Playing Net Cord Balls

Be ready for anything...

Daniel Joseph (DJ) Howard is an IPTPA instructor in Michigan. He is also a member of the Pickleball Forum where he offers a weekly tip. DJ has kindly agreed to allow me to include his Forum tips on this blog. This week's tip talks about being ready when a ball hits the top of the net.

Scenario: You see the ball coming toward your side of the net, but right at the level of the tape. How do you keep ready and not get caught off guard or be surprised by the "snap" against the tape? How do you make a play on the ball when it hits the tape?

First, make sure you are in an athletic stance, with your weight evenly distributed on the balls of your feet, your knees are flexed, your shoulders are not hunched over, and your chin is up. Your body will then be better prepared for any shot that comes your way.

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.

Paddle Position

Be ready for everything to be ready for anything...

Back in May I wrote a series of articles about the height of the paddle in the ready position. It concluded with What is the Proper Paddle Position? One part of the paddle position I did not discuss in that series was the direction that the paddle face should be held.

Below is the an image from a previous post that shows 2 extremes of the paddle position. The position on the left is perpendicular to the body and the position on the right is parallel to the body.

Simone Jardim and the Pickleball Channel have a new video called Minimizing Mistakes with Paddle Position by Simone Jardim in which she discusses her approach to paddle position.

What is the Proper Paddle Position?

Being different isn't a bad thing...

So where are we in learning about the proper positioning of the paddle when at the NVZ line and anticipating your opponents' shot. We know that lots of players think that "paddle up" is the best advice that they've received. We know that several well-known instructors teach the "paddle up" concept. But we also know that many pros do not use the technique when they play. That dichotomy makes it hard to reach a conclusion.

When instructors teach the "paddle up" technique, it means the paddle is held at chest level or higher and out in front of the body. Mark Renneson demonstrates the position below.

Note that Mark is demonstrating the most extreme example with paddle at nose level just below the eyes. That conforms with the "paddle tracking" technique taught by Sarah Ansboury.

The Reality of "Paddle Up"

Reality is humbling...

We learned yesterday that Sarah Ansboury's "paddle up" technique is rarely used by the top pros - in a video from Mark Renneson. What Mark's video missed was whether Sarah herself uses the technique. Again, the reality might surprise you.

I reviewed some recent matches that Sarah played and found that she almost exclusively dropped her paddle to waist level and often to her side. The photos below show her typical positioning while waiting for her opponents' shot.

Sarah (lower left) in February's President's Cup

Are Pros Different?

Sometimes fantasy is better than reality...

Now we know how much Sarah Ansboury emphasizes the "paddle up" position that we everyday players so often take as the fantasy ideal. Mark Renneson has done an analysis of the pros to determine if they use the technique in the real world. The results might surprise you.

Mark has learned that many pros do not use the paddle up technique at all. Some examples follow.

Glen Peterson

A Hard Habit to Break

Ego can be your enemy...

Finally, today's post will end the Sarah Ansboury lessons on keeping your paddle up. Ironically - or maybe not - the article is about Sarah performing a self-analysis of her play and finding that even she has has fallen into making the deadly mistake of dropping her paddle. She states that it is a hard habit to break. We will learn in a couple of days that it may be even harder than she admits.

Pickleball Lessons Learned

A friend commented recently that I wasn’t playing like I was teaching at the past Nationals. So I took a step back and did some analysis. Today I’ll share with you the pickleball lessons I learned in the process.

Pickleball Lessons Learned:  Start with Analysis

We all have a tendency to forget the basics…forget the things that enabled us to have success. So when several different people commented that they didn’t see me doing the things in competition, that I emphasized in my lessons and clinics; I had to do some analysis. Fortunately, it is pretty easy for me to find videos of my tournament play so it is just a matter of having the courage and taking the time to do the analysis.

I took some time in early December to analyze the video…comparing my play in April 2016 with that from this past fall. It isn’t always fun to do this. Frankly, it is easier to spot weaknesses in someone else than in yourself. But it is critical if you want to maintain what is working, and improve in other areas.

Pickleball Lessons Learned

The first thing I noticed was my body. I was much stronger at the beginning of last year. I was just in better shape. So in December, I started forcing myself to workout more. To get my body stronger, to improve my stamina and flexibility. By remaining committed to this fitness routine, I will be better prepared to weather those long tournament weeks.

When I am teaching, I focus so much on body mechanics and how to use your body properly. It was frustrating to watch myself not using my body effectively. I wasn’t using my legs enough and not tracking the ball as well as I should. I always tell my students to capitalize on their strengths. In my case, this is my forehand and by staying offensive. What I observed was I was taking away my own forehand, and separating my feet from the ground too much. This prevented me from remaining balanced and caused me to make too many mistakes.

Frankly, I hated every moment of the analysis because I know better. I know I should take care of myself, I know how to set up points. I know what I want to do…but I saw myself unfocused and off balance too often.


One Step Backward, Two Steps Forward

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A "Deadly Mistake"

One stupid mistake can change everything...

