Mark Renneson

Pickleball: Third Shot Drop – Something to Think About

Jeff

What is a third shot drop shot?

This is a pickleball stroke that goes softly over the net into the opponent’s half of the kitchen (NVZ) close to their side of the net. This will force them to hit the ball UP.

Why is the third shot drop shot such a coveted skill among pickleballers? What exactly does a good third shot drop shot do?

  • Is it to make your opponents move?
  • Is it to make your opponents miss the shot?
  • Is it about getting your team to the net (NVZ)?

If you haven’t decided, perhaps you will appreciate Mark Renneson’s nuanced explanation. It is interesting to think about as we consider our shot options after the return of serve. BTW, Mark is the founder and Head Coach at Third Shot Sports.

Here is the link to Mark’s article – It’s Not What You Think: Myth-busting the Drop

 

More Pickleball Videos

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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017


Pickleball Video: Dink Disguise for Hard Drive Surprise

Jeff

Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports, offers a hint to help catch our opponents off guard.

While watching the video, also notice how Mark uses his whole body to execute the dink. The movement is subtle, but his legs and torso give a motion of “lift” to the paddle/ball.

Another good hint he provides is to use a short back swing to help keep the shot soft.

Sepaking of dinking, here’s another hint. Many players already know this, but just in case…

I hope this helps with some new ways to think about the dink!

 

More Pickleball Videos

To See additional Pickleball Videos Covering Many Aspects of the Game Click Here (primarily for beginners and less experienced players)

Check out Additional Pickleball Info and Videos! (for all players including average to more experienced players)


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017


STATUS QUOtes — 20170804

Jeff

Today’s STATUS QUOtes

 

“In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.” — Charles De Gaulle

“It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.” — Thomas Sowell

“Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken.” — Albert Camus

“If I had to apologize every time I hit a lucky shot, I would never shut up.” — via Mark Renneson, Third Shot Sports

 
See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Thousands and thousands of quotes delivered since 2011!

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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017


Pickleball Video: After the 3rd Shot – Then What?

Jeff

To the net? Not to the net? That is the Question!

Pickleball players are taught from the very beginning that the “best” place to be is close to the net just behind the non-volley zone (NVZ) line. This is often true, but it isn’t always the case.

The serving team puts the ball in play (Shot 1) and stays back because of the two bounce rule. The opposing team will try to hit the ball deep (Shot 2) so the player returning the serve has an opportunity to advance to their NVZ.

As the video below points out, now comes the question – What does the serving team do after the third shot? Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports explains: “That depends.” And he is so right.

Beginning players often run to the NVZ willy nilly no matter what, but that could be a big mistake. Watch the video to find out what you should do after the third shot. Read the note below the video which may also be very helpful.

 

NOTE – Did you notice the point Mark was making about how the players on each team should generally be at the same relative depth on their side of the court? Having one player back and the other up creates an angled zone with a big hole that is very hard to cover. Ideally, both players should be at, or very near the same depth on their side of the court.

More Pickleball Videos

To See additional Pickleball Videos Covering Many Aspects of the Game Click Here (primarily for beginners and less experienced players)

Check out Additional Pickleball Info and Videos! (for all players including average to more experienced players)


**********

 

All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017


Pickleball Video- Not All Backhand Volleys Are Equal

Jeff

Many beginning players have difficulty with their backhand, but very often they manage to develop a fairly reliable backhand groundstroke. That is the good news.

The bad news is that there is more than one type of backhand shot and to be a top player, you may need to develop several different techniques for the backhand volley. The video below shows backhand options for players in a position to hit a volley.

The two volley techniques demonstrated are:

  • The backspin soft shot that can be effective in putting the opponents in a vulnerable position.
  • The topspin shot which keeps the ball low and difficult to return.

Watch Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports demonstrate these techniques.

NOTE – It has been my experience that if I hit a “good” topspin backhand at the net, the ball has a tendency to stay low and will “skip” (take a very low bounce) which frustrates opponents.

Hint – You can read the comments below the video for further clarification.

Thanks to Mark Rennison and Third Shot Sports for producing this informative video.

Pickleball – The Art & Skill of the Volley

Jeff

We have highlighted videos by Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports on this blog a number of times. Mark offers very good tips to help all levels of players improve their skills. In this video he reminds us that not all volleys are the same or at least they shouldn’t be the same.

