Context-Based Coaching

Have you ever taken a lesson (in pickleball or anything else), felt really good about your progress and then failed miserably when trying to apply your new skills in a game? This can be a frustrating and even demoralizing situation and very often it stems from a simple coaching mistake: the failure to contextualize the skills being learned.

How do you hit a good volley? That's a reasonable question that a pickleball or tennis player might ask. But before answering the question, the coach should ask one of her own: which volley are we talking about? Are we discussing volleying when the ball is driven hard right at you (e.g. when playing bangers)? Or are we talking about playing a volley when the ball is slow and high? What if it is a volley off an opponent's third shot drop or dink and is now below net level?

Each of these situations -- or contexts -- require very different technique. And unless we identify the context we're imagining, how can we work on building the skill in a meaningful way?

At Third Shot Sports we make sure that our students are always crystal clear on the situation we are training. It is vital that they know exactly when in a game they might encounter one shot versus another. A good habit for coaches to develop is to introduce a skill by saying "Here's the situation..." and then proceed to outline when the skill they are about to work on might be useful.

When coaches fail to do this, when they merely say "today we will learn...", they disconnect the skill being learned from the game being played. By doing so, they make it much harder for the student to identify the moment in a game when the skill could be used. This failure to perform the newly acquired skill in a game situation is not the fault of the student; it is a mistake on the part of the coach.  

So if you're a coach, try to contextualize your students' learning. And if you're the student, feel free to ask the question "So exactly when in a game would I use this shot?". 

Mark Renneson is the founder of Third Shot Sports. He has been coaching tennis for over 20 years and now travels around North America coaching pickleball. 

Crosscourt Is Key

Good decision-making is vital to effective pickleball play. Ask a top player why they hit the ball to one spot versus another and they will never say "I don't know, I just hit it". They choose their locations deliberately and with purpose.

When playing dinks and third shot drops, you will often see top players hit crosscourt (e.g. diagonally) for a very important reason -- they have a big target. When you hit a shot down the line (i.e. parallel to the sidelines), there are only 7ft between the net and the opponents' kitchen line. But when you hit crosscourt (i.e. diagonally from one side of the court to another), you have way more room. The distance from the middle of the net to the far corner of the kitchen (where the kitchen line meets the sideline) is a whopping 15.7ft. That means, you have a target that is more than 100% longer when you hit crosscourt!

Of course, if you hit the shot on too extreme and angle you risk the possibility of a very tough around-the-post shot from your opponents. But a moderate crosscourt will prevent this and is great way to play soft shots more consistently so your opponents can't swat them out of the air.

Death of the Meaningless Return

It’s official: the return of serve has now become a key shot in pickleball. While some old-school coaches and players may still refer to it as the shot you have to play before the “real” game starts, watch any advanced players and you’ll quickly discover that this just simply isn’t so. Increasingly, the return of serve is used to gain an advantage against the serving team and to give the returners better opportunities at the net. Here are a few ways in which they do it:

• Return Deep. Pinning your opponent behind the baseline does a few things to make your life at the net easier. First, it means that they have the ball to you from a longer distance. Since the baseline to the net is 22 feet and you’re (presumably) seven feet beyond that at your own kitchen line, that means they have to hit 29 feet -- at least! -- to get the ball back to you. That gives you a lot of time to get ready for their shot. Conversely, if you return short and let them move inside the baseline to hit the ball, you’ll have less time to get prepared.

• Aim for a Weakness. Don’t just hit anywhere but aim for a spot that will annoy your opponents. This could mean hitting to a particular person (see this video about picking on the weaker opponent) or it could be just aiming for a backhand. Is there more risk? Of course. But there is also great reward to be had.

• Use Spin. Whether it is topspin, sidespin or backspin, hitting your return with spin can cause your opponent to play a less-than-ideal shot. It gives them one more thing to worry about as you approach the net for the volley.

• Take Away Time. Whether it is because you are hitting the ball hard or hitting on the rise, give your opponents less time to prepare for the third shot. This will put them under pressure and can cause them to make bad decisions. Just make sure you give yourself sufficient time to get to the kitchen!

Of course, whenever you attempt to make a higher quality shot you risk a drop in consistency. But with a little deliberate practice and some patience, you can turn your return of serve into a shot that sets you up to win more points rather than being a meaningless shot that lets your opponents off easy.

Have something to say about this? Send an e-mail to mark@thirdshotsports.com and let us know what you think!

Are Your Drills Duds?

