This is the second in a series of articles where we respond to advice that our followers shared with us.
“Have Patience and Composure”
I think this is probably great advice both on and off the Pickleball court. Question is, how do you do it?
To answer this question, perhaps we should look at the opposite situation: being impatient. Being without composure. How does that happen?
We recently invited our social media followers to share the best pickleball advice that they’ve been given – and wow did they respond! This is the first in the series of articles where we will post that advice and I’ll respond in turn. Let’s get to it!
“Practice more than you play & always watch the ball.”
Alright. I think this counts as two pieces of advice, but we will tackle them together. First, “practice more than you play”. I guess my question would be why? What assumptions are built into this suggestion? Is the assumption that players want to improve?
When I teach pickleball clinics or offer private lessons, one of the big questions that comes up has to do with grips. Not just how should a player hold the paddle, but should they change their grip during play?
The short answer is: it depends.
First, like with any element of technique, we should ask ourselves why the grip matters. What are we trying to get it to do for us? I see three important elements worth considering:
I just took a friend to play pickleball for the first time at a drop-in gym session at a YMCA in a small town in the winter in Canada. My friend had no racquet sports background but was eager to have fun and learn to play. I called the community centre earlier in the morning to ask about times for PB. They told me there was no pickleball today but there was open gym time which meant it was to be used however people wanted. I asked what the chances were that we could put out a pickleball net in part of the gym to play. The person on the phone assured me that it would be fine – the gym was a large space.
Effective communication is the backbone of successful pickleball instruction. As a pickleball instructor, your ability to convey information clearly, concisely and with a tactical connection can make an important difference in the learning experience for your students. Let’s talk about three key aspects of effective communication that can help you be more effective when talking with your players.
Why does the followthrough matter? If you’re like most people, your answer to this question is incorrect.
There’s a very good chance that you believe the followthrough helps send the ball where you intend it to go. Whether you’re hitting a serve or a return, a drive or a lob, you may think that you should follow through toward your target so that the ball goes in that direction. But does it really work that way? No, it does not.
Imagine for a moment that you are going on a vacation to a tropical paradise. You buy your tickets, pack your bags, and arrange for transportation to the airport. After going through security and getting on the plane, you realize, about 30 minutes into the flight, that you left your oven on. You have a problem, and it's too late to rectify it.
Welcome to the fast-paced world of pickleball, where finesse meets ferocity and agility is your best friend. As a professional coach, I've seen countless players improve their game through physical training and a better understanding of tactics and technique. But what truly separates champions from contenders is the art of the mind. Let's delve into some of the psychological skills that pickleball players need to perform at their best.
Playing great pickleball requires mastering a ton of specific skills. But playing good pickleball – especially as a beginner just getting started – is a much more approachable possibility. Let’s look at three key skills for new players.
1. Movement: Setting Up for Success
One of the fundamental aspects of pickleball is effective movement around the court – after all, you can have the most beautiful swing in the world, but if you can’t get to the ball, you can’t use it!
Understanding how to position yourself optimally to hit the ball can make a substantial difference in your game. Being agile and responsive to the shot your opponent sends is the fundamental skill of pickleball. A light, athletic look is a great starting point. Combine this with the expectation that you’ll have to run – or at least move – and you’re off to a great start.
Pickleball is growing in North America, yes. But I love seeing the sport grow globally. That’s why I was so excited when I was invited to travel to Shenzhen, China, to spend a week working with some of that country’s up-and-coming pickleball coaches.
I learned a lot from working with those instructors. Here I want to share three things that stood out as differences between coaches in North America and the coaches I worked with in China.
We just got back from nationals and wanted to share three observations from the pro-level play. It's part of an exciting journey, and we're looking forward to diving deeper into our experiences.
Let it rip, baby! This is a trend we have commented on over the last few years, and it continues in full force. Elite players are looking to speed things up by default, and only slowing things down when absolutely necessary. If you’re going to play with the big kids, you better expect some heat!
If recreational pickleball is your thing, there’s a good chance you play about equal amounts from the left and right sides of the court. If you’re serving from the right and you win the rally, you simply slide over to the left and play the point from that side. The score dictates where you play. Simple.
But if you play competitive pickleball, this kind of thinking means you’re missing opportunities to be better than you are. Nearly everyone plays better on one side or the other. Or should I say, nearly everyone is stronger on one side or the other. In this article, I want to address how to figure out which side of the court you should play on.
Welcome to Part 1 of our series exploring why tennis players are so annoyingly good at pickleball. We delve into the skills that give them the edge and often leave us shaking our heads. Let's unravel the secrets behind their seamless transition and dominance on the pickleball court.
We don’t need to tell you that pickleball is still exploding! Go to your local community center or public courts – especially when it’s not ridiculously hot out – and you will see the flood of people knocking that plastic ball back and forth over the net.
Whether you're a seasoned coach or a novice instructor, one thing remains constant: the importance of making pickleball lessons fun. While technical skill development and understanding strategy are essential, injecting an element of fun into the learning process can be the difference between average lessons and great ones. Let’s talk about why it is crucial that pickleball lessons prioritize fun.
When people attend pickleball clinics, they want to improve their game. They desire a better serve and a more effective return. They aim to master their drop shot once and for all. They aspire to learn how to use and handle spin, and they want to finally grasp how to stack while keeping track of the score. They want to IMPROVE!
But they also want to make friends. At the very minimum, it would be nice to develop some new social connections. This desire should not be overlooked by a coach.
A common complaint we hear on the pickleball courts has to do with when people consistently hit hard. The Bangers, as they are often known, look to gain an advantage through speed and often draw the ire of other players who claim they "aren't playing properly" or "have no strategy." In this short article, we're going to give you some practical tips so instead of getting mad or being overpowered, you can find yourself hanging with the banging.
As we've discussed in previous articles, people participate in pickleball lessons for a wide range of reasons: they want to have fun and get some exercise; they want to build a community of friends that they get to know on and off the court; they want to have fun, be active, and spend most of their time participating, not standing around. But they also want to improve. They want to get better. And this is a key responsibility of any instructor.
So, how do we track improvement? It's not good enough to just assume our players are getting better because they're putting in hours on the court. We need some way to measure changes in performance.
Pickleball is a game and games should be fun. But what if pickleball was more than that? And I’m not talking about those people — including yours truly — for whom pickleball is a means to earn a living. I’m talking about regular players for whom pickleball literally changed their life — maybe even saved it.
Several years ago, I was running pickleball clinics on the east coast of Canada. I was reading a short newspaper clipping posted on a message board at the club. It was about the growth of pickleball in the region and some of the key people that were contributing to the community. Seemingly out of nowhere, a woman, let’s call her Jean, walked up to me and said “That’s a really good article. It’s amazing what has happened here. Actually, pickleball saved my life.”.
Whether you're a novice or an intermediate player, these easy-to-implement strategies will provide you with immediate improvements on the court. If you're eager to take your pickleball skills to the next level without a steep learning curve, then you've come to the right place. We'll delve into key aspects such as shot selection, handling high balls, return of serve, positioning, and utilizing easy angles during serves. Get ready to pick the low hanging fruit and witness a noticeable boost in your Pickleball performance. Let's dive in and discover these simple yet highly effective tips that you can apply right away.
