3 Common Coaching Errors

As pickleball explodes in popularity, there are more and more people coaching. And while some (like yours truly) do so professionally, the majority of instructors teach on a part-time or voluntary basis.

Whether you're coaching to earn a living or helping grow the sport in your town, there are a few traps that you might want to avoid:

1) Being a Fault-Finder Instead of Success Seeker.While part of a coach's job is identifying problems, that isn't where it ends. Very little skill or expertise is needed to merely point out all the things someone is doing poorly. 

I think that a coach ought to work hard to understand the strengths players possess and to make sure the players see these strengths in themselves. These positives can be them coupled with areas that need improving (e.g. "I've noticed that you do a good job volleying, but you are often late when coming to the net so yo can't use your volleys to full effect"; "you can play good, low dinks, but when you are poorly set up to hit them, that's when they go off the rails". 

Being a success seeker isn't about making your students feel good. It is about contextualizing the skills you want them to develop and connecting them to things they already know how to do. And if they understand how these new skills fit into their overall game, they are much more likely to have the desire to learn what you are teaching them.

2) Too Much Talking. Mark Twain wrote: "Sorry to write such a long letter, I didn't have time to write a short one" and I think this sums up one of the challenges that instructors face: it is difficult to be precise, concise and thorough. 

I spend a lot of time working with coaches and pretty much without fail they are incredibly passionate and eager to help. They draw from their own knowledge and experience in an effort to get other people to play better. The trouble is, sometimes this overflows and becomes them wanting to share everything they know. 

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The most effective coaches I know are the ones who a quick and to-the-point; they get in, they get out. The ones who are best at this identify a single teaching point, make the case for why it matters and then put their students into a situation to practice it. The downward spiral of never-ending information often starts with: "oh. and one more thing..." which inevitably leads to several more things. This takes more time, runs the risk of overwhelming the players, and can make the coach look like a know-it-all.

Coaching isn't the time to highlight your extensive knowledge of the sport -- it's not about you. Remember: concise, precise, thorough.

3) Disconnecting Tactics and Technique. What would you say if I asked you if a hammer was the right tool? You'd probably want to know what I was planning on using it for. The same logic should apply when we are teaching technique to our students. That is, technique is a tool we use to perform a task. These tasks (tactics) could include: making your opponents move; being consistent; buying yourself time; taking away time; exploiting a weakness, etc.. And while some elements of technique are good for certain tasks, they are inappropriate for others. 

Unfortunately, many coaches believe that technique can or should be taught separate from tactics. The red flag for this kind of thinking is when someone says: "today we are going to work on the [insert stroke name here]." They then proceed to treat the stroke in isolation, as though if you just mastered the mechanics you'd be all set. While that may work well for sports synchronized swimming or figure skating, pickleball is very different. Pickleball is an open-skilled sport filled with variables and decision making. The other side of this coin is when "strategy clinics" are offered as though it can exist in a vacuum devoid of technique.

The fluid nature of PB means that it is vital to connect the technique being learned with the tactics being implemented (i.e. in what situation would I use this shot and how will it help me?). Instructors who fail to integrate tactics and technique are like people who insist that a hammer is the 'right' tool.

Mark Renneson is the founder and CEO of Third Shot Sports. He travels North America extensively working with pickleball players and coaches. If you like thinking and talking about coaching, you can join the Pickleball Instructor Forum that he runs here. 

5 Ways to Pressure Your Opponents (while following the rules)

While highlight reel shots are terrific, a huge part of pickleball is finding ways to maintain the pressure on your opponents and to challenge them to to come up with something amazing. Here are a few things that you can do right away to make the other team sweat:

1) Use Your Serve to Gain an Advantage. We've heard it a million times before: "you should never miss your serve". And while we don't like hitting the ball out either, we think it is shortsighted to demand 100% consistency. The serve is the one time in PB where everything is under your control: you are standing still, with the ball exactly where you want it and you can even wait (within reason) for the wind to die down. And with these conditions in your favour, the serve is a great time to put some pressure on the opposition.