As a pickleball coach it is exciting to see more people taking seriously the idea of practicing. The explosion of instructional videos on YouTube (including those from yours truly) seems to suggest that people are eager to not just play pickleball, but to play it better. This is a good thing for the growth of the game and pickleball’s shift toward mainstream sport.

I am often curious to see how people choose to organize their practice sessions — whether it is a loose 30 minutes before open play or the more structured clinics arranged by coaches. How is it set up? What do they work on? What drills do they do? This article proposes a few things to think about when planning how you practice.

Are the drills effective? Good practice sessions are focussed practice sessions. They should identify a particular situation or skill and seek to work on it repeatedly.

If, for example, you’re choosing to work on your overhead smash, you should not be spending much time at the back of the court. You shouldn’t be hitting many serves or returns since that’s not your focus. Here’s a helpful question to ask yourself: “out of the last 20 balls I hit, how many were the exact shot I’m supposed to be working on?”.  If the answer is less than 10, your drill is not very effective. You’re spending more than half your time not working on the thing you’re supposed to be improving! Time to change the drill.

Do you have the right degree of challenge? Practice sessions are meant to help you improve but if the drill is too easy — or too hard — that won’t happen. The sweet spot for challenge is typically between 60% and 70% success. Any less and the drill is too tough and you’re failing as often as you’re succeeding. Any more, it is too easy and not pushing you to be better. So, how can you adjust the degree of difficulty?  

Change the target — Whether you are using cones, markers, lines or some other way to define a space, make it bigger to make the drill easier, smaller to make it tougher.

Change the feed — The ball you receive influences the shot you send. Make the feed slower and more manageable if you need to make the drill less challenging. Make it harder to receive if you need to increase the degree of difficulty.

Add movement — Hitting while standing still is easier than having to chase a ball to hit it. So if you need to make the drill a little easier, do it without requiring much movement. As your success increases, set it up so you have to chase the ball before you hit it.
 

Introduce consequences -- Real games penalize you for missing and once you’ve developed a skill, your drills should too! Adjust the rules of your drill so that there are consequences for missing (e.g. lose two points if you hit in the net; push-ups for unforced errors, etc.). Train yourself to play under pressure.

Are the drills realistic? One of the most important aspects of a good drill — and the  most difficult to maintain — is to make the drill realistic. The point of practicing is to help you play the game of pickeball better so it is important that your drills mimic game-like situations as much as possible.

Let’s say you are working on dinking. Dinks are smart shots when you are at the kitchen and the ball is below net level but they are dumb shots when the ball is sitting up high above the net. The smart play in this case is something else — a powerful drive. If in your effort to practice dinking you dink back even the high balls (the ones you would normally hit hard in a game) you’re now practicing making a bad decision. You’re training yourself to do the wrong thing! It would make more sense if each time a ball was hit too high, you simply caught it and reset the dinking drill.

Making a drill realistic is one of the most difficult things to do. Here’s a checklist of things to look at in order to assess whether your drills passes the realism test:

• what game-like situation am I trying to simulate?

• am I standing in the right place for this situation?

• is my partner standing in a realistic spot?

• does the shot I’m hitting make sense? Would I do this in a game?

Designing great drills and practice sessions is harder than it looks. There will be many false starts and times you say to yourself, “I don’t think this is working”. That’s fine. As your experience in drilling increases you’ll start to build a library of your favourite drills for working on different situations. The key is to try to plan ahead and be willing to change it up if your drill isn’t working.

A final tip is to become really good at copying other people. If someone introduces a drill to you that seems really effective, remember it (write it down) and use it again later. All the best coaches I know are excellent drill thieves!

Mark Renneson is a pickleball coach and 5.0 player. He lives in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada and is the founder of Third Shot Sports. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this article or anything else pickleball related, he can be reached at mark@thirdshotsports.com

Ask A Coach: Pickleball Practice

I love playing pickleball games but I could really use some focussed work on my volleys and smashes. How do I get other people to practice pickleball and do drills, not only play games?  F. Cable, Sarasota, Florida

As the game of pickleball evolves and enthusiasm builds, many people want to get better. Whether it is so they can move up their club's ladder or prepare for an upcoming tournament, many people are looking to solidify current skills and gain new ones.
 

But some people aren't. 

For some, playing pickleball is purely a social pastime; like going out for lunch with a friend. For this group, getting better at pickleball is about as high a priority as "getting better at eating". Their pleasure comes from playing the game and being with others, not from seeing their abilities improve. And while it's nice to play well, their performance doesn't have a big impact on their overall well-being.

