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