Pickleball Success

Prior to the beginning of a match, one pickleball team is given the opportunity to choose to serve first in the first game OR to choose which side of the court they wish to occupy to start the game.  Which do you choose?  Is there one choice better than the other?  Several factors should be considered before making that choice.  Does your team have a server who is dominant - who has a serve difficult to return?  Is the sun and/or wind a factor?  Does one side of the court have more clearance behind the endline than the other?  Is the background behind the court more distracting on one side of the court than the other?  All of these factors, as well as perhaps others, should be considered.  Most important is that you want your team to gain the immediate advantage over your opponents.  Winning the first game of a match is always a morale booster!

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Skill in stroking the ball is not the only requirement for being successful in the game of pickleball.  The thinking player has a definite advantage!  Some things to think about:

1.  Utilize your strengths against your opponent’s weaknesses.  For instance: play to the weaker player in doubles; play to the backhand rather than the forehand; if an opponent is slow or has difficullty in moving, place your shots such that he HAS to move; etc.

2.  Anticipate!  Where you hit the ball governs the options that your opponent has for the return of the ball.  After your shot, look at the player hitting the ball rather than watching and/or admiring your shot!  What is that player’s body position?  Where is he on the court?  What are his shot possibilities?

3.  Keep your opponent moving!  Effective combinations of shots will keep your opponent off balance.  When you’re successful in moving your opponent out of position, don’t get so excited about the huge open court area for your return that you goof up!

4.  Change the pace!  Vary the speed and placement of your shots - deep, short, right, left, lob, drop shot.

5.  Remember - more points are “lost” on errors than “won” on placement.  Let your opponents make the errors.  Focus on consistency and accuracy of each shot.

6.  Don’t change a winning game!  If things are working well for you and you’re satisfied with your game, don’t change it!  If, on the other hand, you’re not playing well and losing, ask yourself what needs to be changed and try to do that in the next game.

Tags: pickleball strategy

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What am I talking about?! Regardless of the stroke being used in pickleball, the position of the paddle in relationship to the ground and the net is crucial in determining where the ball is going to go. Assuming that you are hitting a straight shot and not putting spin on the ball, the ball will always come off of the face of the paddle at a right angle to the paddle face. When the head of the paddle is perpendicular to the ground, it is said to be a “square face” and the ball will come off of the paddle parallel to the ground. If the head of the paddle is angled down, the paddle is “closed” and the ball will travel downward from the paddle face to the ground. If the head of the paddle is angled up, the paddle is “open” and the ball will travel in an upward direction. Knowing this is important to the player who is attempting to correct his own errors. For example: if he is consistently hitting a ground stroke into the net, he needs to pay attention to the position of his paddle at the moment of contact with the ball. It’s highly likely that his paddle is in a “closed” position rather than “square”.

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If your intent is to play in USAPA age-group tournaments, then the first factor to consider  when choosing a doubles partner is age.  You and your partner should be in the same age group unless one of you is willing to “play down” to the partner’s age group.  Another factor to consider, and perhaps the most important, is compatibility.  Are you compatibile on the court?  Do you communicate well with each other?  Are you both “on the same page” in terms of competitiveness?  Do your strengths compensate for your partner’s weaknesses and vice versa?  The bottom line is: do you blend well on the court and do you ENJOY playing together?!

Tags: compatible partners, playing doubles

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Anyone who has learned a new sport knows how frustrating it can be to try to remember a lot of things at the same time. How do I hold the paddle? Where should I stand? Where should I aim? Should I use a backswing when volleying? Etc. Etc. Etc. Instead of cluttering your brain with a multitude of things, try working on only ONE goal at a time. Tomorrow when you play, concentrate on seeing the ball actually contact the paddle. Which part of the face of the paddle is being contacted? Does a pickleball flatten at all when making contact? Think of only that one objective during the entire time that you are playing. The next day of play, work on another objective - but only ONE. It might be to be sure to use a backswing and a followthrough when hitting ground strokes. You will discover, after several days of playing, that your game has improved!

Tags: goal setting in pickleball

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Because the majority of pickleball courts that currently exist are located in senior communities, the sport up to now has been enjoyed primarily by players 50 years of age and older.   That is not to say that it can’t be enjoyed by players of any age!  As more public courts are made available and as more schools include pickleball in its curriculum, the sport will be one of the most popular in this country!

Tags: pickleball courts

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Common Error: Not making solid contact with the ball (cont’d from first article posted) 

Cause: 2.   When hitting a ground stroke, not using a backswing and/or follow-through.   Correction:  As you see the ball coming towards you, take your paddle back into a ready position.  Don’t wait until the last minute.  After contacting the ball, follow through with your hitting arm in the direction of the intended flight of the ball.  Concentrate on doing this on every hit from the end line.

Cause:  #3.  Not getting into the proper position on the court in relationship to the ball when hitting ground strokes.  The distance that you are from the ball should allow you to swing freely at the ball with your arm in a partially extended position.  As your arm is swinging forward, your body weight should shift from the rear foot to your forward foot.  Shifting your weight into the hit allows you to apply more force to the hit.

Correction:  If you feel cramped when contacting the ball, overexagerrate on the next hit and make yourself stand so far away from the ball that you think there’s no chance of contacting it.  Chances are that you will then be in the perfect position!  If you are so far away from the ball that you contact it close to the edge of the paddle, overexaggerate on the next hit and make yourself move into what you perceive as being too close.  If you’re then able to make a solid contact of the ball, you then know that that’s the best position for you to assume when contacting the ball with a ground stroke.  Practicing can be done with someone “soft-tossing” the ball to you.  That person should stand between you and the net but off to the hitting side and toss the ball to you with an underhand motion.

Tags: pickleball errors, solid contact of ball

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Our hard book, “Drilling for Success in Pickleball”, will be available to ship on Wednesday, April 30th.  The synopsis of the book can be read on our home page as well as the bios of the authors.    If you wish to order a book, send $15 + $5 for shipping and handling to:  Pickleball Enterprises, 200 E. Southern Avenue, #201, Apache Junction, AZ 85219.  The downloadable version of the book is also now available via the “Book” link.  The cost for that version is $12. We welcome your comments on both our blog site and our book.  Thanks for your support of this project.

Tags: pickleball book, pickleball drills

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We all know how frustrating it is to commit an error in any game and then not know what caused it to happen.  “What am I doing wrong?” is commonly heard by players in all sports.   If those players can then answer the question, it is obviously an advantage!  This is the first of several articles geared towards making it possible for pickleball players to correct their own errors.

A common error:  Not making solid contact with the ball.

Causes:  1.  Not “keeping your eye on the ball”.  This is a phrase that is overused in all sports that involve hitting an object, whether it is moving or stationary, with an implement.

Correction:  See the ball not only contact the face of the paddle, but also see the ball leaving the paddle.  Aids that can be used to practice this are to mark numbers on the balls or colored rings around the balls.  The player hitting the ball calls out the number or the color of the ring around the ball.

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How exciting it is to see men and women, no matter their age or physical limitation, playing the game of pickleball!  A spectator at the Huntsman World Senior Games has the opportunity to see folks of all ages - 50 yrs. of age up to 90 - playing both singles and doubles.  There are players who have had both knees replaced and others with hip replacements, and  players who should have knee and hip replacements,  playing their hearts out and competing as if they were 20 years old again.   Some are “feeling like an athlete again” and others are “feeling like an athlete” for the first time in their lives.  Pickleball is truly a sport for anyone!

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