You are unlikely to find much enthusiasm for your practice sessions with this group of players. What you need is someone who shares your motivations. You need to find someone who is not only willing to work on their weaknesses, but keen to do so. You need someone about the same level as you both in terms of skill and fitness. You need a training partner!

My suggestion is that you talk with the people around you. Perhaps there are others who would like to train before they play. Maybe there is a Facebook group for pickleball in your area and you can post something to the effect of: “Hi. I’m a 3.0 player who wants to get better. I like playing games but I’m keen to practice and do some drills. Anyone out there interested?” and see what happens.

Another option is to find a coach you think you can trust. Whether it is privately or in a group, they might run training sessions that meet your needs. Be sure to tell them about what you are looking for so that everyone is on the same page. And of course, you can always have me come for a visit!

Have a question for a coach? Email mark@thirdshotsports.com!

Is It Wrong to Hit a 2-Handed Backhand (Part 1)?

Recently I published a YouTube video that I made while at a tournament in Arizona. I focussed on the technique that someone was using when hitting her backhand. It was unusual since she hit her backhand with two hands rather than the more customary single hand. In the video I noted how she prepared her body, where she made contact with the ball and what she did after she hit it. You can see the whole video for yourself, here.

While I often get comments (sometimes negative) on the videos I publish, the first one posted for this video didn’t mince words: “Sad to see the ex tennis players making videos about pickleball, you will not see one Men's 5.0 player using this shot, it is not a good choice for Pickleball”.  

Ok. I appreciate brevity so I was happy that gotmilk at least got straight to the point. He (she?) is correct in noting that this is not a common shot with the 5.0 men, but does that mean it is “a bad choice”? Another commenter named toadsprocket wrote: “Tennis has many things usable in Pickleball, the 2 handed backhand is certainly not one of them”. Not useable? But this player was using it! That was the point of the video! And not only was she using it, she did so to pretty good effect (did I mention that the player is Christine McGrath and that she is a multiple-time national champion?).  

A third viewer, named  dinkster, jumped in and wrote “these are ex tennis players that have not put the time into their new found [sic] sport, they will lose the 2 hand just give them some time. I would not teach this at my clinics”. So there!

Everyone seemed to be in agreement that the two-handed backhand has no place in pickleball. But why not? What is “wrong” with hitting with two hands?

While it is undeniable that most players hit one-handed backhands and that it is not necessary (for most people) to use both arms to swing a lightweight paddle, that is not an argument that the two-handed backhand should be avoided. Arguments use reasons to support a claim.

Most people don’t spend their time writing pickleball articles but I do. Am I doing something wrong? Or just something different? Only gotmilk provided something approaching a reason for his/her position: “very slow especially at the net” but there was no further explanation added. It wasn’t clear what gotmilk thought was slow: the preparation? The speed McGrath generates when she hits the ball? Something else?   

This leads to the bigger question: what counts as good technique? A question that we will try to answer next time. UPDATE: PART 2 IS AVAILABLE HERE.

Is It Wrong to Hit a 2-Handed Backhand? (Part 2)

Note: This is a follow up to Part 1 which is available here.

While there are many rules in pickleball, there is only one involving technique (e.g. the serve must be made in an upward motion with contact below the waist and the paddle not above the wrist). There are no rules about how you have to hit your volley or your smash, your dink or your return. And there are certainly no rules about how many hands you can use to hit your backhand.

Since pickleball is not a judged sport like gymnastics or diving, players don’t win because they look a particular way. They win based on their performance. It makes sense, then, that assessing someone’s technique must involve the question: can they do what they want with the ball? In terms of McGrath’s backhand, I’d say she’s doing a pretty good job (only she will know for sure how much the outcomes match her intentions). She can hit with power and finesse, she can hit different directions and heights and she can vary the spin and speed she uses. All with two hands!

A second consideration when evaluating technique has to do with potential for growth; can it get even better than it already is? Assuming she wants to improve as a player, could the technique she’s using now be a foundation for future development or is it at its limit? Two handed players sometimes struggle to take speed off the ball -- there is sometimes a problem with sufficient sensitivity when the second hand gets involved. I’m not saying this is the case with McGrath but it would be worth investigating. How well can she hit a drop volley with it? What about a slice backhand? The women’s game is evolving in such a way that well-rounded players will have to have all these shots at their disposal. If her technique somehow prevents her from doing these things (or others), then it is worth considering alternatives.

Finally, good technique is safe. If you satisfy the first two criteria (effectiveness and potential for growth) but do so in a way that puts you at greater risk of an injury, it is not good technique. Good technique is well coordinated and efficient which should not put extra stress on the body. I see nothing about her backhand technique that suggests she’s in the danger zone.

