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Spiritual Notes

Waiting by the Phone by Tom Ehrich, September 12, 2012

People are waiting to see if they can pay their bills and keep food on the table. They wait to be told whether they have value, and they wonder if they ever had value. If their work can be taken away so easily, was any of it ever real?

The anxiety of waiting corrodes the human spirit. The shame that keeps us from sharing our pain with others corrodes human community.

When Jesus warned his disciples that he would suffer, be rejected and die — and so, by extension, would they — he was talking about exactly this dynamic. When people have power over us, they will abuse that power. The powerful and privileged will always make sense of their own lives by denying safety and basics to others. Call it addiction, call it human depravity, the evil of power-abuse is always with us.

The answer to power-abuse isn’t the “human thing” of seizing power and changing places with the oppressor. A society at war over power will destroy everyone in it.

The”divine thing” is to relinquish power, to move beyond control and money-generated security. The divine thing is to break through the fog of suffering by trusting in God, doing God’s work, letting God make sense of our lives.

 

Spiritual Notes

Jesus and the rich young man

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chinese depiction of Jesus and the rich young man, Beijing, 1879.

Jesus and the rich young man (also called Jesus and the rich young ruler) is an episode in the life of Jesus in the New Testament that deals with eternal life[1][2] and the World to Come.[3] It appears in the Gospel of Matthew 19:16–30, theGospel of Mark 10:17–31 and the Gospel of Luke 18:18–30. It relates to the Evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience.

In the Gospel of Matthew, a rich young man asks Jesus what actions bring eternal life. First Jesus advises the man to obey the commandments. When the man responds that he already observes them, Jesus adds:

If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.[4]

The Gospel of Luke has a similar episode and states that:

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”[5]

The disciples then ask Jesus who then can be saved, and Jesus replies: “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

This parable relates the term eternal life to entry into the Kingdom of God.[6] The parable starts by a question to Jesus about “eternal life” and Jesus then refers to entry into the “Kingdom of God” in the same context.[6][7]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Matthew for Everyone: Chapters 16-28 by Tom Wright 2004 ISBN 0-664-22787-2 page 47
  2. ^ The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament: Volume 1 by Warren W. Wiersbe 2003 ISBN 1-56476-030-8 page 251
  3. ^ Mark 10:30
  4. ^ Bible gateway
  5. ^ Bible gateway
  6. ^ a b Matthew by David L. Turner 2008 ISBN 0-8010-2684-9 page 473
  7. ^ The Westminster theological wordbook of the Bible by Donald E. Gowan 2003 ISBN 0-664-22394-X pages 296–298
Spiritual Notes, Spirituality

Anne Montgomery

From Fr John Dear: (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/08/31-2)

Where is God for you in this journey and work for peace?

I couldn’t do this work without faith in God. Two quotations are dear to me: First, from Isaiah 2: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and study war no more.” The other is from Ezekiel: “Hearts of stone have to turn into hearts of flesh.” I’ve come to believe through prayer and bible study about God’s presence in the heart of the earth. People need to change their hearts before they can change anything else. God is love, but unless we can love each other, we can’t know God. We can learn about ourselves and our own hearts of stone as we reach out in love toward others. Even though things don’t change right away, and we’re not immediately effective, it does happen. It just takes time. Change has to come from ordinary, vulnerable people at the bottom, because the power structure is not going to do it.

Just before he died, Phil Berrigan wrote in his last public letter on the need to “embrace our powerlessness.” As we do, we become agents for the power of God to work among us. So we have to deny the self, take up the cross and follow. I recall too how St. Paul wrote about the Spirit groaning within the earth. That spirit gives us power and prays through us. That means a lot to me right now. Even when I feel I can’t pray, all I have to do is be aware of the Spirit and try to let it lead me.

What are you learning these days as you face cancer?

I’m learning more about powerlessness. I’m learning to let go, to be detached. I’ve been upheld by our elderly sisters who pray for me and support me, and that power of prayer is very real to me. I feel it. So I’m learning again that God does the work, not us.

What advice do you have for those who care about peace, justice, nonviolence and disarmament?

I remember Liz McAlister saying once, “Whatever issue you work on is connected to all the other issues.” That means, we have to go deep into the heart of our issue. Also, people should try to join or form a community for this work of justice and peace. We want the world to become a community, and it’s hard, so we have to try to do that ourselves. And we want to form a community conscience that can take a stand on these critical issues. We need other people to help us. With others, we can reflect together on how to resist, and take action that comes from a place of prayer and faith and depth.

What gives you hope?

Pickleball

More Pickleballcoach.com forums

HOW TO GET TO THE NET AFTER SERVING

The serving team is at a disadvantage because the returning team will be at the net before the return of serve is touched by the serving team.
The serving team must get to the net as fast and as safe as possible to level the playing field.

The third hit is very important – 1.The serve 2. The return of serve 3.The serving team’s second hit.

There are three methods to get to the net.

1.Blast the ball as low and hard as you can over the net. This is counter productive because it does not give you enough time to get all the way to the NO VOLLEY ZONE line and it is a low percentage shot against a good volleying team.
2. Lob down the middle over the left players backhand which is not an easy shot.
3. Dink the ball into the no volley zone. This slow soft shot will give you and your partner plenty of time to get to the net. It is not an easy shot.

Practicing and mastering this strategy will quickly bring your game to the next level. Find a partner to feed you balls and you try to hit the ball into the NO VOLLEY ZONE at different distances from the net and then you feed your partner balls. What ever method you decide to use communicate this to your partner first so he will know when to move to the line.

If you do not get all the way up to the no volley zone line before your opponent is about to hit the ball, you must stop in a spit step position [both feet parallel to each other in your volley ready position].

Never ever be moving at the point of contact of your opponent touching the ball.
It is better to stop in no man’s land balanced and ready to move in any direction than a little closer to the net and not balanced or ready.
The third hit is very important for you to get to the next level.

Good luck.

– Coach Mo
to read all the Monthly Pickleball Tips!

 this tip of the month!

HOW TO PLAY THE WIND IN PICKLEBALL

1. While standing in line before playing check the wind by looking for a flag, weather vane at the top of a recreation center, or best of all the wind screen vent holes.

2. Pick the side of the court that is more advantages to your type of game.

3. Hit three or four lobs before starting to play so you can tell the direction and speed of the wind. This will save losing points getting the feel of the wind after the game starts.


4. Try and convince yourself that the wind is bothering your opponents more than you.

TYPES OF WIND

1. Steady wind straight into your face about 5 to 10 miles per hour.

A. Excellent wind to lob into because the ball tends to go over your opponents head and drop straight down into the court, especially if you put top spin on the ball. Beginners and intermediate, I feel, play better because they tend to over hit the ball and this type of wind will keep the ball in play better.

2. Steady wind at your back about 10 to 20 miles per hour.

A. The best for all levels of play, especially advanced hard hitters. The combination of a very fast wind and a hard hitter does not give a player time to get out of the way of the ball or read whether the ball is going out. A 10 to 20 mile an hour wind in your face tends to set up the ball for your opponent, which makes it easier to smash.

3. A gusty and swirling wind. You must constantly be conscious of the changes in speed and swirling of the wind and be very lucky. You are at the mercy of the wind.

4. A steady cross wind , left or right. You must keep the ball, as much as possible, to the side of the court that the wind is blowing toward the court, not away from the court. The ball will not blow out of bounds.           

THE WIND IS A PERSONAL THING. THERE ARE PLUSES AND MINUSES TO ALL TYPES OF WIND. THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG.THESE ARE SOME GENERAL STRATEGIES.

WHEN TWO TEAMS ARE OF EQUAL ABILITY, THEN THE TEAM THAT PLAYS THE WIND THE BEST, WILL WIN MUCH MORE OFTEN!

– Coach Mo

to read all the Monthly Pickleball Tips!

THE THINGS PLAYERS FORGET TO DO BEFORE THEY START PLAYING A GAME OF PICKLEBALL

1.Analyze the wind speed and direction.      A. Hit 4 or 5 lobs during the warm up, rather than getting the feel of the wind during the game and losing points.

      B. Keep checking the wind throughout the game for changes. Watch the vent flaps on the fence wind screens.

2.Check the opposing team for left hander players, so you don’t keep feeding their forehand by mistake.

      A. If a team has one left hander then watch for the times that both backhands are toward the center of court and put the lion’s share of your shots down the middle.

3.Drink a lot of water before you feel thirsty. It takes too long to get into your system if you wait until you feel thirsty.