We're not saying try to make it unreturnable, but by aiming your serve well (making the returner move or hit from their weaker side), or by hitting with speed, you make it more likely that they will play a poor return that you can pounce on. Of course, there is some risk when you hit near a sideline or drive the ball fast and low, but there can also be significant reward. Don't go for so much that you miss every other serve, but look to use the first shot as a way to dictate play. 

2) Consider the Drive. We know a woman who missed 9 drops in a row in a gold medal match. She and her partner either hit into the net or set up an easy put away for their opponents. Down 0-9 and embarrassed, the team decided that they might as well just swing away and hit the third shot hard. Their sudden use of power surprised the opponents and the hard-hitting team won a couple free points. But then they won a few more because they simply overpowered the other team who were not strong volleyers. The team rattled off 11 straight points and won the game.

The winning team was glad that they used their drive (although why they waiting until 0-9 is anybody's guess). We encourage players to test the waters with the drive early on and see what happens. If your opponents can handle your speed, you better think about the drop. But if you are able to overpower them, you've hit the jackpot and should keep going. Don't let myths about the 'slow game' cloud your good judgement. 

3) Maintain a Winning Pattern. We commonly hear from people who think they should change things up so they are less predictable. While that argument has some merit, here's a better one: if what you are doing is working, keep doing it! Who cares if your opponents know what's coming if they are powerless to defend against it? If you find something that works, stick with it until it doesn't. 

4) Change a Losing Pattern. While it is good to have a game plan, it is it is better to know when to abandon it. If things aren't going your way even though you are hitting the shots you are intending, it is time to reconsider your options. This requires being aware of what's going on and how you are winning or losing points. With this in mind, you can make an educated decision. 

5) Return Like You Mean It. Too often players use the return of serve only to get to the net. But if your return is short and high, you're asking for a fast shot at the body. Instead, focus on consistently hitting the return deep enough that it pins your opponents behind the baseline. Making your opposition hit thirds from 25 feet from the net will make their life a lot harder. 

Make Your Backhand Better

Are you tired of having a weak backhand? Are you sick of your opponents getting rewarded for picking on it? Here are 4 things you can do to make your backhand better.

1. Care About the Set-Up. Backhands are tough enough to hit when you're stationary, but they are extra difficult if you're off-balance or reaching for the ball. Work hard to get to the ball and be on balance as you hit. It won't guarantee success, but it will tilt the odds in your favour. 

2. Use a Good Grip. It is important to have your hand in a strong hitting position. Too often people hit their backhand with their eastern forehand grip. The preferred grip on the backhand is either a continental grip, or the eastern backhand grip. This will make contact more solid and will make it less likely the ball pops up.

An eastern backhand (index knuckle on the top of the handle) will make it easier to hit with power.

3. Swing From the Shoulder. A common cause of weak backhands (and injured elbows) is an over-reliance on the forearm. It is important to get sideways and initiate the swing with your shoulder. This stronger joint will make it much easier to hit a strong shot.

4. Make Contact Out Front. A forward impact point is important because it puts your body in a strong hitting position. While you don't want to be reaching for the ball, forward extension will help you to have more control and power.

4 US Open Takeaways

By Mark Renneson

For me, the US Open and other major tournaments are a combination of costume party and scavenger hunt. I love hearing whispers like "Have you seen the 'new girl' Kaitlyn Christian yet? I hear she's incredible" or "Do you know that Jeff Warnick guy? You've got to see his technique. It's wild. But he's crazy good!". I like trying to discover who these new people ar and then watching them play. I posted daily videos of the US open here, here, here, here, here, and below.

But it is also fun for me to take the pulse of pickleball in general and to see where the game stands now compared to what I saw at this time last year. I like wandering around and watching, not quite knowing what I'll see but being open to anything. I especially enjoy watching how the game -- at a high level especially -- is evolving.  That evolution, in a nutshell, is what this post is about.

Power Please

I have written before that pickleball continues to get quicker. Players are hitting harder, moving faster and being more offensive-minded as they play. Seves are being used to cause trouble for the opponents, and if that ball is returned short -- and sometimes even if it isn't -- and being driven at the net players. Balls that I expect to be dinked back over the net safely, are now attackable balls that players are putting so much topspin on, that shots that would have sailed out 3 years ago are now curling and dropping just inside the baseline.  

