Pickleball

First US Open Pickleball Championship Ever – April, 2016

Jeff

 

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Picture courtesy of the usopenpickleballchampionship.com

Pickleball history will be made this year as the first US Open Pickleball Championship, modeled after the US Open Tennis Championship, will be held in Naples, Florida starting on April, 26 2016!

The sport of Pickleball will be taking a big step as it anticipates many of the best pickleball players in the world will participate in the US Open which will reportedly include a stadium venue and cash purse of more than $20,000 will be awarded. Also reported by the news-press*, are the following anticipated happenings:

  • 1,000 tournament participants
  • 10,000 spectators over the course of the event
  • An economic impact of approximately a half-million dollars
  • Up to 500 hotel rooms will be rented in association with this tournament

While these numbers may not seem significant compared to other high-stake championships, we must remember that this is just the start. With the popularity of pickleball soaring across the United States and in other countries, it is bound to get bigger and better over the next decade.

To read the entire news-press.com article,Naples to host 2016 US Open Pickleball Championships, click on the link.

Visit the official US Open Pickleball Championship website – click here

For more tournament details click here.

Schedule of tournament events click here.

 

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Picture courtesy of the usopenpickleballchampionship.com

Pickleball: Serving Team – How to Get to the Net

Jeff

After playing pickleball for just a short while, an attentive player will learn that it is better to control the net, i.e. be at the net ready to volley a ball that is hit rather than staying back and volleying from the baseline.

The question then arises: When is the best time for the serving team to head toward the net? It isn’t necessarily wise to run to the net as soon as possible.

Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports, has created a video to demonstrate how to “earn” the net.

You can also see Deb Harrison’s take on this situation by watching this previous JBRish post:

Pickleball: Earn the Net

Pickleball: USAPA Nationals VII Exciting Video

Jeff

Wow, what a powerful video highlighting the excitement and the fun of pickleball;what a sport! One usually doesn’t see this much engagement by players and spectators alike at a sporting event. The video exudes the excitement and pace of the 2015 Pickleball Nationals VII.

  • 32 Pickleball Courts
  • 38 States
  • 3 Provinces
  • 764 Players
  • 2,038 Matches

From the YouTube posting:

Published on Dec 10, 2015

“The USAPA Nationals VII was a powerhouse of pickleball! The action and agility on the courts was amazing. You won’t believe all the cool shots from multiple matches that Pickleball Channel was able to capture! Check out this footage of some of the greatest moments in the tournament including aerial shots and super slow mo. If you were at Nationals this year, you just might see yourself on the court!”

Padel – Pickleball or Racquetball on Steroids

Jeff

Padel is a relatively unknown sport and although I get many blank stares and “huhs?” when I mention pickleball, I find that less people know about padel which is popular in Spain and other countries around the globe. Watch the video below and decide if you would like to try it.

See (below) how some of the best players in the world play the game. Notice how they can go outside the court and hit the ball back into the court to keep it in play!

For more information, contact:

USPA – UNITED STATES PADEL ASSOCIATION
5535 Memorial Drive, Suite F-603. Houston (77007) Texas
Tel. 713-539-3110
info@padelusa.org

So…what do you think?

To Poach or Not To Poach – Rules of Poaching Explained

Jeff

To Poach or Not To Poach: The Etiquette of Crossing the Line
By Mark Renneson**

“Poacher!” That’s what someone – a spectator – yelled during a recent intermediate pickleball game I watched. It was meant not as an observation, but a reprimand of the man who crossed the centre of the court to put away an attempted dink that floated a little too high. With the tone she used, she might as well have yelled, “Ball hog!” It was clear that this spectator viewed poaching as a kind of etiquette infraction, a pickleball sin that was both rude and obnoxious. But is it?

To be clear, poaching refers to crossing over the centre of the court to hit a ball that is otherwise destined for your partner. It means that you must abandon ‘your side’ of the court in order to intercept/steal ‘your partner’s ball’. There are a few reasons one might poach:

  1. your partner is farther back in the court than you and allowing the ball to go to her will result in the ball getting low and being in a less than desirable position. You poaching, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to hit the ball while it is still high and thus in a more enviable position to hit hard. Here is an example.
  2. You think you are a better player than your partner and are more likely to make a good shot. By coming across and taking balls aimed towards your partner, you are ostensibly giving your team a better chance to win by having the better player hit the ball most often. Here is an example.
  3. You like hitting the ball and are willing to leave your side of the court to satisfy your desire.*

So, is it a faux-pas to poach? The answer is, it depends. Like most things, context matters. If you are playing a competitive match where the primary goal is to win, I think you can justify poaching for reasons 1 and 2. In this situation, both teammates should have similar goals and personal ego should be set aside for the good of the team. If a poach is more likely to result in a winning shot then it is a reasonable play. If, however, it is a friendly, recreational match, things get a little murky. For most people, the fun comes from hitting the ball. And since poaching takes away your partner’s opportunity to hit the ball, it takes away some of their fun. You become not just a shot stealer but a fun stealer!