4.A team is only as strong as its weakest players weakest shot. Before you start, be aware of who is the weaker player and both of your opponents major weaknesses.

      A. If you have never seen your opponents before, then start making a mental book on them. Chances are very good they are weak on balls low to the backhand.

5.Always warm up from the spots on the court that you should be hitting the most balls from during the game.

      A. Hit mostly from a foot outside the baseline or one inch outside the NVZ line. Practice all your strokes before you start.

A TEAM WHO PREPARES PROPERLY BEFORE A MATCH WILL USUALLY BEAT A TEAM OF EQUAL ABILITY.

– Coach Mo

Pickleball Early Preparation

EARLY PREPARATION is the most important part of the game. It is the most common mistake, because players do not realize they are not prepared early enough. Players in their quest to get to the NVZ line tend to be running out of control at the point of contact of the ball on their opponents paddle. Players sacrifice early preparation for a better position on the court which is very poor technique because if you are moving at point of contact of the ball on your opponents paddle then you are not able to hit a low ball, go back for a lob, or move right or left as quick.

The proper technique is to split step [feet are parallel to each other and shoulder width apart. Similar to the old game of hop scotch] and hesitate for a split second in the proper ready position at the point of contact of your opponent touching the ball. Watch the face of your opponents paddle to be able to read if you will be hitting a forehand or backhand shot and be prepared to cross step to the ball (click here for Pickleball Footwork video).Using the slit step allows you to have a little forward motion and be in control to move quickly in either direction.

If you use this technique every single time your opponent touches the ball it will make you a quicker and more consistent player.

– Coach Mo

A GOOD VOLLEYER USES GOOD BOWLING TECHNIQUEA bowler first PAUSES to aim the ball at his target— steps toward his target— and follows through toward his target.

A good volleyer PAUSES to aim the face of his paddle at his target— steps toward this target (if possible)— and follows through toward his target.

Whenever possible PAUSE to aim (set the proper angle and direction of the face of your paddle) step and finish toward your target. Do not rush or guess… AIM!

 

 

 

Pickleball

AZ Pickleball Fun

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…..The areas on strategy, instruction, and drills are intended to give you some ideas on how to practice and to get you to think about different strategies that might be employed against different types of opponents.

…..An item appearing on the 2nd menu line, for example ‘dinking’, might appear when ‘Instruction’, ‘Strategy’, or ‘Drills’ is clicked on the top menu line. In each case, ‘dinking’ would refer to a different topic. (Dinking Instruction, Dinking Strategy, Dinking Drills).

…..If you have found an error on this site, or would just like to leave me a comment, click here and fill out the form.
Pickleball

Pickleball Playing Tips by Bill Booth

Playing Tips by Bill Booth

Shot Selection.

  • If you don’t have a chance at a strong offensive shot, the chances are good that your best choice is a drop shot or a dink. See the tips for the Drop Shot and the Dink.
  • If one or both of your opponents is in the backcourt, keep them there by hitting deep shots with pace. Keep that player on defense. Don’t bring them to the net with a drop shot or dink unless you are sure that they can not get to the ball.
  • Many players overuse the lob. When used at the wrong time, it lets the opponents take the offense and puts you on the defense. When overused, the element of surprise is gone. There are many times when players use the lob when it would be much more effective to use a drop shot. See Using the Lob.
  • Avoid the temptation to try to do too much with a ball that is too far below the level of the net. A hard drive hit from well below the net will be on a trajectory to go out of bounds (if hit clears the net). If your opponent is anticipating that drive, he will just step aside and watch it sail out of bounds. The exception to this is when you have enough skill to come over the top of the ball with enough top spin to keep the ball in bounds.
  • Increase your percentages on the return of serve by using a soft floating return to the back court. See Returning the Serve.
  • Shots hit cross court at a sharp angle can be highly effective, but they are also subject to a high error rate. If angle shots are not working well for you, direct most of your shots down the middle. Your error rate will decrease significantly. It is amazing how often those down-the-middle shots cause confusion in your opponents. Quite often, both players will attempt to play the shot or it will be untouched by both players.
  • Sometimes the best shot selection is no shot at all. See Anticipate the Out Ball for tips on collecting those free points.

Pre-Planned Poaching.   Pre-planned poaching is usually done with a regular playing partner with whom you have had a chance to practice the technique. It may also be done in a pickup game by spending a few moments before the game to coordinate signals. Such impromptu signals usually work only with seasoned players that already understand the strategy.

A planned poach is usually executed by the receiving team after the return of serve. The receiver should try to return the serve deep and preferably cross court. Because of the two-bounce rule, the serving team must stay back near the baseline to play the return of serve. The serving-team player would then most likely return a cross court shot deep to the receiver. By planned agreement, the up player (closest to the net) on the receiving side would then cross over to the other side to cut that shot off and attempt a winner. The player in back would move to the other side. It is important for both players to not telegraph the poach. Wait for the hitter to commit to the shot. The normal strategy for the receiver in a non-poach situation is for the receiver to quickly follow his shot to establish position at the line. During a planned poach, the receiver may want to hang back to entice his opponent to try to hit a shot to him in the backcourt.

The planned poach is different than the opportunistic poach in that it is a full commitment to play the other side. There is no turning back. The poacher does not need to worry about a down-the-line shot on his original side of the court and does not need to worry about a lob over his head. He is counting on his partner to cover those shots.

Players on the receiving team plan the poach with verbal signals or hand signals. Generally-accepted hand signals are for the up player to hold a hand behind the back with an open hand or closed hand. An open hand signals a poach, a closed hand indicates that the player will stay. Flashing open and closed signals a fake. The receiver should always acknowledge the signal so that there is no confusion. Verbal signals are usually given when both players meet momentarily at the center line with their backs to the opponents. It is important to always present the same look to your opponents. If you only hold your hand behind your back or meet at the center line when you are planning a poach, your opponents will quickly pick up on that.

The fake is a motion or step toward the other side of the court. The timing is different because you want to give your opponent time to change the shot and make a mistake. The fake is nothing more than a positioning and re-positioning of the body on the court. It should not be accompanied by actions such as stamping of the feet, waving the arms, yelling or talking to your opponent. Such actions would be considered unsportsmanlike and subject to a technical foul during a tournament.

If the signal is for a “fake” or “stay”, it is still possible to execute an opportunistic poach as described in the next playing tip. The difference is the depth of the commitment and an understanding of which side of the court for which each player is responsible.

Opportunistic Poaching.   Poaching is the skill of moving on to your partner’s side of the court to pick off a shot for a winner. It is generally done when you partner is still well in back of the no-volley line for some reason. When your opponent is at the baseline and sees you up at the no-volley line and your partner in the backcourt, your opponent will usually return to the person that is in the backcourt. That is the ideal time that you should poach, especially if your opponent’s shot is a little higher and slower than a drive shot. It may not only result in an immediate winner but will keep your opponent guessing the next time. If you let high, slow shots pass just a few feet from you just because they are on your partner’s side of the court, then you are doing your opponents a huge favor by letting them get comfortable in making easy shots to the backcourt.

Poaching is most effective when it is a surprise. If your opponent anticipates the poach, he may just hit behind you as you are moving across. Be unpredictable. Don’t tip your hand too soon. Time your move to the moment that your opponent is committed to the shot. That is usually a time very close to when the paddle contacts the ball. Poaching is a bold move that involves some risk, so don’t overdo it.

If you play with a regular partner, you can have a plan for when to switch sides and when to return to your own side. If you play with a variety of partners, it is good to have some general rules of thumb about when to switch. If the poacher only moves a step or so into his partner’s side, then it is generally safe to assume that he will move back to his own side. A further encroachment to his partner’s side would usually require a switch. To avoid confusion, the partner in back would say “switch” when it seemed desirable to switch. If possible, say “switch” immediately, before your partner has started to move back. Remember that the poacher can not see you when you are in back of him. If you switch without telling your partner, then you have created the possibility of both players trying to cover the same side of the court.

The Drop Shot.   The drop shot is a soft shot from the baseline or mid-court area that is returned just far enough to clear the net but not far enough to give your opponent a chance at an offensive volley. It is similar to the dink because you want it to drop well within the no-volley zone to force your opponent to take it on the bounce or to reach for a weak volley. The purpose of the drop shot is to give you and your partner an opportunity to move to the no-volley line. It should only be used when both of your opponents are at the line and you don’t have an opportunity for a strong offensive shot. If one of your opponents is deep, keep him in the back court by hitting a shot to the back court.