Sliding 

The balls are moving faster and the players are too! People like Kaitlyn Christian continue to rip up the hardcourt as they slide gracefully into a forehand. Exceptional balance, strength and a hate for letting the ball bounce twice are allowing them to not only get to more balls than players of another generation, but hit them back with quality. This technique would definitely fit in the "do not try at home" category for most people!

 Stacking

As competition gets fiercer, players are looking to gain any advantage they can. And one way to gain an upper hand is to make sure that you are always playing on the side you prefer. The pros have been stacking for a long time, but I'm seeing more intermediate players do it as well. For those who are new to the idea, stacking is putting you and your partner on the same side of the court. After you hit your serve or return (as per your obligation), you then move over to the side of the court upon which you'd rather play.

2-Handed Backhands

Unfortunately, some PB 'purists' think that only one hand can touch the paddle. That's silly! Most of the top women use two-handers to get extra stability and power when hitting from their non-dominant side. We're even seen more of the guys doing it too! And with longer-handled paddles becoming the norm, why not? A two-handed backhand is a great way to shore up your backhand if it is currently a liability. 

There are lots of other things I saw at the US Open and I'll be posting about them here over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

3 Pre-Game Tricks to Play Better Matches

We are getting into a heavy time for tournaments so I thought it appropriate to talk a little about things you can do to play your best. While we like to think that the better players always win, the reality is that this is only sometimes the case. There are upsets, poor performances and players who are just 'on' that may defy expectations or  -- to use a term common to this time of year -- 'bust your bracket'. 

And while these exceptional performances may be pure dumb luck, I've been around enough high level athletes to know that in most cases, the players who want to perform well, prepare well. Here are a few things you can do to maximize your chances for success:

1. Show up on time -- and by "on time" I mean early. There is nothing worse than frantically trying to find a parking spot knowing that your match is about to be called. You get impatient, frustrated and are libel to make bad decisions. These are all the antithesis of what you want when you compete.

While it might mean setting the alarm clock a little earlier than usual, grab yourself that extra coffee and get to the venue well before your match is called. You'll be calm, cool and collected when it is time to play your best. And bring your partner with you!

2. Make a plan. Heading into a match knowing how you expect to win is a critical part of competing well. And while you might have to adjust your tactics as the match unfolds, knowing whether you'll look to use your power game or out-dink your opponents is pretty important.

Rather than 'waiting to see how it goes', talk with your partner before you step on court. Decide how you expect to play your opponents and what patterns of play look most promising (i.e. your backhand dink is great. Let's try to get you into crossourt backhand rallies with them). If possible, watch your opposition play a little beforehand to figure out what they seem to like (or dislike). And if necessary, pull up a quick YouTube vid showing some recent matches. Walking onto the court with a clear plan in mind will help you to make better decisions and to play with confidence.

3. Don't just stand there! Tournaments can involve a lot of waiting. And while it is important not to over exert yourself, it is more important to be loose and feeling great when the match begins. Jump on a practice court and stay warm when you know that your match will be called soon. And if no court is available (this is often the case), hit some reflex volleys on a patch of grass, against a wall, or in a parking lot.  At the very least, go for a little jog or do some quick, athletic movements (see GIF above for examples). This will help you to be ready to go when you get called.

Of course, none of these things guarantee that you'll play great or have the match of your life. But by taking a little time to prepare well, you give yourself the best shot at putting on a good performance. And when you think about it, that's all we can really ask of ourselves, right?

Mark Renneson is the founder and Head Coach at Third Shot Sports. When he is not crisscrossing the continent coaching pickleball, he can be found tending to his 4 year old child and 10 year old golden retriever in Collingwood, Canada. Mark can be reached at mark@thirdshotsports.com

7 Things You Can Do to Play Better Pickleball -- Fast!

Some people think that it takes a long time to improve your PB game. And while things like a significant grip change, improving your co-ordination or dropping 15 pounds so you move quicker  around the court are major undertakings, there are lots of things you can doing today that will boost your game immediately. 

1. Identify the Target Player. Before you even hit a ball, ask yourself (and your partner) "who should we pick on"? And while it might be 'nice' to isolate the weaker player, if you want to be a tough opponent then it is crucial. Pro Tip: While this strategy is great for competitive situations, use it cautiously if you are playing recreational games where people might not take kindly to keeping the ball away from the stronger player.