Today I will post the third Sarah Ansboury article on keeping your paddle up. She thinks the technique is so fundamental that she calls it a "deadly mistake" to allow your paddle to point to the court. 

The Most Common and Most Deadly Pickleball Mistake

There is one pickleball mistake that I see more often than any other. I see it among the most players. And I see it repeatedly during a game. It also happens to be one of the most deadly things we can do. Any guesses?

NVZ Pickleball Mistake

Though we can do this anywhere on the court, we most often see it at the non-volley zone line. After making contact with the ball we drop that paddle down pointing at the ground. As we watch the ball fly over the net, our paddle drops down and our body is pulled down with it. Now in order to get to the next ball, we have to go twice the distance.

Pickleball Mistakes have Consequences

Instead of our paddle being in a forward tracking position making our stroke a simple A TO B motion we now have to go A to H in order to get to the next ball. Often times I see players making a big circle with their paddle. You may think it only takes a second, but that second has consequences:

• Time: Split seconds are crucial in pickleball. Don’t waste a second returning your paddle to the proper position.
• Excess Motion: Every unnecessary motion you make increases the chances of errors.
• Less Time/More Motion: This is a deadly combination! You want to be set, in position before the ball is returned.

Tough Habit to Break

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Paddle Tracking

The secret of the next shot is readiness...

On Saturday, I posted a Sarah Ansboury article that discussed the need for players to keep their paddle up. Today's article explains the paddle tracking technique in more detail. Like the previous article, this contains her video of the same subject.

How to Anticipate a Pickleball Opponent’s Shot

I recently sent a survey to everyone that purchased my first ebook, 3 Pickleball Strategies that Will Improve Your Game, asking what topics they wanted me to cover in future books. The most frequently requested topic was how to anticipate a pickleball opponent’s shot. I believe there is one thing you can do that is the key to this question. So I’ll address it today.

Track the Ball with Your Paddle

I just released a YouTube video that covers the topic of tracking the ball with your paddle. (You can watch the video below.) I want to encourage you to use your paddle like a heat seeking missile. To do this effectively you must:

• Learn to Maintain a Neutral Position:  I went into more detail on the neutral position on the RVPicklers site recently, but let me reiterate a few key points here:

1. Feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart;
2. Stay on the balls of your feet;
3. Bend from you hips, keeping your chest and head up;
4. Stay relaxed, shoulders down, long neck
5. Hold paddle out in front of you.

• Hold Paddle out in Front of You: I can’t emphasize this enough! I see too many players holding the paddle too close to their chest. I want the larger muscles in your shoulders to control your motion, not your elbows or wrist. I want you to make contact with the ball in front of your body whenever possible.
• Angle Your body Toward the Ball:  Don’t stand parallel to the net and turn your head. Instead, move your torso and shift your weight to ensure you are in the correct position to return the ball if it comes your way.

Benefits of Tracking the Ball with Your Paddle

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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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The Ready Position Squirrel

If you stay ready, you won't have to get ready...

Players often are told that they need to be in the "ready position" for the next shot. Yesterday's post discussed the need for active feet to be part of that ready position.

The ready position has:

• a player's elbows and paddle in front of his body
• a player's paddle up - above his wrist
• a player's feet perpendicular to the path of the ball
• a player's feet shoulder width apart
• a player's knees bent slightly
• a player's weight on the balls of the feet
• a player's feet should be active.

This position has a player ready to move to both the paddle and the body to either the forehand or backhand side. Below is a perfect example of the ready position.

It is optional, but unnecessary, to wag your tail.

Rethinking the Ready Position

I have written a couple of articles regarding the ready position including The Ready Position at the Kitchen Line and The Ready Position from Mid-Court. Those articles discussed that positioning on the court required different ready positions, specifically that the paddle position was different. When at mid-court and back, a neutral paddle position was recommended because there is sufficient time to move the paddle to the side or even switch grips if necessary.

However, the time to react is significantly reduced when at the kitchen line. I preferred a strong backhand grip because the paddle face is already in a position to take a shot.

In Pickleball...Movement is Not Optional

I have frequently mentioned footwork and movement in my posts. It has been a while, though, where a post was devoted solely to what is likely the single most important factor in pickleball. It was several months ago when I posted Moving at the Kitchen Line and Split Step. A couple of recent videos highlight the importance of focusing on movement and are worth discussion.

Mark Renneson's video Pickleball You Move You Win uses clips from top players' matches at the recent US Open to show the value of movement. Mark shows the players' movements to position their bodies for the optimal shot. But, beyond the positional movement, he emphasizes the high energy of staying light on one's feet with athletic stances and active feet. The dynamic movement of small quick steps allows the adjustments needed to get properly positioned.

Ready Position Quick Tip

I previously posted an article on The Ready Position at the Kitchen Line in which I recommended positioning the paddle parallel to the body.

This recommendation was based on personal experience and alignment with many of the top players' techniques. For example, the above photo is Brian Staub, a national gold medal winner.

But I have always said that there are lots of techniques that work and everyone should find the one that works best for them. Mark Renneson has a quick tip in his newsletter expressing a different preference. From Mark: