Rescue Shots

Get me out of this mess...

We have all been there - out of position, on the defensive, fighting to keep the point alive. We talked about one situation in yesterday's post about resetting the point after a bad third shot puts you under attack. But there are other game scenarios where we need to find a "rescue" shot, i.e., a shot to get us out of trouble. Sarah Ansboury has article at the RV Picklers' site titled What Should I do When I’m Out of Position on the Pickleball Court in which she gives us some advice. An excerpt is shown below.

Don’t Panic

Often players find themselves in a defensive position and panic. Out of panic, players try to go straight from defense to offense.  This is the equivalent to a pickleball hail Mary…it only works one out of 100 times.  Instead, your goal should be to move from a defensive to a neutral position.  To do that, consider these three things.

Lead Tape

The right tool for the job...

Let's continue Monday's paddle discussion with a new trend that allows a player to adjust the feel of the paddle - lead tape. Sarah Ansboury wrote an article for the RV Picklers' blog titled Should You Add Lead Tape to Your Pickleball Paddle? in which she discussed the topic. Excerpts from Sarah's article are below. She includes some other important points in the full article.

Pickleball Paddles: A Weighty Issue

So now that we know we can, let’s ask the question “why”. Just as in tennis, yes some tennis players add lead tape to their tennis rackets, lead tape alters the weight and balance of the paddle. A four-inch strip of the 1/2 inch tape weighs two grams. The Head Extreme Pro paddle I use is 7.6 ounces. If I add 4″ of tape to the edge of the paddle, my 7.6-ounce paddle becomes 7.74-ounces. That may not seem like a big difference to you…but paddles are pretty light so a few ounces can mean a lot.

More importantly, it alters the balance of the paddle….by this I mean the relative weight of the handle versus the face of the paddle. Many times a player will pick up two paddles thinking one weighs more than the other. However, if you placed the two paddles on a scale they weigh exactly the same. The player perceives the one paddle as heavier because more of the weight is distributed outside of the handle. I can feel the two grams referenced above.

Sarah's Ideal Grip

Control means letting go...

I gave a lesson to near beginner last week. As I always do, I check the grip first and explain the advantages of the continental grip. But there is more to the grip than the paddle handle's relative position in the hand. Sarah Ansboury talks about some of the important parts of the grip in her RVPickler article The Ideal Pickleball Grip, an excerpt of which is below.

Ideal Pickleball Grip

The ideal pickleball grip requires you to hold the paddle with your fingers.  There should be space between the palm of your hand and the handle of the paddle. Rather than your thumb running up the handle, it should go around the handle. This will minimize the risk of hyper-extending your elbow or over-utilizing your wrist.

Focus in the Immediacy

Focus on the outcome...

Over the past year, we have talked a lot about focus, and especially the need to focus on what is directly in front of you. One of the posts I rank at the top was The Most Important Shot, in which I discussed that the next shot determines how the rest of the rally will play out. Therefore, it should be the single point of focus at that point in time. More recently, I wrote a series about targeting in which I discussed that every shot should have a purpose.

Now, the RV Picklers have added their view in the article Pickleball Focus: Here and Now. Excerpts are shown below. Please visit the link for the entire article.

Learning Pickleball Focus

Stretch Those Dink Muscles

Sore muscles, happy pain...

After a couple of hours of dinking drills from Tuesday's post, you might need to stretch those pains away. Here's a good lesson from the RV Picklers and Barbara Wintroub article Pickleball Stretches…After You Have Dinked Too Much.

Fix Your Back Pain...and Your Game

Back pain is youth leaving the body...

I was drilling on dinks several weeks ago when my back started to tighten up. A friend who often gives me advice told me I was bending from the waist. Instead, I needed to get lower in my stance while keeping my head up. Another friend commented that the proper position would be felt with soreness in my legs and glutes. To make a long story short, I needed to lower my butt.

A couple of experts have some similar advice. Let's start with Sarah Ansboury and the RV Picklers in the article Pickleball Posture: Oh My Aching Back! Here is an excerpt:

STOP BENDING AT YOUR BACK!

I see poor pickleball postures at many levels of play. Often people crouch over, making themselves seem smaller. This is really bad for your body, putting stress on your back, hips, hamstrings, quads and more. Not only is bending at your back bad for your body, but it affects your ability to play at your best.

Slow Down for Better Decisions

When the why is clear, the how is easy...

The series on targeting has reached the point where it is appropriate to discuss decision-making. The first 2 parts of the series on the serve and the return of serve require little decision-making "on the fly". All 4 players are essentially locked in place and decisions about targets can be made well in advance of making the shot. But the third part of the series - the third shot - and future shots will require much more fluidity in the decision-making process. A couple of concepts will make the process easier. We will use 2 Sarah Ansboury articles to highlight the concepts

First, Sarah emphasizes that a quality shot is of paramount importance, regardless of strategy, in this excerpt from her article The Third Shot Drop is Important…But Not Your Only Option.

