Transylvania Senior Games 2016 Results

Transylvania County has published the results of its pickleball competition for its Senior Games. I have attempted to summarize it in the clearest format I could imagine. 

There are some interesting results that I'm not sure I can explain. For example, there are 3 first place players in the Men's Doubles age group 55-59. I am going to speculate that such results occur when players participate with a partner of a different age group. In this example, Michael Wiltsek's partner was Dan Dorfman in the 50-54 age group. By participating in and winning that group, Michael was a first place winner but remains in his own age group for individual placement.

Memorial Day

Today is not a day for writing or reading about pickleball. Today is about remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to create and sustain the freedom that allows us to play games. So, whether you are grilling hot dogs or playing pickleball today, take a moment to think about and thank our fallen heroes. 

Offbeat Sunday: The Doubles Glossary

If you need a laugh - we mean a real laugh - you have to read this. If you've seen it before well... a little reminder never hurt anyone. Here goes!

Following is a glossary that every doubles player will want to memorize to keep the peace with both partners and opponents:

“Yours!” Translation: I closed too tight to the net and if I try to back up, the twenty extra pounds l’m carrying will make me tip over like Humpty-Dumpty.

“Mine!!!” Translation: You missed the last four overheads so I’ll trample you if you don’t get the heck out of my way!

New Player Ratings System

There has been a lot of talk among USAPA ambassadors about a potential new player ratings system. Players are currently rated using a number system starting at 2.0 and rising in 0.5 increments to 5.0. Many clubs have rating evaluations to assign appropriate levels while other players self-rate. The reality of rating accuracy becomes apparent when players enter tournaments against experienced opponents.

The lack of transparency and consistency across regions as well as little differentiation between players at the same level has led to several proposals to develop a new system. This post highlights a system that can be found at pickleballratings.com. They have over 13,000 players rated on a scale from 0-3,000 based on performance as reported through pickleballtournaments.com. their system uses an algorithm based on wins and losses against other players as rated in their system.

Suncoast Pickleball Boot Camp

From northcarolinapickleball.net:

All of you 4.0 players or higher wanting to ramp up your game, Suncoast is bringing you the opportunity. During the week of September 25th thru the 30th, some of the top instructors will assemble at beautiful Montreat College in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Visit the following link for registration information.

http://www.suncoastpickleballassociation.com/suncoast-pickleball-boot-camp.html

An Inside view of the Georgia Mountain Spring Pickleball Classic

I played in the subject tournament last weekend. Friday was scheduled for Men's Doubles and Saturday was Mixed Doubles. My partner in the Men's bracket was Sandro Francioni, a friend and Hendersonville resident with whom I play regularly. My partner in the Mixed bracket was Suzanne Pell, also a Hendersonville resident but a player with whom I had rarely played. Both partnerships proved successful with a silver in each event. But this post isn't about the play. It is about the tournament.

The Georgia Mountain tournament is similar to the Lowcountry tournament in scope. The tournament had 260+ players from at least 14 states, with the longest trip from Colorado. 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 60-70 age bracket. I won't list all the brackets, but the Men's Doubles gives a good idea of the competitive breakdown:

Call me Crazy

Sunday mornings - a time to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast while reading the newspaper and talking with one's spouse. At least most Sundays. But not last Sunday. Not for a pickleball player with an addiction and a chance to play a competitive match. That player instead joins his playing partner before sunrise for a 2+ hour drive to play 1 game plus a few points...and then drives 2+ hours back home. That was my Sunday on May 22. But the story starts on Friday.

The Georgia Mountain Spring Pickleball Classic started Friday with Men's and Women's Doubles scheduled. Saturday was Mixed Doubles day. Sunday was reserved for any play unfinished due to rain. My Men's Doubles partner, Sandro Francioni, and I watched the weather closely all week as rain was definitely in the forecast. As Friday neared, we were optimistic that the morning play would be completed. That would be good for us since we were scheduled first at 8:30 and neither had plans to stay into Sunday.

Georgia Mountain Spring Pickleball Classic Photos

The Georgia Mountain Spring Pickleball Classic was completed on Sunday. 

Lots of western North Carolina players were participants. I will have several posts on the tournament during the week but today's post is a selection of photos of our local players and some well-known pickleball personalities. I tried to get everyone but missed several who were either my teammates (Suzanne Pell and Sandro Francioni) or playing at the same time (Beth Corn).

Courts

Dee and Rick Ezrol of Crosswalk

Pickleball Event at Brevard Health and Racquet Club

Brevard Health and Racquet Club 
Pickleball Social Event

Thursday JUNE 2,   3 PM-5PM

Guest clinician Deb Richter

FREE Clinic, Play, and Refreshments

For those attending the clinic:  we offer to join Brevard Health and Racquet Club as a Health Club Quarterly Member -waiving the joining fee if one signs up before June 6.   

An individual health club quarterly membership is $155.  (3 months)

Our Health Club Membership now includes Pickleball!  

Offbeat Sunday: More Fun Pickleball T-Shirts

Skinny Singles

Pickleball players come in all shapes. Some are skinny. Others, like me, not so much. My body shape luckily doesn't prevent me or anyone else from playing a new version of singles. In fact, skinny singles is meant for those who cannot or choose not to cover the entire court. It sounds interesting. 