Mark demonstrates for viewers what he believes is the most difficult volley of them all…the soft touch volley. What makes this video valuable is that Mark offers a drill to help us improve our ability to improve our “soft volley.”

About Third Shot Sports

Click the link to register to receive the Third Shot Sports Pickleball Newsletter

Click the link to see Third Shot Pickleball Past Newsletters.

Click the link to visit the Third Shot Sports Pickleball website.

Thanks to Mark and Third Shot Sports for allowing this to be presented on JBRish.com

 

More Pickleball Videos

To See additional Pickleball Videos Covering Many Aspects of the Game Click Here (primarily for beginners and less experienced players)

Check out Additional Pickleball Info and Videos! (for all players including average to more experienced players)

Pickleball Myth? – Never Miss A Serve

Jeff

PB Myth # 18: You Should Never Miss Your Serve

**NOTE** – This is an article from Third Shot Sports that is reprinted with appropriate attribution and permissions.

The conventional wisdom is that you should always make sure your serve lands in. We don’t want you to hit out either but here is something to consider: if you are always playing it safe for fear of missing, are you losing out on a great opportunity?

Yes. You are.

Think about it — the serve is the one time in a pickleball game that you have complete control. The ball is in perfect position, you are totally on balance and you don’t have to hit it until you are completely ready. There is no other moment when the conditions are so much in your favour. Yet most people squander this opportunity by merely putting the ball in play. Here are some alternatives:

1) Aim for a weakness. If you have identified that your opponent has a preferred side (usually their forehand) this is a great time to challenge them to play the shot they don’t want. Use this opportunity to aim near a sideline and force them to hit a tougher return.

2) Pin them back. In most cases, the returner will want to come to the net after playing the ball. Make this more difficult by serving deep in the court and pushing them back behind the baseline.

3) Take away their time. A slow, high-arcing ball gives your opponents lots of time to prepare for the return. Why not hit the serve with some speed and challenge them to catch up?

4) Hit with spin. Add some difficulty by using sidespin or topspin on the serve. Doing so will make the ball bounce differently than the usual spin-free shot.

With each of these suggestions I’m encouraging you to “go for more” when hitting your serve. And yes, there is some risk in doing so. Hitting near the sideline increases the chance that the ball will go wide. Aiming for the back of the court or trying to hit the serve fast may mean your ball occasionally sails long. Hitting with spin will likely reduce your control and cause you to miss.

But with these risks comes the possibility of real reward.

A more challenging serve makes it more likely that your opponent will fail to hit the return the way they want. They are more likely to struggle with their first shot which is good news for you. They are more likely to hit the return short. They are less likely to have pinpoint accuracy. They are more likely to hit out of bounds.

Of course, if you are hitting many of your serves out of play, you are probably being too aggressive. And one ought to be selective about when they choose to go for more (serving at 9-10-2 might not be the ideal time to attempt an un-returnable serve). But I don’t see anything inherently wrong with the occasional missed serve so long as it is the result of looking to gain an advantage with the first shot.

There is an old saying that “if you aren’t falling, you aren’t trying hard enough”. Perhaps we could adapt this to “if you never miss your serve, you aren’t going for enough”.


Mark Renneson is a pickleball coach and 5.0/PRO level competitor. He is the founder of Third Shot Sports. He can be reached by email mark@thirdshotsports.com.

 
In Summary, I think these are the take-aways from the article:

  • Conventional wisdom is often “safe,” but may not be the best for a given play.
  • Serving is the only time a player has total control of the situation.
  • Serve to an opponent’s weakness. (You have to find it first)
  • Still serve the ball deep.
  • Change the style of serve using spin, pace, etc.
  • Weigh the risk-rewards ratio for your style of play and decide if you should “go for it” at certain times. (As the article points out, in a close game I tend to play it conservatively most of the time and just get the ball in the service box.)

Click the link to register to receive the Third Shot Sports Pickleball Newsletter

Click the link to see Third Shot Pickleball Past Newsletters.

Click the link to visit the Third Shot Sports Pickleball website.

Thanks to Mark and Third Shot Sports for allowing this to be presented on JBRish.com

Link to the Original Article- http://www.thirdshotsports.com/articles/2016/9/9/pb-myth-18-you-should-never-miss-your-serve
 The comments at the bottom of the article are interesting with people sharing their personal philosophies and ideas.

