Skill Level Guidelines for Targeting the Return of Serve

Be sure to positively identify your target before hitting the ball...

Today's post will finish the current discussion on the down-the middle return of serve. We previously read Prem Carnot's article 7 “Hit to the Middle” Secrets Every Pickleball Player Should Know in 7 Down-the Middle Secrets. Prem included a separate section in that article that provided guidelines about how frequently a player should target the middle based on his skill level. Those guidelines are shown below.

Click here to request your FREE copy of my Ratings & Goals Guide, which will help you figure out your exact skill level and will also give you skill-level specific goals to help you take your game to the next level. Once you’ve identified your skill level using that guide, then come back here to read the rest of this article.

Here are some quick, skill-level specific guidelines for how frequently to hit to the middle compared to going for a cross-court shot or hitting straight on.

Newbie (2.0) – Aim 5/5 Shots to the Middle

7 Down-the Middle Secrets

Be sure to positively identify your target before hitting the ball...

So far you have read all kinds of thoughts about hitting the return of serve down the middle. Mark Renneson, other instructors, and I have helped us learn the best strategy. Its time for Prem Carnot to chime in. His article 7 “Hit to the Middle” Secrets Every Pickleball Player Should Know is shown below.

If you’ve been playing pickleball for any length of time you’ve probably been told by some player (probably more advanced than you) to “Hit to the Middle”.  Maybe you’ve even congratulated your team on a winning shot by saying “Down the Middle Solves the Riddle!” (With or without a somewhat obnoxious “Yeah, Baby!” added before or afterwards…)

Hitting down the middle is often an excellent strategy, but it’s also frequently mis-understood and incorrectly implemented.  In this article, we are going to cover some of the lesser-understood strategies and nuances tied up in this oft-repeated phrase.

#1) Hit to The Middle Because the Net is Lower There

Tips for Playing Down

We were all there once...

The past 2 days were about etiquette for playing with better players. Today is for those better players who may be asked to play down. As noted a couple of days ago, Prem Carnot has published a printable chart that can be posted at places to play with some great information about managing a situation that often results in tense relationships. The pdf version of the chart can be found at Prem's website. It is shown below as a image.

Tips for Playing Up

Respect must be earned...

I previously wrote about a Prem Carnot article about the proper etiquette of playing up with better players in How to Play Up. Prem has now published a printable chart that can be posted at places to play with some great information about managing a situation that often results in tense relationships. The pdf version of the chart can be found at Prem's website. It is shown below as a image.

Targeting: The Experts on Defending 3rd Shot Drops

Be sure to positively identify your target before hitting the ball...

I would like to again reinforce the concepts in my article with advice from experts. Today's post will discuss the experts view of targeting options after a 3rd shot drop.

Prem Carnot's article When to Hit a Hard Ball Soft in Pickleball, while not about 3rd shot drops, explains the strategy of choices depending on the opponents' positions.

I often suggest that you hit the ball hard when you want to keep your opponents at the back and on the defense. So when you are receiving a hard shot, it’s the same thing.  If they are hitting to you from the back of the court, keep hitting the ball hard at them.  This will help you keep them on the back line and on on the defense.

When your opponents are UP at the non-volley line though, and hitting the ball hard at you, this is when you want to return with a soft shot.  This is the case when it’s time for you to soften that ball so that you can actually take control of the point.

So remember, hit a hard ball hard when your opponents are back and soft when they’re up front.

Targeting: The Experts on Third Shot Options

Be sure to positively identify your target before hitting the ball...

Last week I reinforced the return of serve concepts in my articles with advice from experts. Today's post will do the same with the options for the third shot. 

Deb Harrison has a video - Pickleball TipBit: Third Shot Options - in which she discusses alternatives to the drop shot, including the drive and the lob.

Predict the Shot

Body language gives away tendencies...

Yesterday's post was Aspen Kern's advice about reading body language to get cues about your opponent's shot. Today we will continue that topic with another view of the topic with more specific recommendations. This post will include excerpts from 2 Prem Carnot articles.