Hitting a Quality Shot

It is important to try to hit a quality shot each and every time. Often we rush through shots, trying to get ready for the next shot. If, instead, we had focused on hitting the best shot at that moment, we would have set ourselves up for a better next shot. If I am not in a good position to hit a quality third shot drop, I will drive the ball and work on getting into position for the next time it comes back over the net.

Always remember there is never a shot you have to hit every time you go out there… you always have options.

Targeting: The Experts on Depth

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

The past 2 Mondays have covered targeting strategies for the serve and the return of serve. Today would ordinarily be reserved for the third shot since this series is written to coincide with the topic of my skills & drills clinic held on Tuesdays. However, tomorrow's clinic has been deferred to next week. Therefore, I want to spend today reinforcing my articles with advice from experts. The targeting strategies for the third shot will be covered next Monday. 

Before I get to the experts, let me reiterate the strategies and their priority order:

1. Get it in-bounds.
2. Get it deep.
3. Get it to the backhand or weaker player.

One of the most important factors to keep in mind is the limit of your skills. Move down the priority list only as your skills allow. That means practice and drilling to move down the list.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball with Paddle Tracking

Keep your eye on the ball - even if you can't see it...

A recent article from Sarah Ansboury has caused me to revisit a topic I wrote about in May - keeping your eye on the ball. Sarah makes several good points and recommends a couple of techniques to help you with the right focus. The following excerpts are from Sarah's article Keep Your Eye on the Ball…A Simple Pickleball Tip on the RV Picklers blog.

Sarah's first recommended technique is one you have seen before. In Keep Your Eyes on the Ball - How to Do It, I wrote:

Matt Blom was an instructor at the Pickleball Summit and had students go through several ball toss drills while instructed to "watch the holes in the ball". This provides even more focus when a player is about to hit the ball.  Excellent advice.

Protect Your Shoulder

Sometimes we can avoid injuries by practicing techniques...

It seems the primary injury among my recreational group is the shoulder. Some have resorted to surgery whiles others have improved through rehab and rest. But the best solution is to prevent injury in the first place. Barbara Wintroub and the RV Picklers had an article discussing shoulder injuries called How to Prevent Pickleball Shoulder Injuries. An excerpt from the article is shown below. The entire article can be read at the link.

Prevent Pickleball Shoulder Injuries

Wouldn’t it be better to prevent these sorts of pickleball shoulder injuries?  In the video before, I show how posture, specifically the proper positioning of one’s shoulders, can minimize the incidence of shoulder injuries.  I also demonstrate simple exercises to improve your posture and shoulder position.

If you are currently under treatment for a shoulder injury, please review the video with your health professional before embarking on this or any other exercise program.

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.

How to Win a Rally Without a Swing Part 2

Are you here to play or to watch...

After having conversations about hitting too many balls headed out of bounds, I wrote a post yesterday using Coach Mo's tips to help break the habit. Today's post will continue discussing that same topic but with an excerpt from Sarah Ansboury and the RV Picklers article The Secret to Not Hitting Out Balls.

Secret #1: Slow Down

One of the most important things you can do to not hit out balls is to slow down! Often players seem to have such a sense of urgency to get the ball back, that they rush through the point. If you watch the better players play, it often seems that they have plenty of time to get to the ball. They are comfortable and set before they execute the stroke. They see the ball, the court and seem to have all the time in the world to make a decision.

The biggest factor allowing the player to slow down is body control. This is why I emphasize balance so much in my teaching.  You must be stopped and in a balanced position before you hit the ball. You also must breathe as it is essential to remain in a relaxed state and will naturally slow you down. Slowing down enables you to make choices, rather than simply react.

Secret #2:  Paddle Position

Along with body control, we need to keep our paddles up and in front of us if we want to stop hitting out balls. We need to create and maintain space between our paddle and our body. When your paddle is pointed down at your side, and a ball is whizzing by at shoulder height, our natural reaction is to raise the paddle quickly…sometimes inadvertently making contact with the ball. Such a large movement makes it even more difficult to pull back.

When we have a shorter swing and less motion to the ball, it gives us even, more time to react. We can move toward the ball or more easily pull away from a ball that is going out.

The most important sentence in that article, in my opinion, is "Slowing down enables you to make choices, rather than simply react". I wrote a series last month about movement around the court that included a post titled Speed Kills, in which I used another Sarah article to highlight the need for players to slow down. The ability to make better decisions is a big part of that strategy.

How Golf Relates to Pickleball

Balance is not something you stumble across.  It is something you create...