2. Get Your Returns Deep. Many people hit their return of serve thoughtlessly. And if the ball lands short (i.e. it allows the serving team move forward to get your shot) then you are vulnerable against a good drive from your opponents. Try to pin your the servers behind the baseline with your return -- it will make your life at the net a lot easier. 

3. Be Ready to Move. Pickleball is an athletic sport yet many people stand around like they are in line at the grocery store. The sooner you accept that you will need to RUN the more likely you'll be able to get balls back in play. And while we can't all run like the pros, we can all have the desire to chase down every ball.

4. Serve Smart (Part 1). If you are like most people, you'd prefer to hit the third shot with a forehand. When serving stand as close to your backhand corner as possible (i.e if you're a righty, stand near the sideline when serving from the left side and near the T when serving from the right side). This will almost guarantee that a return of serve hit back to you gives you the forehand you want. 

5. Serve Smart (Part 2). Your serve is a great opportunity to cause trouble for your opponents. Whether you do it by serving deep, making them move, aiming for a weakness or just plain hitting it hard, a challenging serve makes it more likely the return is less tough for you. There is some risk, of course, but I think you'll find with a little practice, it's worth it. 

6. Don't Just 'Sorta' Get to the NVZ. Most people know that it is smart to move forward after retuning serve. It is a chance to take away your opponents' time. But many players move forward in a haphazard way and don't get as near to the kitchen as they could. If you want to be a threat at the net, get right up there before your opponents hit the third shot! Pro Tip: If you are nervous at the net or don't have great volleys, see tip #2.

7. Talk. Don't wait until you lose a point before you and your partner discuss how you want to handle middle balls. Whether you go with "forehand takes it" or some other plan, take 5 seconds at the start of a game (yes, even rec games) and say "Hey. How do you want to handle middle balls?". The quick chat will mean clarity when your opponents hit down the centre of the court.

Mark Renneson is the Founder and Head Coach at Third Shot Sports. He can be reached by email at mark@thirdshotsports.com

5 Intermediate Mistakes

Pickleball is considered an 'open-skilled' sport because it requires wide-ranging and varied skills and the circumstances are always changing. The height, speed, spin, distance and direction a ball is hit is never quite the same as the ones before it. The fact that players are standing at (or moving through) different places on the court, that wind or sun conditions change throughout a game, means that pickleball is an activity full of variability and change. 

That said, as someone who works with a lot of pickleball players, I can say that for all the variability in the sport, there are quite a few mistakes and habits that are common to intermediate players. Here are a few of them...

Coming to the Net Casually. Hitting a return of serve and coming to the net is a useful tactic because it can pressure your opponents. By reducing the distance between you and them, you give them less time to react when you play your volley. Additionally, you are more likely to get a nice high ball when you are at the net, a ball that you can hit downward and with speed, again limiting the time they have to set up. 

Many intermediate players return serve and move towards the net but don't actually get there by the time their opponents strike the ball. They are on their way to the non-volley zone but fail to reach it in time. While this isn't the end of the world, being several feet back of the line is problematic for two reasons: 1) you aren't as close to your opponents as you could be. That means when you hit, the ball has farther to travel and they will have more time to react; 2) by being back from the NVZ you make it less likely you'll get a high ball, and more likely it will be low. This makes you more susceptible to receiving one of those annoying balls at your feet. 

Returning Serve to the Middle of the Court. I know. You've probably been told a million times that the centre of the court is exactly where you should be hitting your return. "Down the middle solves the riddle", right? While it does give you a significant margin for error and could cause confusion, I question whether you, as an intermediate player, really need a 20ft wide target. And even if you do manage to confuse your opponents, there is a good chance that if they do get fooled with a middle ball that they'll have a conversation about what to do next time you hit there. And I'm not sure that these two (marginal) benefits are worth the significant downside.

When you hit to the centre of the court you allow either player to hit the ball -- you give your opponents the choice of who plays that third shot. And who do you think will take it? The better player, of course! A better strategy is to aim the ball to the person you want to hit it. Whether it is a weaker player or one who has struggle recently, by aiming the ball away from the middle of the court, you take more control of the point.