Prem's first article briefly discusses the options available to a player in order to analyze the direction of his opponent's shot before it is moving toward him. This article is titled How to play pickleball: Determining the direction of the shot.

QUESTION: When receiving a shot from my opponent, should I be watching the ball, the position of their paddle, or the the position of their shoulders?

Playing Against Spin

My mind is spinning in circles...

Yesterday's post talked about using spin. Today, we will look at Prem Carnot's view of playing and recognizing spin. His article is titled How to Play Against Someone Who Spins the Ball.

How to Play Against Someone Who Spins the Ball

Those pesky tennis players with such beautiful ball control, smooth strokes, good footwork and tricky spin… Do you ask yourself, “How ever do I play against them?” When you diagnose the problem, it’s quite simple actually, once you know these two secrets.

Secret #1: Wait until the ball is past the top of the arch and almost to the second bounce.   

This is similar to the strategy I talk about in my article, The 4 Secrets to Getting Your Dropshot to Go Where You Want (And Not Where You Don’t) in regard to how to hit a good drop shot.

What about Spin?

My mind is spinning in circles...

I managed a skills and drills class for beginners last week in which we drilled on serves and returns of serve. I have done several of these classes recently and a common theme has emerged - some beginners think extreme spin creates an advantage. The fact that a high percentage of their shots went out of bounds didn't seem to matter as long there was an occasional shot that spun away from their opponent.

My recommendation for beginners is that their time is always better spent working on basic shots. These will be more important to developing their game more quickly. In addition, as they develop and play better opponents, spin becomes less effective.

But that doesn't mean that spin should never be used as players advance. Topspin and backspin are particularly useful. We'll explore some of the views on spin in this post.

Offensive Lob from the NVZ Line

Don't be predictable...

Mixed among the multitude of tournament and miscellaneous posts lies the theme of play at the NVZ line. That topic is important because we know that is where games are won. One aspect of play that many players ignore is the lob from the NVZ line. Over the next few days, the lob will be the primary topic of discussion. We will start today with the portion of an article from Prem Carnot that relates to the NVZ lob.

The Pickleball Lob Shot: A Winning or Losing Strategy?

This may be the first time I’ve dedicated an entire article to a single shot, and it’s not even about the dink or the drop shot. This month, we’re talking about The Sometimes-Boring-and-Annoying-But-Sometimes-OH-SO!-Gratifying Pickleball Lob Shot.

Prem's Smart Pickleball

Play a different game, not a harder one...

We had a recent series on percentage pickleball that was all about playing smarter. Now Prem Carnot has an article that ties in well to that series.

Smart Pickleball: The 5 Rules for Playing Smarter (Not Harder!)

I see sooo many players of all ages, who are working much harder than they NEED to be on the court, and aren’t getting nearly as good results as they COULD be. The key to getting great results in pickleball is not to get younger, stronger, faster but to play SMARTER. 

Today’s video blog post is a quick review of The 5 Rules of Playing Smart Pickleball, which I introduced in my book, Smart Pickleball. If you are feeling stuck at your current level of play or are constantly on the defense, then you’re probably not following the 5 rules of playing Smart Pickleball. So if you’re looking for a way to improve your game but you suspect you won’t be getting much younger, stronger or faster this week, this topic is for you.

Pickleball and Relationships

Obviously, our relationship will never be the same after this game...

The Sunday series on pickleball relationships concludes with an article from Prem Carnot.

How Pickleball Impacts Relationships

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, February is the month we tend to focus on our “special” relationship (or lack there of). I thought it would be appropriate this month to take a look at how pickleball impacts and influences our relationships. I share some insight on the relationship my wife and I have regarding pickleball, and what I’ve seen from my time traveling around the country.

How Pickleball Impacts My Relationship

As you may know, my wife, Wendy, and I learned to play the game at the same time, and we were both immediate fans of the sport. We played together, traveled together, competed together and are now in the pickleball business together. (Heck, we wrote the book on pickleball—together!)

