Pickleball: Third Shot – Drop Shot May Not Be The Best Option

February 15, 2018Jeff

*** NOTE *** If you do not know what the third shot drop shot is, watch this video – HERE – before reading further.

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Once we transition from beginning pickleball and head more toward the intermediate or above skill level, the third shot drop shot becomes a goal of many players. This can be a wonderful shot if you can execute it reliably. Even then, however, you shouldn’t use it all of the time.

Phyl Dunmeyer and host of Pickleball 411, Rusty Howes, explain why there are at least three situations during which the third shot drop shot might not be the best choice.

Pickleball: N. Phoenix, Paseo Highlands Revisited

January 30, 2018Jeff

You may recall that on July 11, 2017, I posted a story about new courts being constructed at the Paseo Highlands Park in North Phoenix. I am happy to report that they started construction and because of the relatively mild winter, it seems to me that they are making excellent progress.

I am not an engineer and I know very little about construction so any comments made here are from my unitiated point of view.

As you will note, there is a lot of heavy construction equipment at the construction site.

Heavy equipment at the construction site

There was an opening in the fence so I could get a clear shot of the land that has been cleared and is awaiting some material for underlayment/grading.

This is taken from the same general area looking toward the north.

Looking north toward the community center

(Below) On two of the courts substrata of crushed stone was placed on top of the dirt and it was being leveled. Rebar and levels were being carefully employed.

This is another shot of the preparation on that same set of courts.

Another photo of the preparation of the substrata

I was at the site about 8:20 AM so there were trucks and workers coming and going as the work day was getting into full swing. Half the parking lot was roped off for use by the construction crew.

The following two photos were taken from the rear door of Beuf Community Center. The red arrow marks the area where the new pickleball courts are located so readers can gain a perspective. Upon careful inspection, you can see some of the workers.

Looking from Beuf Community Center south toward the courts

I still think there is a good chance these courts will be ready for play sooner than expected!

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Pickleball Video: Oh, Oh…Move Back!

January 26, 2018Jeff

When I am playing at one of the Community Centers and I watch the games, I notice that most of the time, when a player is at the NVZ (net), they tend to stay there in almost every situation.

There is one school of thought that actually recommends this strategy, but there are times when it might be better to back up to give yourself more time to return a ball coming at you quickly.

Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports has video to explain why…

Pickleball Strategy: 3/4 Court Defence

If you can’t get enough of pickleball and you like to listen to podcasts (web broadcast like radio), Mark also has a Pickleball Problem show. You can download them into an app or listen to them directly from the web page

Pickleball Problems

There are some very good hints and you get to hear what pickleball problems others are having.

Pickleball Video: Volley those Dink Shots

January 18, 2018Jeff

Jordan Briones, host of PrimeTime Pickleball, offers a video to explain why it is important to learn to volley some dink shots. When first learning this technique, it may be hard to determine which shots should be volleyed and which should be bounced, but Jordan addresses that in the video.

Also…pay attention to the technique he describes re: paddle position and grip.

Volley Dink Success

Pickleball: Kitchen Basics & Myths

December 14, 2017Jeff

As a Pickleball Ambassador for the N. Phoenix area and community center instructor, I am often surprised by the following questions:

1. Can you go into the Non Volley Zone (NVZ) or Kitchen before the ball bounces in it?

2. How long can you stay in the NVZ?

3. Can both players on a team be in the NVZ at the same time?

This leads me to wondering: How many people know the correct answers? If you have any doubts about the answers to the questions posed above, the video below might be of interest to you!

Three Myths About Being in the Kitchen | Pickleball 411

Pickleball: Paddle Dos and Don’ts

November 30, 2017Jeff

I haven’t written about pickleball in a while and today I thought I would talk about one aspect that most players probably take for granted. Before I get into the detials however, let me explain something about stagecraft.

