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.
When hitting the ball, it is helpful to be well-balanced. This doesn’t necessarily mean standing still (sometimes you have to hit while moving), but you do need to have control over your momentum, or else your ability to send the ball where you want goes way down. Try this: imagine each time you hit the ball, your picture is taken and will be on the cover of a pickleball magazine. Would you be proud of that picture? The answer is more likely to be ‘yes’ if you’ve cared about moving and setting up to the ball well.
2. Fighting for the Impact Point
Where a player makes contact with the ball relative to their body is known as the ‘impact point’. And having a good impact point can be the difference between hitting a great shot or completely blowing it.
Whether we are talking about drops or drives, serves or smashes, a good impact point is out front, between your body and the net. If we let the ball get beside (or worse, behind) us, we will find ourselves in a weak hitting position and with little ability to control our shot. Generally speaking, we also like the ball to be as high as possible. When volleying, a high impact point can allow a player to hit the ball down into the court. When driving a third shot, a higher impact point allows for a flatter trajectory over the net.
Good players fight to get the impact point exactly where they want it.
3. Gaining and Stealing Time: A Strategic Approach
Pickleball is not just about hitting the ball; it's about outsmarting your opponents. A key concept to grasp, especially for beginners, is the idea of gaining and stealing time. This involves strategically placing shots to limit your opponent's reaction time while maximizing your own.
For instance, a deep return to the back of the court will push your opponents away from the net, giving you more time to react to their third shot.
Conversely, hitting a fast third shot drive can take away your opponents’ time to react. So can speeding things up when at the net. High balls should almost always be hit hard, and it is a good idea to smash the ball at the closer opponent since they’ll have less time to prepare than their farther away partner.
Pickleball is a sport that rewards a combination of physical agility, consistent impact points, and thoughtful play. For beginners, mastering the fundamentals of movement, fighting for a good impact point, and understanding the concept of gaining and stealing time can set the stage for success. As you develop these skills, you'll not only enjoy the game more but also find yourself outplaying many of your opponents.
Written by: Mark Renneson