Asking for Directions

I only learn things when I ask questions...

Since my referee experiences, I have written a couple of articles about how to solve confusion on the court, mostly about player positioning. One of the most basic ways to figure out the answer is the simplest way - ask someone. Ask a ref if available. Ask your partner. Ask your opponents. As I said in one article - "Asking is not a challenge to one's masculinity". So don't be like the stereotypical male who won't ask for directions. Use your human substitutes for a GPS.

Sarah Ansboury's article Remembering the Pickleball Score shares the same advice. Excerpts are below.

There are a lot of things to think about on the pickleball court…many of these cause us stress.  Keeping track of your pickleball score should not add to your stress.

Some Days

There are days I just cannot get the score right, or at least say it right before I serve. It is just one of those things. I have noticed others have this challenge as well. It seems like a pickleball score curse.

Unfortunately, some players will say the score wrong, then correct themselves. They are so fixated on the score that the don’t focus on the serve and then miss. I want to tell everyone who gets frustrated or stressed out…take your time…it is no big deal.

Referees and the Score

It is not uncommon for a referee to say the wrong score. Sometimes they catch it themselves. At times, it is caught by a player. There have been times when the referee was so stressed out by making a simple pickleball score mistake it was really funny.

Remember in tournament play you have resources to help you. First, the first server wears a wristband. This is actually intended to assist the referee in identifying whether the players are serving or receiving from the correct court…but I find it helps me as well.

Secondly, if you are unsure and have a referee you can ask. You can ask, what is the score?  You can ask if you are the correct server or receiver? You can ask if you are in the correct position? If you have a question, ask. It is not like timeouts…you don’t just get two per game. If you have a question ask.

Pickleball Score … No Referee

Of course, if you don’t have a referee you can ask your partner. There may be times that he or she doesn’t know either…ask your opponents next. Don’t waste time…just ask. There have been times when no one on the court remembered the score. These things happen….even at my age. But by retracing the points, over time we were able to all agree.