The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles - Wrap-up

A video, Doubles Pickleball - The Basic Overall Strategy, served as the theme this week. The goal of the video was to help newcomers and spectators understand the "whats and whys" about play in a typical high-level game. While it is a great video that meets its goal, it is probably a little hard for a newcomer - or even an intermediate level player - to relate to all the concepts. We will attempt to bridge that gap by going through the overall strategy and phases of a rally as described in the video and compare them to our real life play as closer-to-average players.

The video first states the overriding strategy of early play in a rally is related to the singular goal of controlling the net. This means that players use tactics to get to the net while simultaneously preventing their opponents from doing so. Experience and statistics show that this is the single most important action to win a rally. The team that controls the net will win 7 out of 10 points. This is true of all levels of play. Therefore, the tactics used in early phases apply equally to newcomers and professionals. The good news is that some of these are easy. The bad news is that some are the hardest shots in the game.

The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles - Phase 4

A previous post mentioned that this is a theme week focused on understanding what is happening on the court. The centerpiece is a video, Doubles Pickleball - The Basic Overall Strategy. That initial post introduced and emphasized the overriding strategy of getting to the net. The next several posts moved on to the first phase of most points which the video calls "The Formality Phase", followed by a post about phase 2 named "The Service Team Struggle to the Net", and a post about phase 3 named "Dinking". This post discusses phase 4 of most points - "Fast Play".

Fast Play begins as soon as the ball gets high. Dinking lasts only until a shot gets high enough to invite an aggressive shot. Fast Play starts with the first smash to the body of an opponent or toward an open area. One item of note is discussed in this section. Many players at lower levels believe it is a breach of etiquette to hit at an opponent. The unwritten rules of tournament make this shot not only acceptable, but expected.

The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles - Phase 3

A previous post mentioned that this is a theme week focused on understanding what is happening on the court. The centerpiece is a video, Doubles Pickleball - The Basic Overall Strategy. That initial post introduced and emphasized the overriding strategy of getting to the net. The next post moved on to the first phase of most points which the video calls "The Formality Phase", followed by a post about phase 2 named "The Service Team Struggle to the Net". This post discusses phase 3 of most points - "Dinking".

The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles - Phase 2

A previous post mentioned that this is a theme week focused on understanding what is happening on the court. The centerpiece is a video, Doubles Pickleball - The Basic Overall Strategy. That initial post introduced and emphasized the overriding strategy of getting to the net. The next post moved on to the first phase of most points which the video calls "The Formality Phase". This post advances to phase 2 of most points - "The Service Team Struggle to the Net".

Phase 2 is when the service team tries to advance to the net in order to level the playing field. Remember that phase 1 concluded with the non-serving team positioned at the net. They have a tactical advantage because the service team had to stay back waiting for the return of serve to bounce. The service team must overcome their disadvantage by gaining the net through a third shot strategy.

The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles - Phase 1

A previous post mentioned that this is a theme week focused on understanding what is happening on the court. The centerpiece is a video, Doubles Pickleball - The Basic Overall Strategy. That initial post introduced and emphasized the overriding strategy of getting to the net. This post moves on to the first phase of most points which the video calls "The Formality Phase".

The Formality Phase consists of the serve, the return of serve, and the capture of the net by the service return team. This phase is appropriately named because these actions occur in nearly every point of tournament play. The serve initiates play and the return of serve has the goal of allowing the team to get to the net.

The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles

This week will be themed around the specific topic in the title. A very good Joe Baker video, Doubles Pickleball - The Basic Overall Strategy, explains what is going on in a pickleball game. The video's stated intent is to provide spectators and newcomers with an understanding of what pickleball players are doing and why they are doing it. Unlike most videos I include on this site, it is not about the how-to's of pickleball, but about the why's.

The video breaks a rally down into 4 phases, each of which will be covered in a separate article. The video is long - over 16 minutes - and contains way too much information for a single post.

Offbeat Sunday: Oh Pickleball

O PICKLEBALL

(To the tune of O Christmas Tree)

Words by: Nolan Ahn, Kauai, Hawaii

O Pickleball O Pickleball, 

This game is so addictive.

O Pickleball O Pickleball,

I wish I was more active.

The ball has holes and flies so slow, 

It lets us hit it to and fro.

It makes us think that we are fast,

The truth is that our time is past.

My paddle is my only tool, 

Sometimes it makes me look the fool.