The drop shot is one of the most difficult shots to master because the ball has to be hit with just the right amount of touch to travel the required distance. But once mastered, it will be one of the most effective weapons in your arsenal. It is important to remember that a drop shot is an approach shot. In other words, it gives you and your partner an opportunity to approach the no-volley line. If you make an effective drop shot without following it to the line, then you have wasted an opportunity. However, before following the ball to the line, make sure that you have not hit the ball hard enough to give your opponent a slam. Hang back just momentarily until you are sure that the ball is not a setup. Then move to the line quickly when you see that the ball is on the right trajectory to be an effective drop shot.

Returning the Lob.   The best defense against an offensive lob is anticipation. It is nearly impossible to lob over your head if you are anticipating the lob and react quickly to the lob attempt. When your partner is involved in a dink exchange at the no-volley line, you should be guarding against the lob. If your partner is pulled to the net by a short dink, your opponent may be tempted to do a quick lob. That tactic will not work very well if you call your partner off the shot and cover the lob for him.

When playing the lob, the most important thing for power and accuracy is to get into position quickly. Take a few quick steps back to get under or slightly behind the ball. Then step into the ball with a full swing. That is where you get the power and control. Avoid the common mistake of drifting backward while reaching backward. It is difficult to get power or control while doing that. If you find yourself doing that often, concentrate on moving your feet quickly before reaching for the ball.

Always try to play the lob in the air if possible. When you let the ball bounce, you have lost the opportunity to hit the overhead smash. And you have given your opponents time to move up to the line because they know that you will not be hitting an overhead. There are times when you have to let a lob bounce such as when you lose it in the sun, or don’t have time to get under it, or think that it may bounce out of bounds. Other than those times, keep the offensive advantage by hitting the overhead smash.

Using the Lob.   The Offensive Lob. A lob is most effective when the other team is not expecting it. The ideal time to use an offensive lob is when both of the opponents are at the no-volley line anticipating a drive shot or a dink. Placement and timing of the lob are critical. Since it is only 15 feet from the no-volley line to the baseline, there is not a lot of margin for error. If it is too short, you have set your opponent up for an overhead smash; if it is too long, you lose the point. Timing is critical because it is the element of surprise that makes it work. Even a well-placed lob becomes less effective if your opponent has anticipated it. He just takes a couple of quick steps back and executes the overhead. If you attempt to lob too often, then you have lost the element of surprise. To maintain the element of surprise, it helps to conceal your intent. Try to use the same backstroke and foot position as normal. It is just that last-second flick of the wrist and follow through that turn a dink into an offensive lob.

The Defensive Lob. The defensive lob is used to buy time to move back into position. If one partner is pulled wide or deep to retrieve a shot, a lob will give that player time to get back into position. Ideally, that lob should be deep in the opponent’s backcourt so that their overhead shot is more difficult and so they can not hit the smash at an extreme angle. When you and your partner are lobbing from the back court, you are playing defense and looking for an opportunity to assume the offense. That opportunity can come from a weak overhead that allows you to use an approach shot such as a drive or drop shot. That opportunity can also come when your opponent lets a lob bounce. As soon as you see that your opponent is going to let the ball bounce, immediately move to the no-volley line. Don’t wait for the ball to bounce; move quickly when the bounce is anticipated. At that point, you have assumed the offense and put your opponent on the defense.

Move in sync with your partner.   Imagine an invisible link that keeps you and your partner no more than about 10 ft. apart. When your partner moves to retrieve the ball, that link is like a powerful magnetic force that pulls you with him. If your partner is pulled to the sideline to play the ball, you are pulled with him to cover the middle. If that link is broken, you leave a big gap up the middle. It is very common to see players protecting their side of the court instead of moving with the ball and their partner.

In the same way that the link pulls you laterally, it should also pull you forward and back. When your partner moves up to the no-volley line, that link is pulling you along to establish a position of strength. When your partner is forced to the back court to retrieve a ball, it is much more likely that he will hit a return that can be slammed back at you. So the link should be pulling you back with him, at least part of the way, until you see what type of return that your partner is making. That link has some flexibility, but should never break completely.

Watch for those broken links on the other side of the net. That creates an opening for you to hit a winner.

Return of Serve.   Very often, the best return of serve is a soft floating return that keeps your opponent in the back court. You will be taking advantage of the 2-bounce rule that prohibits the serving team from volleying the return of serve. The soft floater gives you and your partner plenty of time to establish your positions at the no-volley line. When you control the no-volley line, you have assumed the offense and put the serving team on defense. The other advantage of using this type of return is that it is one of the easiest returns to make and greatly cuts down on errors.

There are times when a hard driving return is appropriate. It can be especially effective if one of your opponents has a tendency to move up too quickly after the serve. If he has moved up too quickly, the hard drive forces him to backpedal quickly and forces an off-balance shot. But, keep in mind that your chances for error increase with that type of return. An attempt at a drive return means that it is much more likely that you will hit the net or hit the ball long. The other risk of the drive return is that it may be returned to you before you have had time to establish your position at the line.

Use the hard drive return every now and then for a change of pace and to keep your opponent off balance. But, most of the time, it would be wise to play the winning percentages and return a deep soft floater.

Court Position for Doubles.   The strongest position in doubles is when both players are at the no-volley line. Try to position yourself so that your feet are just a foot or two behind the line. Give yourself just enough room to pivot and step into the ball as you hit it. You want to volley (hit before the bounce) as many balls as you can. That is where you get the most power and advantage over your opponent. You can only do that when you are at the line.

Many beginning and intermediate players say that they are more comfortable when playing midway between the no-volley line and the baseline. They insist that it gives them more time to see and react to the ball. That is true, but it also gives your opponent more time to react to your shot. And if your opponent is at the line and you are playing back, it gives him a much wider range of shots and angles to play. Most of the time, he will just hit it hard at your feet. Even the very best players have difficulty making an effective return of a hard shot at the feet. That is why that zone midway between the no-volley line and the baseline is called “no man’s land”. You don’t want to be there if it is possible to get to the line.

If you are playing against a player that likes to stay back while his partner is up, always return the ball to the player that is staying back. You will be on the offense while your opponent is on the defense.

Is it OUT or IN?   The ball can only touch the court at one point. As you can see in the first photo below, the center of the ball is touching the red. So, even though part of the profile of the ball is over the top of the line, the ball is out. The second photo shows a ball that is good because the center is touching the white line. Reference: section 6C of the official USAPA rules.
photo of OUT ballphoto of IN ballNote that this rule is different than the rule for tennis. A tennis ball can flatten out when it hits, so if any part of the tennis ball touches the line, it is called good.

Remember, all lines are good during the rally and the serve except for the no-volley line during the serve. A served ball that touches the no-volley line is a fault and results in loss of serve.

Help Your Partner With Line Calls.   When your partner is trying to make a difficult shot, it is often hard for that player to concentrate on the line and the shot at the same time. Your partner is counting on you to make the out call if necessary. It is very common to see players looking straight ahead while their partner is playing the ball. You should always watch the ball so that you can help your partner with the call. Otherwise, you may be giving away points if your partner is unable to make the call.

If your partner calls the ball out and you see that it is clearly in, then you should declare the ball to be good. When you disagree with your partner about a line call, the benefit of the doubt always goes to the other side. Never play the point over.

Anticipation.   Pickleball is a very quick game requiring fast reflexes for those quick exchanges at the no-volley line. The best players give themselves an edge of just a fraction of a second by anticipating the shot. If you wait for your eyes to pick up the flight of the ball after it is struck, it may be too late. It is important to take note of the visual clues that will tell you where the ball is most likely to go. Observe the speed and angle of the paddle as the ball is struck so that you can begin to react and shift your weight before the ball is actually hit. Also take note of the position of the feet for another visual clue of the general direction in which your opponent is aiming. You don’t need to look directly at the feet. You can usually see the feet in your peripheral vision as you keep your eyes on the paddle and ball.

Watching the paddle will also help you anticipate any spin that is being placed on the ball. If the paddle is moving from high to low, then the ball will likely have backspin. That is especially true if it is hit with an open face (paddle tilted slightly upward). If the paddle is moving from low to high across the top of the ball with a closed face, it will have top spin. If the paddle is swept horizontally across the body, it will probably have some side spin.

Anticipate the Out Ball.   The previous tip was about anticipating the shot for those quick exchanges at the no-volley line. As you are anticipating the speed and trajectory of the ball in order to get in position to hit it, it just as important to anticipate that the ball will go out so that you can get out of way. Watch how often the best players get free points by simply stepping aside or ducking to watch the ball sail out of bounds.