Hitting Hard at the Baseline Player. Perhaps you've been told "if you've got 'em back, keep 'em back" but is that always great advice? No. It is not. If you have a ball you're looking to hit hard (typically a ball above net height), then hitting to the person farthest away is a mistake. The farther away they are, the more time they will have to react to your shot. If you're looking to hit hard, the person closest to you should generally be your target since they will have less time than their farther away teammate. 

Believing a Drop is the "Right" Third Shot. The third shot is a critical moment in a pickleball point. But we should remember that there are three possible options when you hit a third: a drop, a drive, a lob. There is no rule that you must play a soft, low ball into the kitchen (a drop). If you are playing against people who move poorly, a lob can be very effective. A fast, low shot (a drive) can be an excellent choice against people you think you can overpower or who have weak volleys. Drops are incredibly risky -- a little to short/low and the ball is in the net. A little to high or far and they have an easy put away-- so I recommend using drops only if the other two (easier to execute) options don't work against your opponents.

Not Playing a Dink In Response to a Low Ball. Many intermediate players try to win the point each time they hit the ball. This is a mistake. If your opponents hit a low, soft shot that is forcing you to hit upward, your best bet is a dink. An upward hit requires that you hit slowly if you want to keep the ball in play, right? If you hit anything but a soft, slow ball, you are likely giving the other team a ball above net height. They like those! So, if someone gives you a low ball, stay patient and play a soft, slow dink in response. 

Mark Renneson is the Founder of Third Shot Sports and its Head Coach. He can be reached by email at mark@thirdshotsports.com

When Coaches Should Keep Quiet (Part 2)

In a previous article I challenged the idea that coaches should intervene as soon as they see their players doing something poorly. The thrust of my argument was that if coaches reflexively jump on the first “problem” they see, they may miss the opportunity to identify an even larger, more important area of concern. Additionally, at the beginning of a lesson players may be nervous and more likely to make uncharacteristic mistakes. So while the errors may be real and observable, there is good reason to believe that they may be more about the player's initial nerves than their playing skills. 

But it is not only at the beginning of a lesson that coaches would be wise to keep quiet. In this article I want to explore another time that it makes sense for coaches to see something but say nothing. 

Case Study: Sarah and Rick

Rick is an intermediate player who is looking to compete at the 3.5 level. He is taking a private lesson with the hopes of learning to hit a more consistent third shot drop that he can use against strong volleyers. His coach, Sarah, has observed Rick play and has identified that Rick’s big backswing is causing him to hit the drop too hard and high, making it ineffective. 

Sarah explains her observations to Rick and they work on having him hit his drops with much less backswing. His drop is improving and they decide to put it back into a game situation to see if he can hit it under a bit more pressure. As he serves to start the first point, Sarah notices something: Rick’s swing when he serves isn’t very smooth. In fact, it is so jerky that it causes him to be inefficient and a little erratic.

Seeing this important problem, Sarah jogs over to the other side of the court and begins to help Rick with his serve. She talks to him about the importance of a smooth, relaxed swing and grabs the basket of balls so he can start practicing.

First Things First

I would argue that Sarah has made an important — and common — mistake. She was doing everything really well for most of the lesson: she identified the problem (a poor drop), found a helpful solution (reduce the backswing), practiced the new skill until it improved and then planned to put it back into a realistic situation. That’s great. But she made an error when she started working on Rick’s serve. The problem wasn’t that she saw his poor technique and judged it should be improved. The problem was that she allowed this observation the derail her otherwise great lesson. 

Recall that Sarah was about to have Rick (hopefully) demonstrate his newly acquired skills. He was about to put his great new drop into action in a real game scenario. This is an important moment in the learning process as the added pressure of a game situation will give Rick and Sarah an idea as to whether he has really mastered this new skill or whether it requires more attention and practice. But by pouncing on the opportunity to improve Rick’s serve as soon as she saw the problem, she skipped the final step of the third shot drop lesson. Essentially, she moved on to a new teaching point before completing the process with the first one. 