From the Quad Cities Pickleball Club:

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.

Is the "Formality" Phase Dead?

I recently posted a series of articles about the various phases of a pickleball rally, including The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles - Phase 1, with Phase 1 called the "Formality Phase". The essence of the post was that the first 2 shots of a rally, consisting of the serve and the return of serve, are not used as scoring opportunities but are used to set up the rally.

Mark Renneson has a new article that supports this view based his experience at the recent US Open. His article is below. I will add my commentary at the end.

Death of the Meaningless Return

It’s official: the return of serve has now become a key shot in pickleball. While some old-school coaches and players may still refer to it as the shot you have to play before the “real” game starts, watch any advanced players and you’ll quickly discover that this just simply isn’t so. Increasingly, the return of serve is used to gain an advantage against the serving team and to give the returners better opportunities at the net. Here are a few ways in which they do it:

1. Return Deep. Pinning your opponent behind the baseline does a few things to make your life at the net easier. First, it means that they have the ball to you from a longer distance. Since the baseline to the net is 29 feet and you’re (presumably) seven feet beyond that at your own kitchen kitchen, that means they have to hit 36 feet -- at least! -- the get the ball back to you. That gives you a lot of time to get ready for their shot. Conversely, if you return short and let them move inside the baseline to hit the ball, you’ll have less time to get prepared.

2. Aim for a Weakness. Don’t just hit anywhere but aim for a spot that will annoy your opponents. This could mean hitting to a particular person (see this video about picking on the weaker opponent) or it could be just aiming for a backhand. Is there more risk? Of course. But there is also great reward to be had.

3. Use Spin. Whether it is topspin, sidespin or backspin, hitting your return with spin can cause your opponent to play a less-than-ideal shot. It gives them one more thing to worry about as you approach the net for the volley.

4. Take Away Time. Whether it is because you are hitting the ball hard or hitting on the rise, give your opponents less time to prepare for the third shot. This will put them under pressure and can cause them to make bad decisions. Just make sure you give yourself sufficient time to get to the kitchen!

Of course, whenever you attempt to make a higher quality shot you risk a drop in consistency. But with a little deliberate practice and some patience, you can turn your return of serve into a shot that sets you up to win more points rather than being a meaningless shot that lets your opponents off easy.

**********************************

My earlier post included these sections:

"The return of serve is also rarely a scoring shot. It is normally directed down the middle or toward the weaker opponent. A deep return is ideal but many players also hit it high. Either shot accomplishes the goal of pinning the service team deep. A short return, in contrast, allows the opponent to get to the net. The Return of Serve discussed this in more detail and was confirmed in Pickleball Statistical Analysis - Return of Serve."

and

"In conclusion, phase 1 (The Formality Phase) consists of only 2 shots - the serve and the return of serve. Points are rarely scored in this phase. They are only strategic in nature with the goal of gaining advantage in later phases."

Sounds just like Mark's experience, right? Well, close. I would de-emphasize his points 3 and 4 for anyone below the top levels of the game. Lower level players have many more parts of the game to develop than a spin shot that intermediate level players can handle. Also, a hard shot provides less time for you to get to the kitchen. A consistent, deep, and slow shot that exploits weaknesses remains the best choice in my opinion.

Power Vs Control - Under-use of Power

Yesterday, I introduced a video from Joe Baker called Doubles Pickleball Strategy 102 - Smart Pickleball Vol. 2, Power in my post Power Vs Control - Over-use of Power. If you have not read that post, I would recommend doing so before going further. As can be deduced from the titles, yesterday's post discussed the misuse of hard shots when soft shots would be a better option. Today's post covers the opposite type of shot - the times when a shot must be hit hard.

The time for powerful shots is when the "fast shots" phase is entered (see The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles - Phase 4 and series). The fast shots phase begins with a mistake, a shot that is high enough for a player swing downward and pound the ball. When this phase starts, a hard shot should be so hard that it ends the rally by defeating reaction time. Under-powering these shots allows the ball to come back, often harder than it was sent. A player should never provide an opponent with a ball in the air unless it is a lob or a high-power shot.

Power Vs Control - Over-use of Power

Many, if not most, players misuse power when playing pickleball. This is especially true of beginning and intermediate level players who get enamored with power, likely because they are able to overwhelm equal or lower level teams. The reality is that advancing skill players use less power. There is one simple reason for playing a softer game - it provides more control...and more control helps to prevent the # 1 reason for losing a rally - an unforced error.

Joe Baker has a video (Doubles Pickleball Strategy 102 - Smart Pickleball Vol. 2, Power) to explain the proper use of power. Joe provides some of the best pickleball instructional videos I have seen, mainly because he goes further into the depths of strategy than most. I have used 2 of his videos in my posts - Doubles Strategy and The Basic Overall Strategy of Doubles. The Doubles Strategy post includes Joe's video Doubles Pickleball Strategy 101-How to Play Smart Pickleball, Ten Tips that is recommended viewing before proceeding through this post on power. I will cover the over-use of power portion in today's post and the under-use of power in tomorrow's post.