You can also anticipate human nature. If your opponent has blasted the ball at you as hard as he can hit it and you return it, it is likely that he will try to hit it even harder the next time. Anticipate that and be prepared to step aside and collect that free point as you watch the ball go beyond the baseline.

If you don’t anticipate the out ball, then you will probably be hitting many balls that would have gone out.

Master the Dink.   The dink is one of the most effective shots in pickleball. The main purpose of the dink is to keep your opponents from gaining or keeping an offensive advantage. The dink is a soft shot that is hit just hard enough to clear the net, but not so hard as to allow your opponent to aggressively volley the ball (volley means to hit the ball before it bounces).

If you don’t have a chance at a strong offensive shot, then chances are good that the best shot selection is the dink. That is especially true if both of your opponents are at the net (at the no-volley line, which is the strongest position in pickleball). If one of your opponents is back at the baseline, don’t use a dink in that situation unless you are pretty sure that he won’t be able to get to the ball. A dink in that situation will just bring your opponent up to the net, which is where he wants to be. If he is at the baseline, keep him on the defense with a deep shot hit with pace.

The keys to effective dink play are patience and precision. It takes patience to keep dinking and to resist the urge to try to create an offensive shot when none is available. Move your opponents around with a variety of shot placements including a cross-court shot at an angle. You want to maneuver the opponents enough to where they make the first mistake, either by hitting the net or hitting it high enough to give you an offensive shot. It takes precision on your part to not make that first mistake. That takes practice to hit the ball with just the right amount of touch. Practice the dink while you are warming up.

Master the dink. It is likely that your opponent has not.

Helping to Keep the Score Straight.   Many times when there is confusion about the score, the score is off by one. If you knew whether the score should be odd or even, that would help you to know the correct score. There is a way to always know whether a team’s score should be odd or even.

At the start of each game, make a mental note of the player that served first for each side. If the rotation is done correctly, a team’s score will always be even when that player is on the right and odd when that player is on the left. As you call the score, use the player position as a double check on whether you have the correct score. If every player would use this technique, it would put an end to those long discussions about whether a team’s score should be 3 or 4.

As an aid to help everyone to keep the score straight, call the score before every serve, including the server number. It helps to call the score well before the serve to give everyone a chance to make a correction. It is very distracting to call the score while you are in your serving motion, especially if the score is wrong.

Pickleball

Coach Mo’s Pickleball Strategy

Pickleball Strategy Guide

 

by Coach “Mo”

Compliments of PickleballCoach.com

 

Here is what Coach “Mo” says are 10 ways to guarantee that you will LOSE more

Pickleball games than you WIN.

 

1. FREQUENTLY miss your serve.
2. FREQUENTLY miss your return of serve.
3. HELP your opponents by keeping their OUT balls in play.
4. When your opponent hits a very difficult FAST shot at you, try and hit a low percentage sharp angled shot for a winner rather than a DEFENSIVE shot.
5. Take away your PARTNER’S easy forehand shots, with your weaker backhand shots.
6. Get upset with your Excellent Pickleball partner who has SUCCESSFULLY jumped in front of you to win the point!
7. Do NOT keep the ball at your opponents feet as much as possible.
8. Do NOT play up to the No Volley Zone line.
9. Hit the ball TOO FAST for good placement, and do NOT give yourself enough leeway for error.
10. Take TOO MANY sharp angle shots rather than high percentage shots down the middle of the court that bounces between your opponents.

 

Pickleball Strategies

Grip

Use the continental grip. The point of the “V” between your thumb and index finger should be placed on top of the handle of the paddle when the face of the paddle is perpendicular to the ground.

The easiest grip to use is the Continental Grip (See “Volley Tips”). This grip is halfway between the Eastern Forehand Grip and the Eastern Backhand Grip. A player never has to change his grip on the paddle. The volley, serving, overhead and ground strokes are all the same using the Continental Grip.

Most Pickle Ball players only keep one hand on the paddle when making their shots. A player can have much greater control hitting the ball if he uses two hands to steady the paddle before hitting the ball.

If you have a wet grip problem on hot, humid days, wear a wrist band and buy some tennis over grips for your paddle handle. Gamma Pro Wrap over grips are about $1.00 each, shipping included. Check back pages of tennis magazines for telephone numbers of suppliers.

 

Ready Position

Get back to the ready position (See “Volley Tips”) quickly after every ground stroke and especially volleys with your paddle way out in front of your body.

A common mistake made while moving forward to net is not having your paddle in proper ready position. Many players have their paddles at their knees or below the net, not up and out in front of the body.

At the point when the ball contacts your opponents’ paddle, you should be in your ready position: elbows and paddle out in front of your body, feet at shoulder width apart, side by side on your toes, not your heals, ready to move left or right. Never be moving at the point of contact of your opponent’s paddle on the ball. No matter where you are on the court, stop and get into your ready position. Never sacrifice being ready, for positioning on the court. If you are not prepared early and properly to hit a ball, it doesn’t matter where you are on court. You probably won’t hit the ball properly.

Return of Serve

 

Never try for a pure winner. Do not make an unforced error. Make your target spot five feet from the baseline and eight inches to left of center. This will keep the ball closer to the backhand of the player whose backhand is toward the middle of the court. The ball will travel over the low part of the net and give you a lot of leeway. Hit the ball slow to give you plenty of time to set up at the no volley zone line.

Change spin occasionally (top or under spin). It will cause some opponents to make mistakes at times.

Once in a great while, when ahead, hit fast return of serve for a change up when you feel your opponents will least expect it.

Place the return down the middle, slightly closer to the back hand player. Both opponents may think the other will take the shot.

Wait for the serve 12″ or more behind the baseline so that the ball will bounce in front of you, not at your feet for a difficult shot. If your opponent has a very fast and deep serve, you may have to wait about 3 feet behind baseline.

Have a mental note in your mind of players who do hit soft, short serves. Watch the face of the server’s paddle and be ready to sprint in and split your feet for the short return.

If one opponent is weaker than the other, hit the return to weakest opponent’s backhand until you get ahead a few points.

When the better of your two opponents least expects it, hit a shot to him deep to his backhand. The element of surprise can help.

When your serve is returned, try to place a soft shot in the no volley zone. Do not try to overpower your opponent with a very fast passing shot, unless you are an advanced player and you feel you can win more than 80% of points in this manner. Both opponents are already at net, and it would be a very low percentage shot. A low soft shot is important because it gives you time to get to the net and not be on the defensive. More points are won when returning serve because the first team that gets to the net usually wins the point. If you can win 8 out of 10 points with any other strategy, go for it.

Never Miss Your Serve because you are hitting too hard, an especially important part of the game. Your opponents only need a pulse to win the point if you miss the serve. Give them a chance to lose. Also, your partner will lose confidence in you if you keep missing your serve.

After serving, step back one step behind the baseline. There are two reasons for this. (1) The ball must land in front of you not at your feet. (2) It will be easier to see if your opponents return is going to be out. If your opponent has the ability to hit a drop shot, be prepared to quickly run forward.

When serving the ball, give yourself leeway, aim for center of serving box 5 feet from baseline. Serve fast only if you never miss your serve.

Volley

When volleying, keep elbow out in front of your hip with paddle head above wrist for better ball control. Never drop the head of the paddle on low shots. You must keep skin wrinkles on your wrist at point of contact.

Try and keep your head and eyes behind ball at ball height when hitting a volley.

Bend your knees on all low shots. Your back knee should almost be touching the ground. Stay down all the way through your shot and keep your head down and eyes looking at ball contact point long after ball has been hit.

Do not swing at your volleys unless you are an advanced player and feel you can make 80% of your swinging volleys. Punch them unless your opponent hits a very fast volley or overhead at close range at you. Then just set the height and angle of your paddle and block the shot low to your opponent’s feet. Beginner Pickleball players have a tendency to swing at their volleys and punch the ground strokes which should be just the opposite. There is not enough time to swing at most volleys and you lose your consistency when you swing and not punch the shot by extending your arm from the elbow.

When you punch your ground strokes, you lose power and control. Stroke your ground strokes for better placement and power.

When you are waiting for the ball, you should be in the “ready position.” Your elbows should be out in front of your body, your feet should be shoulder width apart, and you should be on your toes. The head of your paddle should be higher than your wrist. You should see wrinkles on your wrist. Never drop the head of your paddle and let those wrinkles disappear. The angle of the face of the paddle should be slightly open (1 o’clock to 7 o’clock).

