Pickleball

Pickleball: Know Your Personal Limits

Jeff

In a recent post, I wrote about the net and how players shouldn’t give up on the ball when it is heading for the net because it just might go over. Here is the link The Net is Not Your Friend.

I want to make sure that everyone understands the concept of personal limits related to Pickleball and any sport for that matter. Only you know how well your knees are doing and how your back feels, etc. When I play Pickleball, there are some players who have difficulty bending down to pick up the ball yet they continue to play. Is it safe? Yes it is because they know their personal limits and they don’t try for balls they know they cannot reach.

There are a number of times I am playing against opponents and they make a “near perfect” lob when I am at the net. It is not too high, just over my head and headed for my backhand, rear corner. This is a ball I would have trouble getting if I am leaning forward at the net. What do I do? I sometimes just say “good shot!” and let it go. They win the point if it lands in. I know I cannot get that ball so I don’t try for it.

In essence, I live to play another point. I don’t get hurt. It is only a point after all and there are other points to be won or lost. It is important that we all understand our personal limits and don’t try to do too much especially those who, like me, are past retirement and heading toward the seventh decade worth of birthdays.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try for a ball you are fairly certain you can get. It means understand which balls may be too great a risk to try for under the current circumstances and with your physical limits.

Other than that, have a great time and keep up the Pickleball playing

Pickleball Stacking: Winning Strategy or Mass Confusion?

Jeff

I wrote about Pickleball stacking here, but the Pickleball Guru has much more to say about it on his website. Some players might find this advantageous while others will certainly view it skeptically. The fact that the 2014 Tournament Rules were revised to accommodate those who want to use this strategy might give some indication that it is not for everyone.

NOTE: In explaining the advantages and disadvantages of stacking, the article below uses no less than a dozen diagrams; get the idea?!

Find out in more detail exactly what it is and whether or not this might be something that would help your doubles play. Click the link below to learn more:

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Stacking (a.k.a. That Weird Switch-a-Roo Thing Some Teams Do…)

A Pickleball Thought -The Net Is Not Your Friend!

Jeff

On the surface Pickleball seems like a fairly simple sport, but don’t be fooled! Pickleball’s basic elements are simple, but it is far from a “simple sport.”

Almost every skill needed to excel in other racket/paddle sports is needed in Pickleball. When you take into account the non volley zone and the fact that the ball can go around the net and still be a valid winning shot (if it lands appropriately in the opponent’s court), one might be able to argue that it is even a bit more complex, but let’s not go there.

I am a relative beginner when it comes to Pickleball having played for just under one year. I hadn’t played a racket sport in nearly forty years before I discovered Pickleball fun! So take this as it is, i.e. from a beginner’s point of view.

Over the year, I have learned a lot. I have made many mistakes, but I have tried to learn from those errors. One thing that I have come to appreciate is that the Pickleball net is not on your side. It is not your friend.

What I mean by that statement is this. I often see players watch the ball as it heads for the top of the Pickleball net and on both sides, play seems to slow or stop. So what is wrong with this picture? The problem is that the ball is going to end up on one side of the net or the other and it might remain playable.

Both sides need to be ready to react. Continue to play the ball as though it is going to be a valid shot in the event that it does make it over the net. Don’t give up on the play!

If you are prepared, you might be able to salvage one or two points in a given game just by being able to return a ball that sneaks its way over the net and remains “playable.”

I have lost a number of games by just one or two points that have escaped my team in this fashion. If I had only been ready to respond as the ball fell just on “our” side of the net, I may have salvaged that one more point.

Watch the better players and notice that even when a ball hits the net, they are in line with the ball, paddle in hitting position and waiting to respond.

Don’t give up on the play. Continue the play until the ball is “dead.”

Pickleball TipBit: Third Shot Options, Deb Harrison

Jeff

When hearing from Pickleball coaches or reading books about Pickleball strategies, it is often professed that the third shot drop shot is the “gold standard” of play.

What that means is that after the serve, the opposing team returns serve and the serving team should then drop the ball into the non-volley zone (the kitchen). This is a good strategy for many occasions, but it is also a hard shot to make repeatedly without much practice.

Another point to consider is that the opposing team might “catch” on to this ploy and begin to move up on the ball.

Having a variety of third shot options might help. Deb Harrison’s Pickleball Tip Bit (video below) offers some ideas in this area.

Pickleball: Spot Drops, Deb Harrison

Jeff

SOME NOTES: The audio is a bit low in parts of this video, so listen closely and turn up the sound. Deb reviews the variety of dinks already covered in previous videos; see the elephant dink here:

Deb Harrison shows us how to get the opponent out of their comfort zone by changing the type of dinks used. One drill she demonstrates is the hot spot drill where she can go anywhere with her dinks, but her two practice partners need to keep the ball on her half of the court.

Another very important point that is reinforced is to FACE THE BALL when you can!

“Having the ability to place your pickleball dinks at different spots on the court, moving your opponent out of their comfort zone, is critically important to improving your game. Learn how to drill to hone this skill.”

