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.

 

• 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.

 

• 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.

 

• 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.