When a theater production is prolonged and continues for months, every week or two weeks, the crew, actors, stage managers, director, etc. would conduct a walk through of the play to see if anything has inadvertently been changed. They recite the dialogue and compare it to the written script. They want to ascertain if any words have been altered, if all the the props are in their precise location and if the blocking (marks where actors are to stand) have remained intact. All of these are checked and double checked.

The reason this is important is because over time, simple changes seem to creep in and even though they may not be huge deviations, when added together, they can alter the production.

Now back to pickleball…

How many times have you reviewed how you hold the paddle when you are playing? Is it possible that your grip has gotten a bit off kilter? Is the face of your paddle in the correct orientation when striking the ball?

Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports has an interesting video about keeping the paddle in the proper orientation when hitting the ball.

Sarah Ansboury also shares some thoughts about proper paddle placement/orientation in a recently penned essay. She goes on to explain

“One of the biggest differences between an advanced and intermediate pickleball player is where they hold their paddle…”

And she goes on to offer further details. You can read the entire essay, Pickleball Bulleye: You Have One on Your Chest, at her website.

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Pickleball: Slow It Down

October 27, 2017Jeff

In my last pickleball post, I included a link to an article which explained that there doesn’t necessarily have to be dinking in any given pickleball game. If you missed that essay, you can catch it at this link:

There’s No Dinking in Pickleball

Below is a short video explaining the opposite view, i.e. why you need to use the slow game (which includes dinking).

Top 3 Reasons You Should Slow The Game Down | Pickleball Quick Tip

If you are convinced that this is something you would like to learn, Deb Harrison explains the general technique in the video below. At one point, she was a proponent of what she referred to as the “elephant dink.” She has since revised her thinking and is now a proponent of a slightly different dinking style.

Here is a video explaining her revised, new technique for hitting the dink.

NOTE – One of the key points she makes is to ALWAYS FACE THE BALL. This is good advice for all shots as champion Sarah Ansboury advocates.

If you would like to improve your soft/slow pickleball skills, here are three videos by 5.0 player Jordan Briones to help you practice dinking.

Pickleball Dink Drill | Straight On Dinks

Pickleball Dink Drill | Forehand Dinks

Pickleball Dink Drill | Backhand Dink

I hope you have found these helpful and that you are inspired to try to improve your dinking!

Pickleball: Thoughts about the Soft Game and Drop Shot

October 10, 2017Jeff

I have written about the third shot drop shot and the soft game on JBRish a number of times. This is a wonderful skill to develop to help win pickleball games…but to be consistently good takes lots of practice. I can hit one every once in a while, but that percentage isn’t going to win many games.

Pickleballers who don’t have a great third shot drop shot, or perhaps a poor soft game overall, need not despair. Jennifer Lucore has an interesting take on drop shots and dinking in pickleball.

I would encourage you to read the entire article:

There’s No Dinking in Pickleball

In summary, however, this is what she concludes:

“So, to summarize there is NO RIGHT OR WRONG way to play pickleball when you are talking about dropping the third shot or a powerful, driving ground stroke. (emphasis mine)”

PS – Some of the comments under the article are interesting as well!

Pickleball: Third Shot Drop – Something to Think About

September 21, 2017Jeff

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

Pickleball Video: Dink Disguise for Hard Drive Surprise

September 3, 2017Jeff

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!

JBRish.com – quips & queries

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Pickleball

Pickleball: Third Shot – Drop Shot May Not Be The Best Option

More Pickleball Videos

Pickleball: N. Phoenix, Paseo Highlands Revisited

Watch Pickleball Videos

Pickleball Video: Oh, Oh…Move Back!

More Pickleball Videos

Pickleball Video: Volley those Dink Shots

More Pickleball Videos

Pickleball: Kitchen Basics & Myths

More Pickleball Videos

Pickleball: Paddle Dos and Don’ts

More Pickleball Videos

Pickleball: Slow It Down

More Pickleball Videos

Pickleball: Thoughts about the Soft Game and Drop Shot

More Pickleball Videos

Pickleball: Third Shot Drop – Something to Think About

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Pickleball Video: Dink Disguise for Hard Drive Surprise

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