The Jerry Drill

Expanding your mind from the standard programming...

After playing 4 years of pickleball, several principles have been embedded in my mind and, therefore, in my play. Some actions have become almost automatic...like dink low balls and attack high balls. One other action that is ingrained is to move to the net after a drive to an opponent at the baseline. The Jerry Drill is primarily a groundstroke drill but I found the mental challenge to be equally enlightening.

The Jerry Drill has one rule - every ball must bounce before it is hit. Instead of the 2-bounce rule, it is the always-bounce rule. Players can position themselves anywhere on the court, but, much like the positioning for the serving team, it only makes sense for all players to position themselves at the baseline so a ball can bounce in front of them.

Unconscious Excellence

Get your mind out of the way...

Last week we learned how to reach Nirvana. This week DJ Howard teaches us that Nirvana is not the last step of the journey. 

DJ's Weekly tip:

Last week I described the levels of development for skill sets-

1. Unconscious Incompetence
2. Conscious Incompetence
3. Conscious Competence
4. Unconscious Competence

These are very important to understand.

But there is one level I did not mention or describe. There is one more level of development and is reserved for the highest levels of performers.

You ready? The next level of development is...

Unconscious Excellence

Ever watch a concert pianist or other top musician play their instruments? Or an artist draw or paint? Their fingers seem to move perfectly without any thought to the process. Their timing, balance, and rhythm are perfect. They make a decision of which song to play or what piece or artwork to put on paper, but their body takes over and simply performs. They simply "feel" their way thru. Sounds a bit like a top athlete too, does it not? They display perfect timing, balance, and rhythm, all while appearing seemingly effortless.

Simple Skill Level Chart

Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level...

I get questions about skill levels a lot. There are many ways to evaluate skills, including USAPA and IPTPA skill checklists. Pickleball Central recently posted a very simple chart that provides a pretty good idea for players to judge themselves.

Backhand Slice

Getting the fundamentals right...

This week, the Jordan Briones Primetime video series again works from the baseline. Instead of the servers, though, this post focuses on the return of serve and, in particular, the backhand slice by viewing his video Backhand Slice Success | How To Hit A Great Pickleball Backhand Slice. We will follow along through Jordan's presentation as he breaks the shot mechanics down and then puts it all together at the end.

But first, why even bother with a slice? Why isn't a regular backhand good enough? Simply put, the slice puts additional pressure on your opponent. It has a couple of benefits.

Central Virginia Classis

Virginia is for lovers...

Registration is now open for the Central Virginia Classic Pickleball Tournament to be held on May 25-27 in Charlottesville, VA. The tournament will include Mixed Doubles, Women's Doubles, and Men's Doubles. The Boar's Head Resort is a great indoor venue with DecoTurf surface and 20-24 pickleball courts.

Recycle Sunday - Communicating with a Partner - Changing the Game

A blast from the past...

I have started a series called Recycle Sunday in which I repeat some old articles. This article was originally published January 8, 2016.

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We have discussed a couple of partner communication essentials – off-the-court and during a rally. There remain 2 periods of time that have yet to be discussed. These are the breaks between rallies, including time-outs, and post-match. Let’s first focus on the between-rally breaks.

Most play allows very short time periods between rallies, necessitating very brief communications. Generally, these should be limited to one of two quick statements:

1. A player informing their partner of a very specific shot or tactic that may be attempted
2. Encouragement and compliments 

If Player A has noticed a weakness or tendency that was not discussed pre-match, he might choose to try something outside his normal style of play, such as a lob, poach, or alternate third-shot. Player A should communicate this intent to his partner so he can be properly prepared. This type of communication will likely be rare during a match.

Treatment of Pickleball Injuries

Pain is just a state of mind...

An interesting post from the Pickleball Forum.

How much time should you take off for various injuries:

1. Bruise from getting hit by opponent’s shot — call them a nasty name and keep playing

2. Slightly twisted ankle from opponent moving you around — Call them a nasty name and keep playing

3. Slight muscle pull from chasing opponent’s lobs — call them a nasty name and keep playing

4. Broken finger — tape it up and keep playing

5. Sprained ankle — doctor says take a month off — laugh at the doctor, and play the next day.

6. Pulled hamstring, doctor says take 6 weeks off — call him a nasty name, take one day off and then keep playing

Powerade State Games of North Carolina

Camel City...

Registration is now open for the Powerade Games of North Carolina Pickleball Tournament to be held on June 8-10 at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.  

Unconscious Competence

Enlightenment is earned in stages...

Nirvana is the ultimate state of enlightenment in Buddhism. It is attained by passing through 4 stages of realization. I am woefully inadequate to explain these stages. But I found it interesting that attaining the Nirvana of Buddhism correlates with attaining nirvana in pickleball. You will see what I mean when your read today's post from DJ Howard.  