When you strike the ball, you should point your front shoulder in the direction you want the ball to go and open or close the face of the paddle to set the angle of the paddle. Keep a firm wrist and extend your arm from only the elbow joint, using a jab motion. Setting the angle of the paddle and the jab motion are two completely separate motions. First aim the paddle early. Then jab from the elbow joint.

Keep the butt of the paddle level to the ground all the way through the jab. (Adjust only the angle of the face of the paddle).

Always make contact with the ball as far out in front of your body as you possibly can for more power and more control of placement.

At the exact point of contact with the ball make a sound to yourself. This will help prevent you from making one of the biggest mistakes made while playing Pickleball, not watching the ball hit the paddle.

After the point of contact, keep your eyes focused on the contact point during your follow through.

Return to the ready position quickly after each volley.

The harder you hit your volley the faster you must return to the ready position.

Never let the face of the paddle of your paddle drop below your wrist on low volleys. Bend your knees so that your back knee is almost touching the ground. Your fist or the butt of the paddle must almost touch the ground. Keep your head and body down all the way through the follow through. Stay down; don’t come up too soon.

If you don’t have time to step to the ball, at least turn your upper body and point your front shoulder in the direction you want the ball to go. If you don’t have time to turn your shoulders, then from the ready position keep a stationary wrist with paddle parallel to the net and block the fast shot over the net.

Keep your volley low to your opponent’s feet or bounce the ball on the court exactly beside him.

Hitting your right handed opponent’s right hip pocket is not as good as hitting his feet or hitting exactly beside him, but it is very effective.

After each volley move forward one step toward the no volley zone. Get as close to NVZ line as possible.

On the back hand volley keep your knuckles lined up with the paddle face in the direction you want the ball to go and keep the handle slightly ahead of the paddle.

You must use an aggressive jab when volleying a ball with a heavy spin.

The difference between an overhead and a volley the height at which the ball is when you make contact with it. If the ball is below the highest point at which you can reach it with the center of your paddle, you should use a volley shot. If it is above that point, you should hit an overhead shot. On too low a shot you will not be able to fully extend your arm and will probably put the ball in the net.

When at the net, turn toward your opponent before he hits the ball. When the ball travels straight toward your paddle it is easier to hit the ball.

 

Drop Volley

If your opponent is moving away from the net near the baseline or your opponent never comes to the net, these are the times to try drop volleys if you have a good drop volley.

Most drop volleys are placed near the post on the side of the court from which your opponent had just retreated to the baseline to return your team’s lob shot. If you feel his partner has been anticipating your drop volley, don’t place your drop volley by the post, place it half way back from the net and baseline so that the net person must run away from the net to play the ball. It is much more difficult to hit a shot when moving quickly away from net than towards the net. Many times the player who just ran way back for the lob will recover and get in the way of his partner trying to help him out

Use a drop volley if your opponent stays at the baseline.

At the point of contact on a touch shot squeeze your pinky middle finger and ring finger. This will help you keep a firm wrist.

Lob

Defensive & Offensive

When making a lob, lob over your opponent’s backhand side.

If you hit a very high short lob from up close to net and you are exceptionally fast on your feet, then the percentages play is to drop back to the baseline and play your opponent’s overhead. If you are not able to quickly retreat to the baseline, then hold your position at the net with your paddle in the ready position and on your toes. If the ball is hit at your feet while you are backpedaling and only halfway to the baseline, it is almost impossible to return. Do not leave your position at the net unless you are 100% confident that you can retreat to the baseline with enough time to prepare for your opponent’s overhead.

If the ball is lobbed over your head at the net, your partner should yell “I got it” and run behind you. At the same time, you should switch sides of the court. If you feel you can make an excellent overhead, call off your partner early.

If a ball is hit straight over your head and your partner isn’t running back to help you, then run back parallel to the ball so when you get to the ball, you can hit a deep forehand lob. Do not turn 180 degrees and run straight back after the ball, because you will not be in a good position to hit the ball when you get to it.

Hit a few high lobs before game to evaluate direction of wind and speed. During every second of an important game, keep the wind direction in mind. It will give you points. Steady your game by playing the wind to your advantage. Beginner and intermediate players would hit less out balls if they hit into the wind. Advanced players are better qualified to play the wind. It can help you and hurt you.

If the wind is 20mph, it is best to have it at your back.

Overhead

Never hit an overhead shot unless the ball is high enough. You should hit the ball at the highest point you can reach on the center of your paddle or you must take a volley shot.

When hitting an overhead point, point your shoulder and your finger of your left hand up at ball until just before you contact ball. Keep your head up until ball is long gone. Pronate your wrist and paddle just before you contact ball for a more disguised and powerful overhead. Hit at opponents’ feet wherever they are standing.

The difference between an overhead and a volley the height at which the ball is when you make contact with it. If the ball is below the highest point at which you can reach it with the center of your paddle, you should use a volley shot. If it is above that point, you should hit an overhead shot. On too low a shot you will not be able to fully extend your arm and will probably put the ball in the net.

When the wind is at your back, your timing can be thrown off and the ball contact is too far out in front of your body causing the ball to be short and into the net the way to help this problem is to aim your overheads just inside the baseline.

Keep in mind while hitting the overhead:

  • Use your palm to block the sun.
  • Keep your paddle face flat for power.
  • Point your finger at the ball. If your finger moves forward, step forward and vice-versa.
  • Do not back pedal. For safety, turn sideways and side step back to the ball.
  • Run back parallel to the flight of the ball; if the ball is hit straight over your head.
  • On a high deep lob, sidestep back past your anticipated contact point and step forward to make your overhead. Your weight will be moving toward the net at the point of contact so you will have a more steady and powerful shot.

Footwork

 

Never step into the non volley zone with both feet. If a ball should bounce close to the net in the NVZ, keep one foot planted outside the NVZ line and lunge forward like a sword fighter. Tip the ball over the net into your opponents’ NVZ and quickly recover with both feet outside your NVZ line. If a player steps into the NVZ with both feet, it will take twice a long to get back out. A player cannot touch the ball in the air when any part of his body is in the NVZ. Good footwork at the net in this situation can shorten the time a player is in a vulnerable position.

No matter where you are on the court, always split step, putting your feet side by side and shoulder width apart, at the point of your opponent’s contact with the ball. This allows you to move in either direction equally well. Do not sacrifice being balanced and ready for position on the court.

Step toward the post in either direction and cross step when the ball is hit out of your reach. Do not move your back foot and lose your position on the court. Cross stepping makes you a foot taller and gives you a wider range of coverage.

A side step first combined with a cross step is sometimes necessary and effective.

Hitting Down Sideline

Do not hit shots down sideline unless:

  • Your opponents poach.
  • Your team is favored to win.
  • Your team has a good lead.
  • You have an easy ball to hit.
  • You want to keep your opponents honest when they are close to center court.
  • Your opponent’s backhand is to the outside of the court and he is the weaker player.

A soft ball down the line is just as good, if not better, and if you can bounce the ball beside your opponent and be ready to jump on a ball hit 12″ above the net.

If you make contact on a shot outside the sideline, try a shot around the post deep to the baseline corner, or put up a very high lob to give yourself time to recover. If you don’t think that you will be able to recover, try to finish point with pure winner.

If you are stretched out to your limit when volleying, always go down the line in the direction that you are stepping. The shot will have more power and be more consistent. A good example would be the same as in softball, when a pitcher pitches the ball to the outside corner of the plate, the right-handed batter has a better chance of hitting the ball to right field.

Keep your elbows high when hitting the ball down the sideline.

Follow through a little shorter for a straight volley down the sideline.

When stretched to your limit to the right, volley down the right sideline. Go with the pitch.

How to Practice

Find someone of your ability that appreciates the importance of practicing.

If you want to play your best, you must know the importance of practice, as well as playing the game.

A player should learn proper footwork to become a better player. Learn to cross step, side step and split step. Good footwork makes for easier court coverage, wider range, and better balance and shots.

You must practice a soft game at the net until you are so confident that you think that you could do it perfect for five minutes if needed.

Break the game down into segments.

Ground strokes, corner to corner and down the line.

Volleys: One player at the net and the other at the baseline. Volley balls hit from different angles. Both players volley and practice short game.

One player lobs the ball to player at net who hits overhead shots from different angles. Play points out using one-half doubles court. Go from corner to corner, not keeping score without serving and then with serving. Points should not be counted because a player tends to try to win by doing only the things that he does well, rather than practicing things he doesn’t do well.

After practicing for a long period of time, play a singles match using only half of the doubles court and keeping score. Try to move your opponent around the court and out of position with ball placement and the other strategies presented earlier.