If I should miss the ball in flight,

It has a hole and that’s not right.

An Inside view of the Low Country Pickleball Classic

I played in the subject tournament last weekend. Saturday was mens doubles and Sunday was mixed doubles. My partner in the mens bracket was Rich Ferragina, a friend and Hendersonville resident with whom I play regularly. In contrast, my partner in the mixed bracket was Trudy Chaille, a Hilton Head Island resident and someone I had never met prior to Sunday except by email. Both partnerships proved successful with a silver and gold medal, respectively. But this post isn't about the play. Its about the tournament, with the intent to give new players some idea of the experience.

The Low Country tournament is unlike the local tournaments - senior games, fun tournaments, etc. - in scope. The tournament had 200+ players from at least 15 states, including distant states like Massachusetts, Nevada, and Illinois. The tournament is competitive because it separates the brackets into both skill level and age groups. For example, I played at the 3.5 skill level in the 60-64 age bracket. The original bracket was 50-64 but so many players entered that it was broken down into smaller groups. I won't list all the brackets, but the men's doubles gives a good idea of the competitive breakdown:

Common Pickleball Mistakes

Some time ago I wrote a post about staying aggressive in the dinking game - Dink Game Strategies. One of the areas where aggressiveness needs to be apparent is your reaction when a ball will land near your feet at the kitchen line. Do you back up to take the ball higher on the bounce or do you hit it in the air?

In that earlier post, I wrote:

"There is one final element to an aggressive dink game – never back up unless necessary. Many players will step back when a shot is hit to their feet to take the ball on a short-hop. While this step gives you more time to assess your options, it also gives your opponent more time to prepare for their return. Maybe even more important is the mental aspect. An aggressive player takes the ball in the air while a passive player allows it to bounce. Always take a ball in the air when possible to keep your weight toward the net and to keep an aggressive frame of mind."

Can you Teach an Old Dog New Tricks?

The answer is...certainly. The Grand Canyon State Games Pickleball Tournament was recently played and a 70+ mixed doubles team found themselves way down in the championship match. They changed their strategy, won 10 points in a row, and won the gold medal. Hear for yourself what they changed to turn the match around in this Pickleball Channel video called Winning Tips - Winning Gold: Dacey-Brower.

Yours, Mine and Pickleball Communication

Yesterday, I posted an article from RV Picklers titled Becoming a Better Pickleball Partner. The article talked about the power of positive reinforcement vs the negative body language. The RV Picklers followed up that article with another from Sarah Ansboury in which partner communications during a rally was discussed. This article essentially conforms with my post Communicating with a Partner - During a Rally. The articles are so similar that I will not show any quotes from my post, but I encourage you to read it because it includes some additional points. Here is the article from Sarah and the RV Picklers:

Yours, Mine and Pickleball Communication

Last week we talked about Becoming a Better Pickleball Partner; specifically about the body language and words we use that either build up a successful team or doom it to failure. Another way to become a better partner is to learn to communicate during the pickleball point.

Becoming a Better Pickleball Partner

I have written a couple of posts about partner communications. The first was Communicating with a Partner - Off the Court. That post discussed the pre-game conversations and included a short section on building confidence:

"But the most important communication aspect might not be about what happens between the sidelines, but between the ears. The pre-match conversation should create an air of confidence between partners. Players should support each other and avoid any negative thoughts. Such discussions help to build winning attitudes that will move from off the court to play on the court, where a different level of communication is needed"

2016 Low Country Pickleball Classic - Results

The Low Country Pickleball Classic was played near Hilton Head on Friday-Sunday with several local players participating. 

The results are shown below.

Karen Wolfe and Sherry Jackson in the 3.5 Womens Doubles (65+)
- Lost to Tina Boston and Sandra Miley 11-9
- Lost to Jean Haupt and Joan Allaben 11-10
- Lost to Carol Short and Mary Claire Horner 11-5
- Lost to Hilda Anglin and Sharon MacKenzie 11-10
- Defeated Ruth Brenner and Barb Pearson 11-6

Off-beat Sunday: Pickleball Attitude

With apologies to Charles Schulz.

How to be a Complete Pickleball Player

Pickleball is a game where reaching the desired level of success requires some physical skill, knowledge of the game, patience, and discipline. I have touched on aspects of these elements all through this blog. Occasionally, I find something on-line that puts the thoughts together in a single piece. Coach Mo has an article that fits the bill.  