Pickleball Widow(er)s

Honey, do you have anything to say before pickleball season starts...

Continuing the Sunday series of pickleball relationships, a guest author writes about a fate faced by many spouses of pickleball players.

A house divided: He loves pickleball, I do not.

Confessions of a pickleball player’s wife… who does not play or enjoy pickleball

Note: This post was written by a guest blogger in Michigan

There should be a support group for non-playing spouses of pickleball players. That’s what a friend told me one day; what a brilliant idea. Both of our husbands play pickleball; thank god mine doesn’t play as much as hers. Either way, until our son was born, pickleball was easily the most talked-about topic in our house – and I have little interest in pickleball. He needs a white noise generator to fall asleep, I just ask him to talk to me about his pickleball games.      Out. Like. A. Light

Pickleball is not just a sport in West Michigan, it exists as a culture all on its own. It has it’s own language, behaviors, objects, characteristics and social habits that make it unique among the rest of population. I can honestly (and proudly) say that I am not part of that culture. My husband on the other hand is neck deep.

Playing with Friends

Pickleball is better when we stick together...

In the third of the "relationship" Sunday series, a guest author to Prem Carnot's website talks about the ups and downs of playing with friends.

Pickleball friends: Making it work on and off the court

The Secret: It doesn’t always work…

Submitted by Kelly Stauffer, member of the Lakeshore Pickleball Club in Grand Haven, Michigan

I met Kim 11 years ago while we worked together in the same building for Grand Rapids Public Schools. She is a teacher and I am a school social worker (we currently still work together). I had learned about pickleball several years prior while away on spring break. I was eager to share the game, and told Kim about pickleball.

Over summer break that year we played periodically, mostly singles, and once in awhile doubles, with some other friends that we introduced to the game. Because we both have summer breaks off, we do lots of fun things together, away from pickleball, from kayaking, camping, and going to the beach, to name a few. There is always an adventure with Kim.

Kelly, a friend, and Kim (Left-Right) pose for a picture at the popular Mac Woods Dune Rides along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Mears, MI.

Drop or Deep?

The last couple of days we have learned that the goal of the third shot is to gain the kitchen while preventing opponents from getting an offensive shot. The best shot to do that is typically a drop shot. But "typically" means that your opponents have done everything right and attained the kitchen line on the return of serve. Even if that has not happened, wouldn't a drop shot work when an opponent has stayed back? Well, no...and an article from Prem Carnot called The First Commandment of the Third Shot (And It’s Not “Hit a Dropshot”) explains why.

The First Commandment of the Third Shot (And It’s Not “Hit a Dropshot”)

First off, let’s just say that this is obviously NOT the only commandment to live your life by (unless Pickleball truly is your only religion).  But when it comes to pickleball, this is a biggie.

In this article, I’m going to clear up a misconception about the “third shot” (a.k.a. the return of the return of serve, a.k.a. the first shot your team hits after you serve the ball).  On my teaching tours, I have found this misconception to run rampant in the pickleball world. Players from coast to coast, north to south, and newbies to long-time ambassadors all believe that the best shot they could ever hit for the third shot is a drop shot. National champ, Enrique Ruiz says “The drop shot is overrated” and that’s because there’s a big problem with how most people hit a third shot drop shot, and this is what it is:

They are using the drop shot at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.

The Right Paddle for the Job

In addition playing pickleball, I am also a home handyman. I live by the adage that there is a right tool for a job. Since we have spent time discussing the ball, maybe we should talk about the paddle - a topic I've barely mentioned in nearly a year. Let's start with an article from Prem Carnot called How to Pick the Right Pickleball Paddle So It Helps (Instead of Hurts) Your Game.

How to Pick the Right Pickleball Paddle So It Helps (Instead of Hurts) Your Game

If you’ve been playing pickleball for any length of time, you’ve probably asked yourself three questions:

• Should I buy a new pickleball paddle?
• What kind of paddle should I buy?
• With so many options, how do I know which one is right for me?