After practicing the whole game in segments, the game becomes an extension of practice and you play better Pickle Ball.

Poaching

 

Make sure that your opponents are worried that you may poach. You are not doing the job if you are not giving head and shoulder fakes at the net. Occasionally poach just to make your fakes seem believable.

Make your opponent hit the ball to you. Make a head and shoulder fake in one direction and hold your position on the court. Your opponent will think that you are going to move down the net and he will hit the ball to you. Occasionally you will have to poach to make your fakes believable.

If both players on the opposing team are much better than one of the players on the other team than the stronger player of that team must poach and fake like he is about to poach to level the playing field. Only if you are playing to win, not playing for fun and the opposing team is hitting all their balls to your partner.

An excellent poacher should poach as much as possible even if all four are of equal ability His partner should not take this as a personal affront. It is proper play and good strategy. To poach is to cut off and hit the shot that your opponent hit to your partner.

Types of Poaching:

  • Waiting at the net until you actually see an easy return from your opponent and move across court to cut the shot off for a winner.
  • Player anticipates an easy return from his opponent and moves across the court to cut the shot off a split second before his opponent hits the ball.
  • It is important to pick the proper time in the game to poach.
  • Early in the game so that your team has time to recover in case you lose the point.
  • When your team is way ahead or way behind.
  • When you or your partner has just hit a very difficult shot at you opponents feet and you feel the opponent will be lucky just to return the ball without being accurate.

Reduce Unforced Errors

The safest place on the court to bounce the ball is soft, low and in the middle of the no volley zone. With this placement, your opponent may hesitate, thinking that his partner will hit the ball. Hit the ball soft so your opponents will have no pace to work with. This is the highest percentage shot.

When at the net be patient. Keep hitting the ball soft back into the no volley zone until your opponents make the mistake of hitting the ball too high. Do not go for the kill unless the ball is at least 12″ above the net. Eighty-Five percent of your shots should be volleys standing within 12 inches of the no volley zone. Do not try a tough angle shot until you have drawn your opponents out of position. Keep blasting the high balls at your opponents’ feet until they miss it. Never try an angle shot or difficult shot when the ball is below the net. Be defensive. Try a lob when your opponent least expects. It is also a very effective shot.

Be prepared early. If you hit a fast volley to your opponent, you must prepare your paddle face for the next shot faster. The faster you hit, the faster you must prepare.

Be patient and wait for a ball that is 12″ or higher over the net before trying to hit a winner. Always go for your opponents’ feet, no matter where they are on the court. Foot shots are much safer than angle shots.

Only try angle shots if you get a sitter and feel that you are 150% sure that you won’t make an unforced error. A sitter is an easy shot.

If you are playing properly, eighty-five percent of all your shots and your partner’s shots should be volleys no further back than 12″ from the no volley zone. Ground strokes are only used when returning a serve, hitting the return of your serve, or if opponent lobs and pulls you away from the no volley zone line. Get back to NVZ line as fast as you possibly can.

Hitting down the middle is a high percentage shot and is much safer than a wide angle shot.

Always allow for error never aim for the line itself.

One of the most common mistakes players makes is swinging at their volleys and punching their ground strokes. It should be the other way around.

If you cannot make a specific shot at least eight out of ten times, do not try this shot in a game until in practice you can make it consistently. Four out of ten tries is just enough to lose the game. Shot selection at key times in the game is very important. Know the shots that you are very consistent with and use them at key times in the game. Give your opponents a chance to lose. Don’t beat them to it.

There is a time to try and hit a “Pure Winner”, a time to hit a “¾ Winner”, and time to just keep the ball alive by blocking it back to your opponent.

1. Pure Winner – (as hard as you can hit the ball).

a. When your partner is weaker than both of your opponents and you get a high ball. You must take advantage of your good opportunities.

b. When you are the favorite team.

c. When you have a decent lead in the game.

d. When playing good competition; you make hay when the sun shines because you don’t get many good opportunities to go for it.

2.  ¾ Winner – (3/4 pace shot).

a. When you are in control of point at the net and both opponents are at baseline and are very steady players.

b. When a ball hit to you is not a high percentage shot.

c. When you feel your team is steadier and better than your opponents.

d. When your position on the court is not very good.

3. Just keep the ball alive by blocking the shot to opponent’s feet.

a. When an exceptionally fast ball is hit to you be defensive by blocking it back rather than swing at it.

Be Careful: A less difficult shot to hit may sometimes cause a player to miss a shot because it looked so easy that he thought it was impossible to miss. A player tends to over hit and not concentrate as much as when hitting a difficult shot and misses it.

When it is very windy make shorter steps and keep adjusting your feet because the ball keeps moving around. Watch the ball closer than normal and make most of your shots down the middle of court.

If you feel you can hit with extreme power all the time and still not sacrifice placement and consistency then you have to decide whether you are a great Pickleball player or kidding yourself. If you decide on the latter, take a little pace off your shots.

When warming up before your Pickleball game hit a couple of high lobs to check out the wind direction and speed so you don’t lose a few point s during the game. Try not to look into the sun if possible. The sun can cause an error.

Errors:

  • Poor Footwork
  • No Follow Thru
  • Impatience – don’t work the point.
  • Predictability

Know Your Opponents

 

1. Do they try and hit every ball hit to them, even balls that would have gone out? If so, hit much faster at them then you normally would. You have nothing to lose.

2. Does your opponent stay at the baseline and not move forward to the net?

3. Does your opponent hit all there volleys on the same side of their paddle. If so, they are vulnerable if you hit low to the backhand.

4. Does your opponent handle fast balls well? If so, hit soft balls to them and vice versa.

5. Does your opponent have trouble returning under spin balls?

6. Does your opponent like to poach? Be ready to hit behind him.

7. If you do not know your opponent then keep the ball as low as possible and on the backhand side until you have a chance to make a book on him.

8. Which one of your opponents is the weaker player? A team is only as strong as its weakest player and the weakest player is only as strong as his weakest shot.

9. How fast are your opponents, then you will know whether to drop or lob.

 

Mental Errors

 

1. Improper shot selection

2. Hitting balls going out of bounds

3. Over hitting

4. Not enough patience

5. Not keeping track of wind

6. Not having a mental book on your opponents assets and deficits

7. Not communicating properly with your partner

8. Too predictable.

 

Mental errors are much easier to cure than technical errors when hitting the ball.

 

Hitting Fast Balls

 

Only hit the ball as fast as it takes to win the point. Start the match hitting at an average speed and keep adding a little pace until you are winning more points then you are losing. Every opponent is different. The faster you hit the ball the less precise your placement. If you can win more than 50% of your points blasting every ball, then go for it!

Be prepared for a faster bounce of the ball if the ball seems like it might hit the painted lines on the court.

 

Anticipate Out Balls

Try to anticipate when your opponents are about to hit an out of bound balls. Know when to expect an out of bounds ball before your opponents even touch the ball.

Things to take into consideration when anticipating an out ball from your opponent.

1 .Is the wind at your opponent’s back?

2. Is your opponent swinging real fast at the ball and is his contact point below net?

3. Is your opponent making a difficult shot on the full gallop?

4. Is he a very inconsistent player?

5. Is it a very hard and low percentage shot for you to try and return? If so let it go. It may go out.

Keep an ear open for yell of “no” from your partner when he thinks the ball is out.

Hitting your opponents out balls builds confidence in your opponents and a good player will make an adjustment after realizing he has just hit an out ball. You will probably lose future points without him being penalized for hitting an out ball.

If you should play someone who always tries to hit everything, even your out balls then hit at that person much faster than you normally would. You have nothing to lose.

Be aware of where you are on the court at all times. This will help you to decide whether to hit or not to hit a ball.

If you stop hitting your opponents out balls your percentage of wins will rise immediately.

Play the Wind

 

Which direction should you hit toward with the wind or against the wind is a personal thing. There is no right or wrong, it is a personal thing.

 

Types of Wind:

  1. A steady wind in your face is excellent for a person who likes to lob.
  2. A heavy wind in your face is not good for lobbing and would be an advantage to a person with a great overhead because the ball tends to stop rather than go over their heads and drop in the court.
  3. A heavy wind at your back is an advantage to a hard hitter because it could ad 15-20mph to their stroke making it much harder to react.
  4. If the wind is coming across the court either way, you must stay away from the side of the court that the wind is blowing toward and have the wind on your mind at all times.
  5. If winds are gusty, the player must be constantly feeling the wind and play it properly.
  6. Try and convince yourself the wind is bothering your opponent as much as it is bothering you.
  7. The team that plays the wind the best will usually win.