If we think back to the story that started this article we see how important the context is. The woman who yelled “Poacher!” as a reprimand, clearly saw the poach as stealing the fun of one of the players. If that exact same shot had been hit not during a fun pick-up game at the Y but in the gold medal round of a tournament, perhaps she would have yelled something more congratulatory.

So where do we go from here? First, err on the side of caution. Until you learn otherwise, assume that your partner cares more about being part of the game then about winning. Even if you can poach some of their balls, maybe hold off, at least for the start. Second, talk to your partner. Ask them how they want to handle balls over the net that either person can get. See what they say. Finally, encourage your partner to go for balls if they are in a position to put them away – even if they are on ‘your’ side of the court. This can show that you care more about the team doing well than you hitting a certain number of shots.

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*This information is being presented with permission from the author, Mark Renneson. Mark is a 5.0 pickleball player, coach and advocate. He is the founder of Third Shot Sports which provides first-class tennis and pickleball training. He lives in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. You can reach him at mark@thirdshotsports.com


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

Answer: Pickleball – You Make the Call – 20151103

Jeff

QUESTION: A player from team A hits a ball with spin on it and it goes over the net, bounces on team B’s side and then returns to team A’s side of the court without any player from team B contacting it.

  • Is it interference?
  • Is a point scored? (Which team?)

ANSWER: The point would go to Team A. This is specifically covered in rule 12.J.4 In order for Team B to receive the point, someone from team B would have to make contact with the ball BEFORE IT RETURNED TO TEAM A’s side of the net!

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

Pickleball – You Make the Call – 20151103

Jeff

A player from team A hits a ball with spin on it and it goes over the net, bounces on team B’s side and then returns to team A’s side of the court without any player from team B contacting it.

  • Is it interference?
  • Is a point scored? (Which team?)

Let us hear form you in the comments section. The answer will be provided in a follow up post!

Pickleball Picker-Upper – DIY

Jeff

Admittedly I am not the handiest person in the world. I do OK with some things, but anything that is involved, gives me pause. I must say that I think I could make one of the pickleball retrievers presented in this brief Gear Talk Video by Steve Paranto.

I you can’t bend down easily to retrieve pickleballs, especially if you are practicing with a number of them, then perhaps this will help.

Pickleball – You Make the Call – 20151007

Jeff

During a pickleball game, a ball is hit from team A deep into team B’s court. The ball is contacted by a player on team B in an effort to return it and then, after the ball is on its way back across the court, the team B player yells “Out” to indicate that the ball was out of bounds which would then give team B the point.

Can a player call a ball out after contacting it in an effort to return it? Yes/No?

Let us hear form you in the comments section. The answer will be provided next week!

Pickleball Strategy – 10 Tips to Help Win the Point

Jeff

Every sport has two major components. First there are the physical skills, i.e. how to hit a ball, kick a ball, etc. Players need to master the different strokes, kicks or hits necessary to be successful on this level.

The second component is strategy. Beginners are often so focused on the physical aspect that they overlook the mental and strategic guidelines. The video below provides a brief outline of the types of shots and player positions necessary under certain conditions to enable a team to have the best opportunity to win a pickleball game..

I have outlined which skills are presented in which order and what the general time stamps are for each. Move the time-slider to get to any of the skills should you want to skip around or repeat a segment. The last ten minutes or so present a quiz for the viewer to test their understanding of pickleball strategies presented.

If you have some helpful hints, enter them in the comment section below.

Doubles Pickleball Strategy 101-How to Play Smart Pickleball, Ten Tips

00 – 1:10 – Overall Strategy and Goal – Getting your team to the net as quickly as possible.

Tip #1
1:11 – 2:26 – Shot #1: The Serve

Play it safe and do not miss!

Tip #2
2:27 – 3:55 – The Return of Serve

Aim for a specific spot in the left-hand court. The video explains why this is a good strategy!

Tip #3
3:56 – 6:02 – Return the Serve and Charge

The team receiving the serve SHOULD establish control of the net upon hitting the return of serve.

Tip #4
6:03- 8:42 – Partner positions

Play in tandem and not in a “this is my side, that is your side” manner. Another important note is to communicate UNLESS the shot is obvious and even then it may be better to call every shot; “you”, “me”, “no”, etc.

Tip # 5
8:43 – 11:26 – Third Shot Drop Shot

An alternate strategy is also provided for those who cannot make a third shot drop shot.

Tip # 6
11:27 – 12:37 – 4th Shot should keep opponents as deep as possible

Tip # 7
12:38 – 14:06 – Dinking when everyone is at the net

REVIEW

14:07 – 15:47 – Review of the first five shots of a Pickleball game

Tip # 8
15:48 – 16:34 – Net play – When to hit softly and when to hit hard

Tip # 9
16:35 -18:11 – Keep opponents back in the court if you can

Tip # 10
18:12 – 19:34 – Avoid low percentage shots

Down the alley from the back of the court
Lobbing from the back of the court

19:35 – End – PB Quiz with diagrams for viewers to test their knowledge of PB strategy.