Without going into a comprehensive analysis of the pros & cons of every pickleball paddle on the market, in this article, I’ll give you some guidelines to choose a paddle that works for you and your game in particular.

(By The Way: Have you heard that Wilson has recently entered the market with their own pickleball paddle?  The sport is definitely on the rise!)

Weight

How to Play Up

As noted in a previous post, I recently volunteered to manage a pickleball court gymnasium that was being abandoned by the current users. I had identified some needs among the local players and created a mission statement for the courts to fit:

Our mission at Crosswalk is to provide an opportunity for competitive players to drill, play, and improve their game. We will only support friendly and positive play.

I also wrote an email explaining how the courts would be managed including:

Since this is a learning environment, all players should be willing to give or take advice freely without pushback...Lower level players may request to play in higher level games but there should be no expectation of open play during restricted hours.  

I also added that a good guideline for both higher and lower level players to follow is a Prem Carnot article titled How to Graciously Get to Play with Better Players (a.k.a. How to Make Sure You’re NOT That Person Everyone Hates Playing With). That article is shown below.

Deaden the Volley

Several articles have been focused on shots that initiate the dinking game. I first posted about the drop shot, which means hitting the ball after it bounces. This post will move to the next type of shot from which a pace-slowing shot can be made - the volley.

Often, a drop shot is returned before you have advanced to the kitchen line. If the return bounces, another drop shot can be made. But, when the ball is hit to you in the air, a volley is necessary. How do you soften a hard-hit ball to make it land softly in the kitchen? That is a subject discussed by who else but Prem Carnot in an article called My Top 5 Pickleball Strategies to Play Against Slammers.

My Top 5 Pickleball Strategies to Play Against Slammers

Maybe you’ve learned the value of the dink, or you’re beginning to consider it at least…

If you’re like one woman who wrote to me this past month, maybe you have a group of people with whom you regularly play the dink game, and you’ve gotten pretty good at it…

When Drop Shots go Bad

I have often said that the third shot drop is the hardest shot in the game. Even 5.0 players make mistakes with the shot. So what do you do when you hit a bad shot? Prem Carnot has an answer in his article What to Do When Your Drop Shot Doesn’t Drop.

What to Do When Your Drop Shot Doesn’t Drop

Let’s admit it: Even if you are convinced about the merits of the third shot drop, sometimes you don’t hit a perfect drop shot. (ahem, perhaps even more often than not…)

And even if you believe you are (or actually are) amongst the blessed few who can drop them shot after shot like a pro basketball player sinking free throws, chances are you’ll be on the same side of the net sometime soon with someone else who can’t.

Third Shot Drop

When I schedule a specific shot clinic, I try to prepare both attendees and myself by writing about that shot. For example, I had a series of posts about dinking starting with Dink Like the Pros prior to a dinking clinic. I'm now thinking of the next clinic - as yet unscheduled - that will demonstrate how to initiate the dinking game. Therefore, this particle will kick off a series about controlling the pace of the game by slowing it down. 

This post will focus on the first opportunity to do so with the third shot drop, a topic previously discussed in The Third Shot. That article included the various options for the third shot and concluded that the drop shot was the most effective option to deal with opponents positioned at the kitchen line. Now we will go into the technique of the third shot drop with an article from Prem Carnot called 4 Secrets to Get Your Dropshot to Go Where You Want (and Not Where You Don’t). Tomorrow's post will have a great video demonstrating and discussing similar concepts.

Before going to the article, I should note that that the drop shot is not limited to the "third shot" as the name presupposes, but applies to any shot that is struck after the ball bounces. The name comes from the the most common usage of the drop shot - when a serving team makes its first return and the opponents are positioned at their kitchen line. The shot is appropriate at any time in the rally when the ball bounces. Keep that in mind as we progress through this series.

4 Secrets to Get Your Dropshot to Go Where You Want (and Not Where You Don’t)

Last month I had someone write in asking for advice on how to better calibrate their drop shot.