Pickleball Success

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

Tags: compatible partners, playing doubles

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

Tags: goal setting in pickleball

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

Tags: pickleball courts

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

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

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

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

Tags: pickleball errors, solid contact of ball

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

Tags: pickleball book, pickleball drills

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

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

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

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

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

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