 

Pickleball Techniques

 

Ground Stroke Stances

 

A backhand ground stroke can be hit from an open or a closed stance.

The Closed-stance is used most often. The player runs to a spot where the ball will be as close to waist high as possible and sets both his feet shoulder width apart and parallel to the net. He then steps toward the ball with his front foot and hits the ball. The Open-stance is used when you have a very fast ball hit to you and very little time to move your feet. You have only enough time to set your feet side by side at about a 45 to 180 degree angle to the net and turn your upper body at the waist so that your front shoulder is pointing at your target area.

Right handed player hitting a forehand would point his left shoulder toward his target and when hitting his backhand would point his right shoulder toward his target and follow through towards target.

 

Serving Techniques

 

  1. Use a bowling motion.
  2. Point your paddle toward the ground with bent knees.
  3. Toss the ball in front of your body in the direction of target. Your target should be the very center of the serving box. This will give you a lot of leeway for error. Never Ever miss your serve because it probably will be the difference in a close game.
  4. Step toward the target with your front shoulder pointing at your target.
  5. Swing in an upward motion with the paddle below the wrist and watch the ball contact your paddle below the waist.
  6. Make a soft sound to yourself at the point of contact with the ball to prevent you from lifting your head before contact.
  7. Follow through in the direction of your target.
  8. Step back on foot behind the baseline after serving to assure the return of serve will land in front of you. If you step into the court after serving the ball it could land at your feet or behind you and you will have to make a difficult shot because you had to backpedal to make a shot.

 

 

Forehand Groundstroke

 

Right Handed Players:

1. Ready your paddle back into position to stroke the ball with your left hand. The paddle grip should be a continental grip with the butt end of the handle pointing towards the oncoming ball and the paddle is level.

2. Step toward the ball with your left foot and make contact with the ball opposite the spot that your planted your foot. Point your left shoulder at your target.

3. Keep your left hand out in front of your body with your palm facing the ground at the same hight as your paddle and this will help keep you balanced.

4. Watch the ball make contact on you paddle and make sound to yourself at the exact moment the ball touches your paddle. This will help you watch the ball more consistently.

5. Keep a firm wrist and pretend you are hitting four balls lined up in a row during your follow through. Follow through in the direction of your target.

6. When hitting a low forehand shot bend your knees with your right knee as close to the ground as possible that stay down all the way through the shot.

7. Quickly return to your ready position.

 

Backhand Groundstroke

 

Right Handed Players:

1. Run to a spot where the ball will be waist high or as close to waist high as possible in your ready position.

2. Set your feet in a closed stance position (side by side) pointing your right shoulder and looking over your right shoulder toward your target then step with your front foot toward your target.

3. Bend your knees on low balls and keep your head and body down all through the shot and follow thru.

4. Point the butt end of your handle like a gun at the ball.

5. Paddle face should be perpendicular to ground.

6. Contact point should be out in front of the spot you plant your front foot.

7. Keep a firm wrist at contact and you will be more consistent. (do not roll your wrist at contact unless you are an advanced player)

8. Watch the ball hit your paddle.(making a sound to yourself at exactly the point of contact of ball on your paddle will help)

9. Make a long follow through in the direction of your target. Pretend you are hitting four balls in a row will help.

10. Quickly after your full follow thru get back to your ready position for the next shot.

 

Overhead Technique

 

1.    Grip – Continental Grip (same as all other strokes).

2.    Turn your body so that your shoulders and body are parallel to the flight of the lobed ball.

3.    Keep your feet parallel and move them forward and back until the ball in the air is a little more in front of your body and as high in the air as the center of your paddle can reach.

4.    Point your left hand at the ball while readying your paddle. About ear height and making sure paddle face is completely flat at the point of contact for extra power.

5.    Keep head and chin up and watch the spot that the ball contacts the paddle long after your follow through.

6.    A split second before contacting the ball, pronate your wrist to disguise your shot and the paddle will contact the ball flat and this will get more power on the overhead.

7.    After setting the paddle, the overhead is all wrist. Just step towards your target, point your left shoulder towards the target and snap your wrist with same motion as you would snap a whip. Pretend you are throwing the paddle at the ball.

8.    If you don’t have time to move your feet at least turn your shoulders and waist for more power and placement.

9.    If you have to jump in the air to hit the overhead use the scissors kick method. If you live in The Villages in Florida, find “Mo” and ask him. It is too hard to explain, it must be demonstrated and you must be able to leave the ground with both feet.

 

Drop Volley Technique

 

1. Use Continental Grip with the bottom two fingers tight and the top three fingers a light grip.

2. Paddle motion is from high to low (half moon,) paddle face finishes parallel to the ground.

3. Elbow and knee are bent.

4. Short backswing.

5. Punch the ball (which is full extension at elbow joint).

6. Meet the ball early and out in front of the body.

7. Do not drop the paddle head below your wrist. If paddle face is locked firm above your wrist then skin wrinkles can be seen on your wrist.

8. Slide your paddle under the ball (like turning a key in a door) to put an underspin on the ball. The ball will bounce low when it drops over the net.

9. Keep your head down and eyes glued to the spot that you made contact with the ball for as long as possible.

10. Paddle head should follow through in the direction you want the ball to go.

11. Tip – Make a sound to yourself at exactly the time the ball makes contact with your paddle. Not too soon or too late. This will make sure you are watching the ball hit the paddle.

 

Additional Information

 

Extra Strategies

 

1. When you are learning to play pickleball, never avoid hitting your backhand ground strokes or volleys. If you avoid hitting your backhand you will never master the stroke.

2. When playing during a windy day keep track of the wind speed and direction constantly because it does change at times. If you play the wind properly then it will build confidence in yourself, in that, the wind is bothering your opponent more than yourself.

3. When you are feeling a little tight during a match, don’t hit tentatively or too slow. Hit at your normal steady pace, but give yourself more leeway to hit your target until your confidence returns.

4. Make a mental book on your own attributes and deficits. Only hit shots that you feel are a high percentage for your own ability. Know what shots you can make more than 50% of the time. Do what you do well and practice the things that you don’t do well then use them when you can make them 50% of the time.

5. Bounce up onto the balls of your feet, in the ready position, at the point of contact of the ball on your opponents paddle. A moving body reacts quicker than a stationary body.

6. If both backhands of your opponents are at the middle of the court, hit down the middle of the court.

7. If your shot makes your opponent take two steps or more your chance for winning the point increases immensely.

8. Don’t back up to play a dink off the bounce, when you can hit the ball in the air. Always try and hit the ball with your weight going towards the net.

9. Make contact with the ball at the highest possible point in the air when volleying and waist high on the bounce for your ground stroke. It will be a higher percentage shot and open up more angles with less chance of putting balls into the net.

10. Give your opponents a lot of chances to miss and they will not let you down.

11. It is not how hard you hit the ball, but where.

12. Expect to win – Refuse to lose.

 

Play Steady: The team with the most unforced errors loses. Not the team with the fewest winners.

Placement is more important than power.

Keep the ball as low as possible for every hit, unless you must make a defensive lob.

Place the ball at the opponent’s feet or bounce the ball right beside your opponent. He must hit the ball up, which quickly puts him on the defensive and you on the offensive. The team which must hit the ball up most of the time will lose. Keep the ball at your opponent’s feet no matter where he is on the court.

Only hit the ball as hard as you can control the placement. Do not sacrifice placement for power. Hit ¾ winners unless you get a put away shot for a full power winner.

When an opponent is planted at the net and you can’t make a shot at his feet, the next best place to hit it is at the right hip pocket of a right-handed player. This is a very difficult shot to return.

Patience is a virtue in Pickleball

Do not try to win the point from the baseline. Just hit the ball softly and bounce the ball in the no volley zone and follow it to net.

Pick a good time to move forward, not when your opponent has an easy shot. Every second that you are playing, your goal should be to get to the net on a minimum of one step forward and split step at every touch of the ball by your opponent. Split step is when both feet are side by side and shoulder width apart.

The team that plays from the baseline exposes their feet to their opponents and will lose to a team as good as or better than they are.

If your partner is drawn out of the court on his side, you must move over to protect his area until he can get back into the court. If you think that you are playing an intelligent opponent, then give a head and shoulder fake, giving the impression that you are moving to cover for your partner. Don’t move from your position, however, and your opponent will probably put the ball on your paddle.