I mentioned golf in yesterday's post about movement. The statement was:

"I like to talk about golf when explaining this concept in clinics. Golfers practice the mechanics of the swing hour after hour to build the muscle memory to repeat it on the course. But the ball must be in the same place relative to their body to make the same swing. Therefore, they adjust their body by bending at the knees or or waist in order to play a ball on a slope or otherwise impaired."

Today, I would like to expand on that relationship. First, I want to use a Mark Renneson video called Golf vs Pickleball. Mark's emphasis in this video is about the power generated when a player loads up by "coiling" his body. The power behind a shot is released when the body "uncoils" during the swing. While that is an excellent concept to understand, it is not how I want to use this video. Mark briefly mentions getting into the proper position and I want to explore that more in-depth.

Foot Pain - Shoes and Other Help

If your feet are happy, you are happy...

I recently posted on Pickleball Shoes in which I mentioned how proper shoes helped alleviate leg pain. This week we will go a bit lower and talk about foot pain. Barbara Wintroub has started contributing to the RV Pickler website and her first article is a beauty.

Oh My Aching Pickleball Feet…Avoiding Foot Pain

I am often asked two questions related to painful pickleball feet. The first is, what sneakers should I wear? And the second is, how can I avoid foot pain so I can play longer? Avoiding foot pain when you are playing pickleball is critical. So today, let me offer you a bit of advice and some exercises you can do to avoid those aching pickleball feet.

What are the Best Sneakers for my Pickleball Feet?

I think there are three critical issues when it comes to finding the best shoe for you:

1. Get Professional Assistance: Take the time to go to a good sports shoe store with qualified staff. Have them measure your foot. As we get older our feet have a tendency to spread. You may have been a size 7B when you were 21…but your sports shoe size as a 50-year-old could be 8D. Some stores employ orthotists. These are people who can analyze your foot and your gait. They may suggest you look for a shoe that is designed for an “overpronator” or that you “supinate”. You may be able to do some analysis yourself. See this article for more information on analyzing the wear patterns of your current court shoes. Though you may purchase your shoes on-line, take the time to be properly fitted and learn about what brands and models are best for you.
2. Purchase High-Quality Court Shoes: Running shoes were not designed for pickleball! They are meant to gofeet forward…not side to side. You need to purchase good court shoes (sometimes called tennis shoes). If you play primarily indoors, consider badminton shoes.
3. Remember, Court Shoes Wear Out: Don’t expect to have a pair of shoes last 12 months if you are playing 10+ hours a week. If the shoe wobbles from side to side when you tap it, replace it. If you can easily bend the shoe in half lengthwise…throw it away. I like to buy two or three pairs of the same court shoe when I find a brand/model that works well for me.

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A Comprehensive Answer to the Yips

Life is like an ice cream cone. You have to learn to lick it...

Yesterday's post had the thoughts of 3 experts on overcoming the service yips. Their solutions were each somewhat one-dimensional without looking beyond one aspect of the serve. As usual, Sarah Ansboury takes a more comprehensive view in her RV Pickler article Oh Sh?%: Lost Your Serve.

I have seen many cases of the ball shooting in one direction or another. At times, it may land in the middle of the net. The next shot nearly sails over the fence. It lands in the neighboring court on the left, then the right. Frankly, for those that have had the serving yips, they don’t have any idea where the next ball will land. 

As always we want to be aware of where our paddle starts and finishes. So the very first thing to check, if this happens to you, is your finish position. Regardless of your level of embarrassment or frustration, hold your finish position and analyze where it is. Your paddle should be extended flat toward our target.

• You want to swing from your shoulder, not your wrist, not our elbow;
• You want to extend out away from your body…to often we become cramped, too close to our body;
• You want to be fairly upright so your hips and shoulders can naturally rotate into the shot.

Your goal is to allow your body to move effortlessly. Allow your body to turn naturally. Increase your range of motion. 

It’s All in Your Head 

Paddle Up

I'm ready so bring it on...

Yesterday's post included a list of some of the best advice that players have received. One of the most popular pieces of advice "keep your paddle up". This is a common element taught by instructors like Prem Carnot, Coach Mo, and others. One of the most prominent experts teaching this is Sarah Ansboury with her paddle-tracking technique. 

Over the next several days - today and next week - I will show some of Sarah's advice in greater detail. Before starting, let me lay out where this is heading. There is a contrarian view to the "paddle up" mantra. As usual, the contrarian view is set forth by Mark Renneson. After reviewing Sarah's advice, we will use Mark's work to reach a conclusion. Stay tuned through the series.

The first look at Sarah's advice comes from an article she wrote for the RV Pickler website.

How to Keep Your Paddle Up!

I am certain at some point you have been told to keep your paddle up. Someone may have even whacked a ball at you to make the point. While we all know we should keep our paddle up, we don’t always do it. Rather than pointing out your mistake, I would rather teach you how to keep your paddle up!

