #9 which is described as:

009:Smart Pickleball with Prem Carnot, 25:36, 3/23/15 – Prem Carnot, author of Smart Pickleball, tells Chris about a serve technique that’ll drive your opponent even further back from the baseline, plus a great rule-of-thumb as to when to cover the line and when to cover the middle.

There were three good tips/hints mentioned in the above podcast. Two are what I would call good strategy tips, but I won’t steal the show’s thunder. The third tip was basically advice not to back up if a hard shot comes your way, but to either stand your ground and hope for a “blocked” shot return or, if you need to back up, only take a couple of steps back.

Prem Carnot pointed out that if a player is backing up all the way to the baseline, they will have a great deal of difficulty executing any kind of an offensive shot when the ball is hit their way because they most likely will not have time to get set.

He also points to those who turn their back to “protect” themselves when the ball is going to be hit hard. If you are fearful, then go ahead, but that won’t return the ball. If you want to try to turn the situation around, stand your ground and try to just connect the paddle to the ball to block it back.

I encourage you to listen to the remainder of podcast episode #9 to hear the other two tips hinted at in the synopsis of episode #9.

If you go to the show’s website The Pickleball Show [ http://pickleballshow.com/ ], you can subscribe to the podcast. I used iTunes since it was so easy to read a synopsis of the show(s), download all of the episodes, etc. and have them synched to my devices.

ALTERNATIVELY...If you visit the Podcast page of the website, you can scroll through the individual podcasts listed (scroll down to see the earlier shows) and listen to the podcasts by clicking on the green READ MORE buttons.

I am supporting this show by posting this blurb here and by subscribing because it can only help the sport I have grown to really enjoy AND I can use all the advice I can get about how to improve my game.

Good luck and Thank You to Chris Allen and The Pickleball Show. Good luck as well to all those who listen to increase their skills and their enjoyment of our sport.

Happy Playing!

Pickleball: Let the Sun Shine In (A Little)

Jeff

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts!

Here is a sneak peak at the new Sun City Pickleball Center’s Inside/Outside courts. I have not been there, but these photos were shared via a mailing list I receive and they look wonderful.

The first picture shows the high ceilings with fenced in areas to keep the wayward PB hits from going astray. Aren’t we tired of stopping play when a ball comes rolling on to our court. Of course this usually happens during my best serve or volley of the day (just kidding)!

While the ends of the court are open, the playing area appears to be completely shielded from the sun and probably most of the wind. Also notice the lights to keep the courts well lit even under the superstructure.

Sun City Pickleball Center

The second picture s a bit larger and notice how the Non Volley Zone (Kitchen) is a different color. This is a great visual clue to help keep the kitchen clear. The white lines are also quite vibrant. The third color used for the surrounds probably will help during those times when the ball is very close to the lines. In or Out is sometimes a difficult call so any help is appreciated.

These pictures show PB courts that have a great “feel” to them and I would love to play at such a facility. I believe these are open to members only, but wouldn’t it be nice to have such a resource to use? Of course it wouldn’t make me a better player, but it would enhance the game and perhaps inspire those who are trying to do their best.

Sun City Pickleball Center

I thought you would enjoy seeing these and if you have any more pictures of the facilities, please send them along!

Pickleball: Almost Just Like You

Jeff

The link below is to the Grand Canyon State Games 2015 men’s Pickleball finals in El Mirage, AZ between Justin Rodgers & Dave Weinbach and Steve Wong & Aspen Kern.

I would encourage you to watch the video. I wouldn’t say it is an exceptionally exciting match, but there are some good observations that can be made:

These are top notch players, perhaps best in the world, and they make the same mistakes we all make. They just make them less often.

  • Notice how much of the game is played in or near the non-volley zone.

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  • Also note how every once in a while the direction of the shot is changed by the player hitting the ball into the opposing non-volley zone. Angling the shot seems to give the offensive player better odds at getting the ball over the net and keeping it shallow and low. I have found this to be the case in my playing as well.

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  • Interestingly, the lob was NOT used to back the opponents off of the non-volley zone area. Beginners and some intermediate players use the lob quite often. This underscores the difficulty of making great lob shots and turning a defensive position in to an offensive one.

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  • The players do not serve hard, but try to serve in such a way that they can get to the net on the third shot or shortly thereafter.

 

Pickleball…honestly

Jeff

Last week we had friends visiting from other towns and other states. One common denominator among several of the men was a keen interest in Pickleball so naturally off to the courts we went.

We had a great afternoon of play. We played together for several games, changing up sides, etc. and then we played with others to get a variety of experiences.

A day or two later, a discussion arose regarding line calling (in or out) and cheating and I said: “What is the sense of cheating?” It seemed only logical to me that to win at a game that one had to cheat in would be a hollow victory indeed. My companions explained that they had witnessed people cheating about line calls in order to gain an advantage.

I must say, and perhaps I am naive, but I have not been aware of this behavior in my one-year experience. We were not discussing close calls or “honest mistakes” where one of the players actually perceived that the ball was “out” and called it that way.

I have developed a personal set of rules FOR NON TOURNAMENT AND CASUAL PLAY, that I understand pretty much coincides with the rules of most other players.

1 – If a ball is close to a line and I cannot make a definitive call, the call goes to the other team.

2 – I never argue a call that is on the end line of the opposite end of the court. I am not close enough usually to get a very clear view, the net is often blocking my line if sight and I accept their word as the correct call. Conversely, I don’t expect them to challenge my calls at my own end line either (see #6 below for a corollary).

3 – If a ball is too close to call on my own end line (hit be the opposing team), I continue to play it as though it is good. The other team gets the benefit of the doubt!

4 – I self-call kitchen zone infractions as I anticipate the other team will do the same.

5 – ANYTIME a ball from another court enters the established playing zone of a court on which I am playing, it is to be called and the current point stops and is re-played. This is an important safety rule and ALL balls should be called to eliminate the need to make a decision whether or not a ball is close enough to the play, etc. [ BTW – If am the server, I call the point score and say “serve over.” What do you do in the above situation? ]

6 – If I make a call and another player challenges it, I query the remaining players. If another player sees it one way or the other, then that is how the call is made. If the questioning player says they are “sure,” then I let the call go their way. It is only a point and if one point makes that much difference, then they deserve to have it. [If this happens often, then my attitude would become a bit different, but it hasn’t happened frequently thus far.]

7. – If playing indoors or at close quarters outside (not in tournament play) if a ball is obviously going to be out and the opposing player catches it to save the ball from bouncing errantly, this is fine with me. Most of the time I do let the ball bounce and then catch it, but if I see it is going to head over to disrupt another court, I sometimes will catch it in the air to prevent a stoppage for the other players.

Are there any experiences you have had with Pickleball and line calls or rules that you would like to share? Are there any situations not mentioned above that have important guidelines for “most players?”

Pickleball: Returning the Third Shot Drop, Deb Harrison

Jeff

Deb Harrison gives some hints about returning one of the most difficult shots (IMHO) to defend when it comes your way. As she explains, preparation and NOT hitting the ball hard are two of the keys. Watch the video to see how it is done.

Your pickleball opponent has hit a perfect third shot drop. What do you do? Learn the best way to return the third shot drop in this video.”