How to Become a Complete Pickleball Player

2016 Greater Greenville Senior Sports Classic Pickleball Tournament - Results

The advanced portion of the Greater Greenville Senior Sports Classic Pickleball Tournament was played Thursday with several local players participating.

The results are shown below.

Pickleball Scoring Made Easy

An early post - Doubles Scoring and Player Positioning - tried to explain the complicated way that scores are kept in doubles. A longish video called Pickleball Scoring Made Easy supplements the written word of that article.

Etiquette - When the Rally Ends

Frustration. That word says it all, doesn't it. Frustration over missing a shot you've made a thousand times in the past. Frustration over just failing to get to a ball before its second bounce. Frustration over getting your partner killed by popping up a simple dink. It happens...to all of us. Where we differ is our reaction to the frustration. What sometimes gets lost in the immediacy after the play is that people will remember you less for the bad play than for the bad behavior resulting from the bad play.

The right way to handle frustration is to stop. Stop playing. Stop running. Stop swinging. Stop complaining. No one cares. Stop doing what your frustration tells you to do. Instead, catch the ball or go pick it up. Hand it or tap it to the next server. Compliment your opponent for a good shot. Then move on.

Greater Greenville Senior Sports Classic Pickleball Tournament

The 4th annual Greater Greenville Senior Sports Classic Pickleball Tournament will be held April 14-15 at Gower Park in Greenvile, SC. 

Several local players are scheduled to play.

Sandro Francioni and Paul Aaron are in the Mens Doubles (Advanced)

Rich Ferragina and Michael Wiltsek are in the Mens Doubles (Advanced)

Rich Ferragina and Lin Kolb are in the Mixed Doubles (Advanced)

If all goes well, results will be posted later this week.

Good luck to all!

Low Country Pickleball Classic

The 3rd annual Low Country Pickleball Classic will be held April 15-17 at Sun City Hilton Head in Bluffton, SC. 

Several local players are scheduled to play.

Karen Wolfe and Sherry Jackson (Bluffton) are in the 3.5 Womens Doubles (65+)

Melinda Splain and Suz Flynt are in the 4.0/4.5 Womens Doubles (All Ages)

Paul Aaron and Trudy Chaille (Hilton Head) are in the 3.5 Mixed Doubles (60+)

Karen Wolfe and Eliot Butter are in the 3.5 Mixed Doubles (65+)

Melinda Splain and Dennis Luedke are in the 4.0 Mixed Doubles (35+, 50+)

Suz Flynt and Bob Yankes (Bluffton) are in the 4.0 Mixed Doubles (65+)

Paul Aaron and Rich Ferragina are in the 3.5 Mens Doubles (60+)

Rick Ezrol and Dennis Luedke are in the 4.0 Mens Doubles (All Ages)

Results will be posted next week.

Good luck to all!

2016 USAPA Atlantic South Regional Tournament - Results (Updated)

The USAPA Atlantic South Regional Tournament was played in Mobile, AL this weekend.

Several local players participated with the following results:

Deb Richter and JoAnnah Michael in the 4.0 Womens Doubles (50+)
- Lost to Vicki Enos and Pat Hartje 11-1,10-12,11-7
- Defeated Jean Vasicek and Julie Jean-Scott 15-10
- Lost to Trish Snyder and Laura Patterson 15-13

USAPA Atlantic South Regional Tournament

Tournament season in the southeast has been ongoing for a couple of months. Most of the action has been centered in Florida but is starting to move northward. Of more relevance, some local players are participating in the USAPA Atlantic South Regional Tournament in Mobile, AL this weekend.

Deb Richter and JoAnnah Michael are entered in the 4.0 Womens Doubles (50+)

Chris Allen and Rodney Allman (Gastonia) are entered in the 4.0 Mens Doubles (19+, 35+)

JoAnnah Michael and Les Massengale are entered in the 4.0 Mixed Doubles (50+)

Chris Allen and Trish Snyder are entered in the 4.0 Mixed Doubles (50+)

Deb Richter and Rick Colling are entered in the 4.0 Mixed Doubles (60+)

I will post the results later this weekend.

Good luck to all!

Free Pickleball Magazine

I received this email on Thursday:

Hello Pickleball Friends,

In a continued effort to build our subscription base at Pickleball Magazine, I would like to send a FREE link to view our second issue of the magazine to as many "picklers" as possible. 