To summarize, dogmatic positions about the need to play particular way are antithetical to the nature of the game. Pickleball is a fast-paced sport that involves frequent adjustment and improvisation. Because of its performance-based nature, players can and should use the technique they believe will help them perform. And as the technology evolves and more players enter the sport, innovation is inevitable. While some might wish for the days when pickleball was slower, less intense and more predictable, I’m excited to see what changes are in store.

What do you think? Send an email to mark@thirdshotsports.com.

How to Choose a Pickleball Paddle

Depending on how often you play, a pickleball paddle can be a very personal purchase. If you are a daily pickler you may spend more time with your paddle than some of your close friends. So when looking to buy a new paddle, it is important to make a good choice. Here’s a guide to help you…

Know Your Game. Pickleball paddles come in all shapes and sizes and have very different characteristics. Some are designed for power while others for feel. Some are made to create as much spin as possible while others are meant to be super quick and maneuverable.

In order to choose the right one for you, it is important to be clear on how you play. Is your game based around power or are you more of a soft game player? How important to you is spin? Are you a new player who would benefit from maximum surface area or an advanced player who consistently hits the centre and wants something more nimble? Not everyone needs the same thing from a paddle so make a list outlining your game -- or ask a friend to give you their thoughts on how you play -- and take it with you when you look to buy.

Be Willing to Grow. Don’t expect your new paddle to feel like your old one. It won’t. And that shouldn’t count as a strike against it. Be patient in getting to know your new paddle and enjoy learning about its subtleties and discovering its strengths. Since this process will take a little bit of time, don’t get yourself a new paddle just before a big tournament or important match. Give yourself and your paddle some time to get acquainted in low pressure situations.

Aim for Substance and Style. While it is important that your paddle feels great it’s also important that it looks good too -- at least to you. Whether it’s the overall design or the graphics, you’ll want to get a paddle that you are proud to play with. Manufacturers are making increasingly original graphics and there are designs to fit everyone’s tastes. And if you can’t find one you like, some companies like Pro Lite will even let you design your own graphics!

What's with Weight? People can be very particular with the weight of their paddle. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that lighter is always better.

While a lighter paddle is easy to maneuver, it is also less stable on off-centre hits. Heavier paddles can feel more solid in your hand and can give you confidence that if you don’t hit the ball perfectly, you can still make a decent shot. Heavier paddles also help you generate more speed than light ones but they take more effort to swing. Be open to trying out paddles of all weights -- you just might surprise yourself!

If it Feels Good, Do It! People can tell you all they want about how great a paddle is but what matters most is that it feels good to you. So whether you try one of your friends’ paddles or borrow a demo, let your intuition guide you. Don’t overdo it on the equipment reviews or be too swayed by what the pros are playing with. If you find one that feels good and meets your needs, consider giving it a go. Who knows, it might be the start of a beautiful relationship!

Mark Renneson is the founder of Third Shot Sports and is a 5.0 competitor. He is currently using a customized Engage Pickleball Paddle similar to the Encore Pro. He can be reached at mark@thirdshotsports.com

Don't Fear the Lob

When I introduce the concept of coming to the net as a team, the immediate reaction is almost always: "But what if they lob us?". People are often fearful of the ball being hit over their head and, as a result, they often stay back from the kitchen. But here's the thing... it's actually poor strategy to guard against the lob by hanging back. Here's why:

1) The lob is actually low risk. The next time you're waiting your turn to play, watch another game. Count how many times a lob is hit as a winning shot (i.e. the lob is hit so well that the receiving team cannot touch it). What you are likely to notice is that this number is very low. In many cases, a team will lob the ball out of bounds. In others, they will hit the lob short giving the receiving team a chance to smash the ball. Unreturnable lobs are rare in pickleball.   

2) You're giving up your main advantage. The strength of being at the net is your ability to hit the ball when it's above net level. This means you can hit down on the ball which means you can hit it hard. By hanging back from the kitchen line you make it easier for your opponents to hit the ball at your feet. This is exactly what they want!

So next time you're playing get right up to the kitchen line and look for a high ball. And if you happen to lose the occasional point because of a great lob, don't worry about it. Compared to the number of points you have the chance to with by being up close, it is probably worth the sacrifice.

 

To Poach or Not to Poach: The Etiquette of Crossing the Line

“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 YMCA 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.

Mark Renneson is a pickleball coach, founder of Third Shot Sports and 5.0 competitor. He can be reached at mark@thirdshotsports.com