Weekly tip: Understand your level of consciousness and competence.

There are four stages of development that everyone must go thru when learning an athletic skill. They are as follows:

1. Unconscious incompetence. Basically, you don't know what you don't know. There is so much to learn and you don't even know where or how to begin. This person often looks at pro athletes on tv and thinks, "that's not that difficult" simply because the pro athletes make it look so easy. He doesn't understand all that went into making it look that easy.

United Way of Kershaw County Pickleball Tournament

Steeplechase Capital of the World...

Registration is now open for the United Way of Kershaw County Pickleball Tournament to be held on June 9-10 at a new pickleball complex in Camden, SC. The tournament will include Mixed Doubles, Women's Doubles, and Men's Doubles. 

Third Shot Footwork

Getting the fundamentals right...

The Jordan Briones Primetime video series continues from a different position - the baseline. Today's post uses his video Pickleball | Essential 3rd Shot Footwork to show how proper positioning will help to make your third shot drop more consistent. 

The fundamentals of any consistent shot, especially the third shot drop, consist of hitting the ball in the same place every time. I talked about this extensively in the December 16, 2017 post Positioning and the Natural Swing. I stated:

I believe that everyone has a natural swing. The swing that you took the first time you touched a paddle was likely your natural swing. You performed it without thought and used what felt comfortable. Ever since that day, your swing has been influenced by your mind as it adjusts your swing to fix mishits and misplays and to add others' technical advice...

The principle of a natural swing is simple. It is all about comfort zones - something I have talked a lot about in this blog, especially when targeting spots to take your opponents out of their comfort zone. The same theory can be reversed when thinking of yourself. Getting yourself into a position to take your natural swing is the ultimate comfort zone. That's a place you want to be.

Jordan talks about hitting the drop shot in your comfort zone, i.e., not reaching and not allowing the ball to get too close to your body. It is the area when you are balanced and most in control. In order to always contact the ball at the same point, it is imperative that you move your body to the proper position. This takes anticipating the ball's path and and getting your feet positioned early.

Don't Coach Your Partner

Just between us...

Yesterday's Recycle Sunday post was about the right kind of communication between partners. Today's post is a bonus DJ Howard post about the wrong kind of communication.

DJ's Weekly Tip: Do not "coach" your teammate during matches!

Your teammate is your teammate, not your student (unless, of course, you are a real pickleball instructor and your teammate IS your student, but that is rare and you get my point, so please go with me here). You are peers with your teammate. This is true whether you are a guy playing men's doubles, a gal playing women's doubles, or you're playing mixed doubles.

You ought not be TELLING your teammate what to do. If they ask for advice, you may give it. Exception: if you have a longstanding relationship in which you are the boss and they are a mouse who is willing to do the bidding of whatever the boss says, then I guess I'm not speaking to you. But my guess is that is a very small minority.

Recycle Sunday - Communicating with a Partner - Off the Court

A blast from the past...

I have started a series called Recycle Sunday in which I repeat some old articles. This article was originally published January 6, 2016.

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All of us have relationships with other people - like spouses, children, co-workers, or friends. As a result, we all know how important good communication is to maintaining a healthy relationship. A pickleball partnership is no different, regardless of whether the partnership lasts only one game or extends for years. Good communication strengthens the team and leads to better results.

On-court communication seems obvious and will be discussed in a separate post. But good communication starts off the court with pre-match discussions about what will happen on the court. This is true for all competitive matches and especially true if the partnership is new or in its early stages.

Greenville Pickleball Spring Smash

The hottest city in America...

Registration is now open for the Greenville Pickleball Spring Smash Pickleball Tournament to be held on April 6-7 in Greenville, SC. The tournament will include Mixed Doubles, Women's Doubles, and Men's Doubles. Players can register online at https://goo.gl/WrJN98 or they can use the attached form and mail in their registration. (The tournament is also listed with registration links on PickleballTournaments.com). Registration closes soon.

Rally Scoring

Change the rules, change the game...

There seems to be a lot of chatter about rally scoring among some groups of pickleball players. I even heard that one of the rules sessions at the recent ambassador retreat featured an enthusiastic ambassador pushing to allow rally scoring. I did not hear what the USAPA response was but I would guess (and hope) that it was a big "NO".

So what is rally scoring, why do some want to see it implemented, and why do others want to see it die a fast death?

Rally scoring differs from regular scoring by awarding a point after every rally instead of only when the serving team wins the rally. In other words, the non-serving team can also score points. Proponents of the change like that the games are faster and more predictable as a result. Some think it will make the game more appealing to television audiences. They cite the 1999 change to rally scoring for volleyball as a success.