The scenario with Rick and Sarah is a common one. It is also worth remembering that Sarah did many things right in her lesson. The mistake was that in her eagerness to help her student, Sarah became impatient. She moved on from a teaching point before she had fully finished with it. In this case, Sarah would have been better off observing Rick’s troubled serve but saying nothing for the time being. Had she made a mental note of the new problem (or even written it down so she wouldn’t forget) she could have worked on his serve after finishing with the drop.

In this case, keeping quiet would have let her finish on task before setting off on another. 

Mark Renneson has been coaching for 21 years and is the founder of Third Shot Sports. He competes at the 5.0/PRO level and tours North America delivering professional pickleball clinics, camps and private lessons to people of all ages and abilities. He can be reached by email at mark@thirdshotsports.com.

7 Pickleball Myths

1. The Team with Superior Skills Wins. Unlike figure skating, diving or synchronized swimming, nobody declares you the PB champ because you've got nice technique. Your ability to be smart and 'find a way to win' counts for a lot. 

2. Down the Middle Solves the Riddle. Unless you are putting away a high volley for winner, hitting to the middle causes more problems than it solves. Sure, your opponents might get confused about who will hit the ball (decent teams communicate well and make those plans in advance), but by hitting down the centre of the court you allow your opponents' best player to hit all the shots they like! Can you think of another sport where it is smart to let the other team's best player get the ball? 

3. PB Is All About the Soft Game. While slow, carefully placed shots have a very important role to play, sometimes a good dose of pace is highly productive. Why play third shot drop if your opposition can't handle a hard drive when they are at the net? We don't need to go over the top here, but let's please not be dogmatic about only hitting slow.

4. The Serve and Return Don't Really Matter. While you probably won't hit many outright winners with your first shot, that doesn't mean you shouldn't care about hitting them effectively. A well-placed return can make it harder for your opponents to play a good third shot. A powerful serve might lead to a weak return that you can pounce on. The serve and return are opportunities to swing the momentum in your favour -- be thoughtless about them at your peril!

5. You Don't Have to Move Much. While you might have the most beautiful forehand anyone has seen, it doesn't matter much if you can't get to the ball to use it. PB can be played without a lot of physical effort, but the truth is that the level will be quite low. Like it or not, pickleball is primarily about moving and while we can't all move like the pros, we can all have the same desire to move as well as our body will allow. 

6. Dinking is the Most Important Skill. While soft, slow balls in the kitchen are a unique part of pickleball, the truth is that for most players below the 4.0 level, matches usually include very few extended dinking exchanges. Since a dink is typically a response to a high-quality drop, matches that don't have a lot of good drops don't see a lot of dinks. 

7. There is a 'Right' Way to Play Pickleball. Just like there is no 'right' way to make a salad, paint a house or ride a skateboard, there is no objectively correct way to play PB. While some approaches may be more effective than others -- and this may change from one match to another depending on your opponents -- if you are playing by the rules of the game then you are playing pickleball. Period.
I'm not saying that 'anything goes' or that every method is is as effective as every other one. But I am saddened when I see people ridicule others for not 'playing properly' just because they don't do it exactly how the pros do. While you might roast a more delicious chicken than I do, that doesn't mean that my way is wrong. It just means that I've got some work to do if I want to improve.

Mark Renneson is the founder and Head Coach at Third Shot Sports. He travels across North America delivering pickleball clinics for players of all ages and levels of skill. And, he does roast a mean chicken.

5 Things to Look for In a Coach

As pickleball grows and more people want to improve their skills, the number of people willing to coach or instruct is exploding. Some people coach as volunteers, others -- including yours truly -- do it professionally. And whether you're paying for your lessons or not, there are a few things you should probably look for when deciding who to trust with your game....

Do they ask questions? Good coaches don't make it all about them. Instead, they find out from their students what is important to them, what they want to learn and why they want to learn it. And while the coach may have to guide or redirect those desires, they are serious about understanding the needs of their students. 

Are they focused? Whether you're paying for your lesson or getting it for free, good coaches bring their full attention to their student(s). For the duration of the lesson, coaches should be fully engaged with their players. And unless it is being used to record video (with consent, of course), there shouldn't be a cellphone in sight!