Pickleball – Square the Body to the Ball

Jeff

pickleball with arrows in all directions

In a previous post (see it here), I related how Sarah Ansboury suggests we can focus on keeping our eye on the ball and that is a good thing. Having our eye on the ball is not the only thing we need to do. What comes next? We need to be ready to return a ball that is headed toward us. In the video below, Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports brings us to the next step in hitting a successful return.

Mark explains how it helps to keep our body square to the ball, i.e. face the direction of the ball that is on the other side of the net. If it comes our way, we will be better prepared for a backhand or a forehand.

Watch the video for a clear demonstration…

 

 

To See Pickleball Videos Covering Many Aspects of the Game Click Here (primarily for beginners and less experienced players)

Check out Additional Pickleball Info and Videos! (for all players including average to more experienced players)

Pickleball – Good Service – The Evolving Serve

Jeff

I have only been playing pickleball for a couple of years. When I began my pickleball experience and the serve was explained to me, the mantra at the time was “Hit the ball high and deep.” The idea was to keep the players on the opposing team back in the court and away from the net as long as possible and hopefully force a more shallow return because they would then be hitting the ball from an area near their baseline.

Instructors would sometimes point out how the serving team is at a disadvantage because they start with both players at the rear or the court while the receiving team generally has one player near the NVZ. Now that younger players and athletes who are coming from other sports are entering the game, there seems to be change in the service philosophy. The serve has been given a new status as perhaps a way to earn the advantage.

After about eight months of play, this is something I figured out on my own and here is my take on the situation…

I have tried to develop three elements to my pickleball serve:

  • Change of pace – I do not to use the same serve all the time. This prevents the receivers from knowing what to expect and any doubt in their mind can cause indecision or a poor selection of a return shot.

    •  

  • Spin – When using spin, the serve will sometimes cause just enough disruption to throw off opponents. A sudden twist here or there will cause the returning player to make a last minute adjustment which may not allow them to execute the shot they have planned. There are ways to disguise the spin somewhat so it is not anticipated too early in the shot.

    •  

  • A Hard, low shot – This serve is a bit of a risk. As Joe Baker points out in his videos, the harder the ball is hit the less accurate it tends to be. My success rate with this serve is better than 85%, but I still use it only selectively. Smart pickleball dictates that a player should pick-and-choose when to use certain shots and with only an 85-90 percent accuracy rate on this one, I don’t take chances in very close games; most of the time

With all this in mind, I use my general moderately fast, moderately high serve, but if I see a receiver moving up in the receivers box, I may change to hit it hard and fast. From time to time, I throw a spin at them just to keep them guessing.

Based on my observation in the games that I have played in club play, this is my biggest lesson:

On the serve, ball placement can trump everything else. If I can get the serve angled to the backhand of most of my opponents, I very often get a weak return. If the receiver is protecting their backhand and I can get it down the center line, I often get a weak return. I am only an average club player, but keeping an opponent off-balance has helped me win more points. I don’t necessarily win on a service ace, but as a result of a weak return and winning with a follow up third or fifth shot!

I am not an expert and I don’t proclaim to be a coach or instructor so don’t take my word for it. There are excellent players who are coaches and/or instructors and they currently seem to be offering similar advice.

You can read Death of the Meaningless Return By Mark Renneson, Third Shot Sports

Pickleball 411: Three Serves and Why You Need Them

And below is a video with Jennifer Lucore, Bob Youngren and Alex Hamner demonstrating a variety of serves.

Keep those paddles up!

Pickleball: 3rd Shot in Singles – Not Usually a Drop

Jeff

Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports brings us an interesting video from the 2015 Pickleball Nationals at Casa Grande He demonstrates how, in the singles category, the third shot is not usually a drop shot as is the preferred shot in doubles play.

There are, of course, those times when the drop shot is used as the third shot, but not often. Another nice thing about this video is that the names of players are given so we can put the faces to the names we read about! Thanks Mark!!!

Read the comments as they have some interesting information as well. Mark explains why he thinks this phenomenon takes place:

“It’s true that the reduced coverage at the net means there are more opportunities for the third shot to be an offensive (rather than neutralizing) shot. This sport — especially the singles version of it — really rewards speed, agility and great hands.”