Pickleball Games with Mixed Levels of Players

Jeff

It has been just about a year since I first picked up a Pickleball paddle. It took me some time to become familiar with the bounce or should I say non-bounce of the Pickleball. I have really enjoyed playing and learning the game even though I am just an “average” player with a moment of flourishes every now and then.

I play in environments where there are players from many levels; beginners to 4.5 or perhaps even 5 (which is the best). One thing that has impressed me is the way that most players accept the others regardless of their skill level. Sometimes we play a “round robin” system where teams are paired at random, at other times the sides are selected by the players and often a more experienced player will ask a beginner to pair with them. Of course there are those times when the “better” players elect to play among themselves. At no time are any players made to feel bad because they have made an error or, as we all do from time-to-time, look foolish. Everyone is trying their best!

Here is how my Personal Pickleball Philosophy (PPP) has evolved. When I play with players of my own ability or better, anything goes. I have been in some matches where I was the weakest player and my anything goes philosophy degrades into one of survival.

I am always eager to teach others how to play Pickleball and thus I naturally become part of a beginner’s game. I do have a pretty good serve which varies from the high, soft lob to a much faster, just over the net shot which I can usually use to score an ace or two during a game. Of course when I do try my “harder, trickier” serve, I miss once in a while, but not often.

When playing with beginners or players of significantly lesser ability, I serve the ball so they will be able to return it. A mild serve that will bounce about waist high with no spin. Beginners do sometimes have trouble with this serve, but less so than other types. There would be no fun in trying to spin the ball or hit a hard shot to them. In some cases we also allow beginners to serve on a “first in” basis. This takes some of the pressure off of them, gives them more practice, and makes the game more competitive.

I also try to avoid slamming shots at the beginning players. If I can, I try to use placement rather than power to score points and some of the time, I hit it right to beginners just so they can practice and gain confidence.

Speaking of being more competitive, whenever we select sides, we try to arrange for a competitive match. Once again, what would be the point of pitting two strong players against two weak players? As it is, in many games, one side will often “target” the weaker player which I don’t mind if its me because that is great practice and every once in a while I surprise everyone!

If you watch many of the online videos introducing Pickleball, the statement is generally made that the game is much fun if everyone plays with players of near equal ability. This is very true. We are not talking about tournaments, we are talking about everyday exercise and play.

What is your PPP?

How to Win at Pickleball

Jeff

This is an especially good set of sixteen guidelines detailing how to play pickleball with the most “widely accepted” winning strategies. Like most guidelines, however, these cannot be held fast and there will be exceptions. Some of the time, a particular strategy won’t work or won’t work as well as another strategy when playing against a particularly skilled player.

The first rule, i.e. to return serve soft and deep, wins much of the time, but there are a few players who are expert at slamming the ball back down the sidelines and perhaps a more nuanced approach might be called for. In any event, I find that the soft and deep strategy works as long as I change it up every once in a while. You need to keep the opposing players “honest.”

I think you will find most of these guidelines helpful. You can download one of the versions (both have the same information) at the links below:

How to Win at Pickleball [MS Word]

How to Win at Pickleball [PDF]

Pickleball Scoring – Odd or Even?

Jeff

* It is a fact that many Pickleball players lose track of the score. That is why it is important for everyone to call the score before each serve. To double-check if the score has been tallied correctly, you can use this method:

Note that when the score is zero, zero, it is considered an “even” score. The 2 people who are the very first servers (on the right side of their respective courts) for each team are even.

“When the serving team wins a point, the server moves to the other side of the serving team’s court. If the serve rotation is done properly, and the score is called correctly, the serving team’s score will always be even when the player that started the game on the right side is on the right side and odd when that player is on the left side.”

Do you enjoy Pickleball? Would you like to have more Pickleball venues and see the sport thrive? Why not consider joining the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) – They are the “keepers of the flame,” so to speak. Click this link to find out more:

http://www.usapa.org/usapa-membership/

*Thanks to M. Travis, Phoenix-area Pickleball Ambassador

Pickleball: Snap Swing Volley, Deb Harrison

Jeff

I have been playing PB for only a year +/- and one of my issues has been the number of balls I hit into the net when I am at the non volley zone line. I think this tip from Deb Harrison might be of some help to me. If you have the same issue, perhaps this will be one way of reducing those errors!

“This pickleball instructional video builds on one of our most popular episodes, the swing volley. Today we add snap to the swing volley, to pound the ball down at our opponents’ feet.”

Pickleball partnership: Be a supportive communicator for more success!

Jeff

Pickleball doubles, by its very nature, is a “social sport.” There are four people playing on the court at one time and everyone has their own egos, history and insecurities. The most enjoyable way to play and appreciate the sport (IMHO) is to be supportive and enjoy the game no matter who makes what shots and who misses certain shots.

I play at several different venues both indoor and outdoor and very often opposing players will compliment a good shot and make positive comments. I rarely hear anyone say anything negative.

Prem Carnot, the Pickleball Guru, has an interesting post: “How to improve playing performance with your tournament partner”

I think this is a good article to read for everyone who plays in mixed groups and with mixed levels. These apply widely and not only for tournament players.

We can all enjoy the game as a fun sport. Even in a tournament, negative attitudes and words aren’t going to help score those points!