Instead of focusing on keeping your paddle up I want you to focus on two things: 1. Maintaining a neutral posture which faces the ball, and 2. Tracking the ball with your paddle. Let’s review each of these:

Your Neutral Position

Here is a picture of me in what I like to call my happy, neutral zone. You may have heard the term “ready position” or “compressed position”. You’ll notice that my feet are a bit wider than shoulder width apart. You can’t see it here, but trust me I am not flat-footed. Ideally, I feel light and agile on the balls of my feet. I bend forward from my hips, not my waist. I keep my chest and head up. You’ll notice that I am holding the paddle in front of me at about chest height.

I should be maintaining this position whenever I am not running or hitting the ball. I call this the neutral zone because it allows us to move in either direction, side to side, or forward or back.

When you assume the neutral position, I want you to face the ball. I am not suggesting you turn your head, but rather you angle your body so that you are facing the ball. Imagine you were hitting a cross court dink. You wouldn’t stand square to the net and attempt to hit the dink across your body. Instead, you would angle your body so that you are facing where the ball is intended to go. After hitting the ball, return to your neutral position, angling your body in the direction the ball will be traveling to you.

Use Your Paddle as a Tracking Device

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Player Communication Rules - RV Picklers

Know the rules well...

The RV Picklers do a great job of explaining the rules when readers send them unusual questions. Today's article talks about partner communication rules with regard to a couple of specific situations.

Partner Communication…It’s Out, But You Hit It

We continue to receive questions from readers about pickleball rules. Recently, we received two questions related to partner communication and when the ball is out.

One reader asked:

My partner called “out” after it hit the ground. I agreed, but was in mid-swing and hit the ball anyway. Our opponent said that since I hit the ball it was considered in. Is it?

Another reader wrote:

The opponents hit a ball to us, and my partner calls it “OUT” (after the bounce). I disagree, call the ball “IN” and return it. What is the status of the ball? In the game, the opponents did not hear my IN call and did not play the ball. How is this resolved? This was social play and there wasn’t a referee.

Partner Communication

Read more >>

NVZ Myths Debunked

Separating the myth from the truth...

The past couple of weeks have been focused on play at the Non-Volley Zone line. Emphasis on this area is important because this is where games are won. In addition, beginners are not comfortable at the line so we have focused on drills to improve that comfort level. We will return to NVZ play next week but the RV Picklers had a timely article about myths that will help players understand what they can and cannot do at the NVZ line.

3 Non-Volley Zone Myths Debunked

A reader recently asked us a question regarding his club’s “local” pickleball rule. It was related to the non-volley zone. As we travel around the country, we encounter many players that have been told lots of things about the non-volley zone. Some are true…others no more than local lore. Today, we debunk three common non-volley zone myths.

NVZ Myth #1:  “Must Bounce First”

We were recently playing in Palm Springs when I overheard a disagreement on a neighboring court. Two relatively new players were introducing two friends to the game of pickleball. That’s great! However, during the course of play, a fault was assessed when a player entered the non-volley zone before the ball bounced.  Wrong!

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Defend the Line

You have to defend your honor, your family, and the NVZ line...

Over the last week, I highlighted the importance of teaching from the NVZ as the first step and focused on that with drills to make players more comfortable at the NVZ. Sarah Ansboury's article for the RV Picklers adds to the power of that position.

Pickleball Fundamental: Holding the Line

What is so important about holding your line? Everything! Pickleball is played at the non-volley zone line. If you are not positioned at the non-volley zone line for the majority of the game, you are playing a different game.

Getting There

The first step to holding the line is to get there. If you don’t get to the non-volley zone you will not improve. If you have mobility challenges, consider hitting a high, loopy service return rather than driving the ball. Hitting a high, deep return gives you more time to move to the line. There are many players that have perfected this shot and can actually walk to the line. Consider using the line as a guide. If you are properly positioned at the non-volley zone, your paddle will be extended over the non-volley zone in front of you.

Beginner Pickleball

Experts start as beginners...

I recently have been filling in for a fellow ambassador giving beginner-to-intermediate clinics. This week I will begin a series of articles on drills, but today's post will use the newest RV Pickler article to kick off the keys to teaching beginner pickleball. It will help readers to understand why the drills are placed in the order I chose as well as their points of emphasis.

Pickleball 101: Start at the NVZ Line

Golf instructors will tell you, “If you want to teach a new player the game start at the hole”. The same goes for pickleball 101, start at the NVZ line.

Pickleball 101: Safety

Many pickleball clubs, facilities, and groups have created programs to introduce pickleball to new players. The Villages has one of the most robust. With over 75 volunteer instructors offering at least one class per week in the off-season and at least five classes per week in-season, this program introduces about 5,000 seniors each year to the game of pickleball.