If you feel an opponent is anticipating your shot by watching the face of your paddle and moving before you make contact, then have your paddle face straight ahead and then at the last second, go cross court before your opponent has time to react. Do not have your paddle “read” cross court then try and surprise your opponent and go down line because paddle must be brought back first and the extra time it takes gives your opponent more time to react to your fake.

If you are playing a former racquet ball player (who very quickly flicks his paddle at the ball), you must prepare your ready position even earlier or you will be late punching your volleys or ground strokes.

Give your partner a second opinion on whether a ball is in or out. Do it early enough to give him time to back away from it.

Every once in a while, change the spin and speed of all your shots. The element of surprise will pay dividends.

Sometimes the best shot is no shot at all. When playing with a much better partner than yourself, let your partner take as many shots as he possible can, especially if he yells, “I have it.” Chances are good you are probably going to get the lion’s share of all the hits anyway. So the more your partner touches the ball, the better chance you will win.

There should be only positive communication between you and your partner. “Good try” “I have it” “Switch” “Yours” and “Bounce it” are as examples. Never say anything negative to your partner if he isn’t doing well because it will just make things worse. It shows you are not a confident player, and you are looking for an excuse to lose.

The second to last shot before the end of a point by you or your partner usually decides if your team either wins or loses the point. If you do not keep your shot low enough or placed well enough and your opponent slams a shot at your partner and he misses, the shot, then the point was lost by you. Sometimes the point could have been lost by the third or fourth to last shot because the team never could recover from being put on the defensive earlier in the point.

Keep a book in your mind about the people that you play regularly. Know what they are good at and also know their weaknesses. Many players always make certain shots in particular situations, and if you can anticipate these shots, you will have an edge. For example, some players, when running in for a ball that bounces near the post in the no volley zone, always try a cross court topspin shot to the other post.

When your team is a heavy favorite, play a whole game without being interested about winning and concentrate on just placing every single ball at your opponent’s feet or beside them. Practice not going for winners and being patient. No matter where your opponents are on the court, go for their feet. It is a safe shot, and it will steady your game and pay dividends.

On a cross court volley make contact a little farther out in front of you.

All strokes taken with your Pickleball paddle are technically the same as all the tennis strokes with one exception, the serve. The only differences between the two are the feel of the ball on the paddle and the distance from your hand to the contact point of the ball on the paddle. .A person wanting to improve his Pickleball strokes should read tennis books and magazines and become a student of the game.

Determine if your opponents are left-handed before the start of the game so that you won’t be hitting to their strength.

Before starting each game, let your partner know that you don’t mind his overruling any call you make as long as he is 100% sure you were wrong. If one person on a team feels a ball was in and the other doesn’t, then the point goes to the other team. If your feelings about the score or whether the ball is in or out are different from the other three players on the court, then right or wrong, you should concede.

Never yell anything that may help your opponent. Think of the shot that you just hit that was wrong. Don’t yell because your opponent may hit your out ball if you do not bring his attention to that possibility that it may go out.

Learn all the proper tennis stroking techniques to help improve your pickle ball game.

If two players with the same natural ability play pickleball any and one uses the proper tennis technique, that player will be a steadier and better player.

If both players are self taught players then the one with the most athletic sense and ability will be the better player. Learn proper technique. It will give you an edge over your opponent.

A player should try not to have any bad out bursts after missing their shots. This type of reaction builds confidence in your opponents. Your partner will also lose confidence in you.

When two right hand players are playing together, the player facing the net on the left, who has his forehand to the middle of the court, takes the balls on his side of the court plus about 8 to 12 inches toward the center line.

When two left hand players are playing together, the player with his forehand toward the center of the court should take any ball on his side of the court plus any ball 8 to 12 inches to the left of center court.

When a right handed and a left handed player are playing together and both players backhands are to the middle of the court, the player facing the net on the on the left side should be considered the fore hand and cover his side plus 8 to 12 inches to the right of center court unless both players agree the other player has the stronger backhand.

If you like to hit with power and if your opponents cannot recognize when a ball is going out and they hit every ball that they can get their paddles on, then it is to your advantage to have the heavy wind at your back.

When your opponents stop hitting you the ball intentionally every time you play, it means your partners are very weak or you have become a very good player. Feel good about it.

There is no right or wrong way to play Pickleball. You should do things that work for you. Some advanced players have their unconventional ways of playing Pickleball and because they have exceptional athletic ability, they are successful more than 50% of the time. Beginners with average ability would be more successful if they used conventional tennis strokes and strategy before they pick up bad habits and are not able to change.

A player should not be one dimensional; they should try to develop a complete game of hitting with placement as well as power. Develop a good lob and drop volley as well a good soft game. A player will not be predictable if he is able to have a variety in his Pickleball game.

If your partner is a much weaker player than you are and your opponents are hitting as many balls as possible to him, then a soft dink into the no volley zone is not to your advantage because it gives your opponent more time to hit another ball to your partner.

After hitting the ball toward your opponent follow the same line that the ball is traveling when advancing toward the no volley line. This will give you a good angle and position for your opponents return shot.

If your team should hit the ball close to the opponent’s right sideline and the ball will be a volley or ground stroke then you and your partner should divide the court into 3 equal thirds when you are waiting at the NVZ line for the return. The player on the right side of the court protects his sideline and the right 1/3 of the court. The other player protects the middle third of the court and you leave the far left third of the court open. A crosscourt shot is a low percentage, it’s a sharp angle and the ball must have a lot of top spin. Most players cannot make this shot consistently so protect down the line and you will win much more points than you lose.

The better you get at Pickleball the less balls will be hit to you so it becomes harder to win. The thing to do to try and get your opponents to hit more balls to you only if your partner is weaker than your opponents and is interested in winning:

  1. Fake like you are going to poach but hold your spot and they will hit you the ball by mistake.
  2. Really poach occasionally to get into the point but tell your partner before you do so he or she will be ready to switch sides and coer for you. This will make your fakes more believable.
  3. When you get a ball you must make hay when the sun shines and hit with a little more pace than you normally do and hope for the best.

Guide In-Review

 

1: Be in ready position early! Stopped with feet parallel to each other at the point of contact of ball on your opponents paddle.

2: Placement is more important than power. Hit at your opponents feet or bounce the ball beside them. Do not sacrifice placement for power.

3: Hit to your opponents’ weakest players weakest shot.

4: Play steady – Do not over hit or make unforced errors. Never miss your serve or return of serve. Have patience.

5: Try and anticipate your opponents out balls.

6: Punch your volleys and swing at your ground strokes.

7: When hitting a ball step toward your target. Point your front shoulder towards your target, follow through towards your target, and watch closely at the point of contact of the ball on your paddle.

8: 80% of all your hits should be volleys at the NVZ line if you are playing to win.

 

Definitions

 

Ground Stroke – A ball that is hit after it bounces.

 

Volley – A ball that is hit before it touches the ground.

 

Lob – A ball that is hit over your opponents head and bounces inside the baseline.

 

Unforced Error – When a player misses a shot that is not very difficult.

 

No Volley Zone – (NVZ or Kitchen) – The area of the court between the net and the front line of the serving boxes.

 

Backhand – When hitting the ball on your left side of your body for right handed players and the opposite for left hand players.

 

Forehand – When hitting the ball on your right side of your body for right handed players and the opposite for left hand players.

 

3/4 Winner – Not hitting a shot the fastest that you are capable of hitting so you will not sacrifice placement for power.

 

Split Step – When both feet are parallel to each other and ready to cross in either direction.

 

Cross Step – From a split step position moving your right foot toward the left post or left foot toward the right post without moving your other foot at all.

 

Pure Winner – When your opponent never even touches your shot.

 

Top Spin – When a player makes the ball spin away from him low to high, the ball tends to drop because the contact of paddle of the ball is up and over the ball.

 

Underpin – A player makes the ball spin toward his body high to low; the ball tends to rise because the contact point of paddle is high to low.

 

Overhead – A ball hit at center of paddle from a point as high as you can reach over your head.

 

Drop Volley – A soft hit ball that is placed just over the net with an under spin on the ball so it won’t bounce high.

 

Poach – When a player cuts in front of his partner to take his shot.

 

Continental Grip – When the point of the V between your thumb and index finger is placed at the middle of the top of the handle when your paddle is perpendicular to the ground.

 

Conclusion

Have Fun! It is only a game.

Richard Movsessian is a former USTA 4.5 ranked doubles player and tennis teaching professional. He is a certified member of the United States Professional Tennis Association. He was a Boys Varsity Tennis Coach and a Tennis Teaching Pro for 30 years. He now resides in The Villages in Florida where he loves playing, learning and teaching others about Pickleball.

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