If you have any friends that you would like me to periodically send the magazine link to, please send me their email addresses and I will add them to my list. Send 1 or send 1,000 – I'm trying to build a database!

Thanks.

Wayne

Wayne Dollard / Publisher

Palmetto Doubles Invitational Pickleball Tournament

The fourth annual Palmetto Doubles Pickleball Tournament will be played Aug 13-Aug 15 in Aiken, SC. Several local players played this tournament last year and were sufficiently impressed to sign up again this year. It is an indoor tournament so there is no threat of rain-out or excessive heat. Some of the highlights from their website are shown below.

From the website:

Pickleball Summit

A great opportunity for serious players to work with top players and coaches for an entire weekend is available this July in Charlotte. Players Matthew Blom, Sarah Ansboury and Matt Staub, along with a famed coach Prem Carnot, will hold a training and play event July 15-17. You might recognize some of these names as I have used their videos and articles in many of my posts. Below is a description of the event. Click on the Pickleball Summit icon below to go to the site.

Answers to Rules Quiz - More Serve

1. Margy recently added pickleball to her recreational activities in addition to tennis, which she has played for 20 years. In her pickleball games, she occasionally slips into tennis mode and once even tried to serve overhead! A routine she learned in tennis to help calm her nerves is to bounce the ball before her serve. At a crucial point in a recent pickleball game, she bounced the ball and served to Jimmy. Rather than hitting the serve back, Jimmy caught the ball and claimed that Margy faulted by bouncing the ball. Margy said that the bounce was before the point was initiated and Jimmy faulted by not returning the serve. Who is right?

Answer: Margy is right and wins the point. Jimmy confused Margy's legal bouncing with the rule against hitting the serve off a bounce.

Rules Quiz - More Serve

1. Margy recently added pickleball to her recreational activities in addition to tennis, which she has played for 20 years. In her pickleball games, she occasionally slips into tennis mode and once even tried to serve overhead! A routine she learned in tennis to help calm her nerves is to bounce the ball before her serve. At a crucial point in a recent pickleball game, she bounced the ball and served to Jimmy. Rather than hitting the serve back, Jimmy caught the ball and claimed that Margy faulted by bouncing the ball. Margy said that the bounce was before the point was initiated and Jimmy faulted by not returning the serve. Who is right?

Offbeat Sunday: 'Pickleball'? Why didn't they just call it 'flossmonkey'?

From the Ogden Standard-Examiner:

Enthusiasts flock to the pickleball courts at Mount Ogden Park, while the tennis courts sit empty, in this Aug 14, 2014, photo.

OGDEN — Just when things were finally beginning to look up for our beloved Junction City.

By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard the news that the prestigious 2015 Pickleball Tournament of Champions is leaving Ogden. We pause momentarily for the gasps and cries of disbelief to subside …

John Gullo, a local philanthropist and pickleball enthusiast, has been instrumental in bringing the sport to Ogden. Two years ago he ponied up $48,000 in prize money to bring the world’s best pickleball players to Ogden for a tournament. Now in its third year, the event was scheduled for Sept. 9-12 in Ogden, but only recently — and abruptly — was moved to Brigham City after Gullo had a falling out with Ogden city officials.

Apparently, one town’s loss is another’s gain.

Pickleball is a court sport that has been described as a cross between tennis, badminton and ping pong. Players use small paddles to hit a wiffle ball back and forth over a three-foot-high net in what Gullo calls “the most social game ever invented.” But only because drinking isn’t really a game.

Now, lest you think I’m about to disparage the sport, let me say that while I’ve not had the pleasure of actually trying the game, I have watched it. And it certainly does look like a jolly good time. 

Brevard Rec Center Summer Camp Schedule

John Jessen recently sent an email about the summer schedule in Brevard as it is impacted by the camp activity in the gym. John's note is shown below.

Good day picklers,

I had a talk with Jared at the Rec Center today to discuss the camp schedule for this summer. We will be giving up some court time because of these camps. There may be times that we can play during these camps, but it be on a week to week notice.

Basic Rules and Gameplay - a New Video

I have been posting about a series of new videos from Pure Pickleball that cover topics previously discussed but are worthy of updating the topic.

Today's topic is basic rules and gameplay as covered in my prior posts Doubles Scoring and Player Positioning and Rallies and Faults. The name of the video is How To Play Pickleball: Part 3 of 3 - Rules and Gameplay.