Are they enthusiastic? Pickleball is a game and games should be fun. The same is true for pickleball lessons! Good coaches make you feel like they are excited to be there with you and should seem genuinely keen to help you and other players improve. If your coach is smiling, cheering, encouraging and generally happy, that's a good sign. If they look like they'd rather be somewhere else, they probably should be.

Do they explain things fully? When you are told that you should return serve and run to the net, do they explain why? How about why a third shot drop is important? High quality coaches have a thorough understanding of the game and should be ready and willing to share the whys behind what they are asking you to do. 

Do you feel supported? Taking a pickleball lesson can be risky. You are acknowledging that there are limitations to your game and you are trusting someone to expose them and help you to overcome them. This can be hard.

Good coaches should be supportive of your efforts to improve. And while they may be demanding of you, it should always come from a place of compassion and care. If you feel embarrassed, demoralized or ashamed during your lesson, your coach isn't doing a good job. 

 Want to become a competent pickleball coach? Check out Pickleball Coaching International. Looking to find a pickleball coach near you? Head on over The Pickleball Teachers Network!

Mark Renneson is the founder and Head Coach at Third Shot Sports. He has 21 years of coaching experience and runs pickleball clinics, private lessons and drill sessions across North America.  He can be reached at mark@thirdshotsports.com.

3 Habits to Play Like the Pros

It is a fact that not everyone can be a top level pickleball player. But that doesn't mean that we can't bring some of their habits into your own playing and practicing. Here are three things you can do right away to be more pro-like in your practice matches and training sessions.

Play Faster. Each ball you hit is an opportunity to learn and improve, so it is in your interest to hit as many balls as possible. As soon as the point is over, grab the ball and get back to work. Time is valuable and you don't want to waste it wandering around the court fetching balls. If you're serious about getting better, hustle to track down an errant ball and hit it (don't roll it) back quickly so you can start up the next point or drill. Spend your time playing, not waiting!

note: this is also good protocol when you are using courts that have other people waiting for their turn to play. Taking less time between points shows respect for the rest of the group.

Stay Focused. While PB can definitely have a great social aspect, if your goal is to improve then save the chatting for later. When a point is over say what need to (e.g "nice shot" or "good try") and then move on. Get yourself refocused so that you give yourself a chance to play the next point as well as you can. 

Be Accountable. It is good etiquette to praise your opponent for making a nice shot. But serious players know the difference between a good shot by the other team versus an error by you. If you make a mistake, don't let yourself of the hook by saying "good shot" to the other guy. Privately acknowledge that you blew it and move on. It's ok to be dissatisfied with your performance -- in fact, it's necessary if you care about getting  better. 

Mark Renneson is a professional pickleball coach and the founder of Third Shot Sports. He competes at the 5.0/PRO level and tours North America working with players and instructors. Mark can be reached by email at mark@thirdshotsports.com. 

Why People Don't Play the Way They Practice

How coaches feel when their players don't do in games what they spend time on in practice.

One of the things that can be most disheartening for a pickleball coach is when your students don't apply what they've (apparently) learned from you. How is it possible that after 60 minutes of working on third shot drops -- and doing them quite well -- that your students could possibly head on the court to play a match and not even attempt to drop the ball into the kitchen?

A common answer to this question is that the players got swept up in the game; they became so engrossed in competing that they didn't remember the lessons learned or to try to implement them. It is indeed possible for this to be the case but I'm not convinced that this is the full story. If they really were competing and cared about winning, why wouldn't they eagerly apply the great things you just taught them?

Being an effective pickleball coach isn't just about knowing lots of important things -- it's about communicating to your players WHY THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT. And not just communicating it, but convincing your students so that they come to believe these things are important too.

If they want their students to practice what they preach, coaches need to sell their idea that what they are teaching matters and that the students should want to learn it. Failure to sell the idea makes it likely that your players will do what you want in practice and then abandon it in the game.

When Coaches Should Keep Quiet (Part 1)

Julia: “She stepped in the kitchen.”

Mark: “I know.”

J: “Should we say something?”

M: “Not yet.”

Not long ago I was working with a new instructor (Julia) who wanted to improve her coaching skills. She was shadowing me during a group lesson at a venue I had not been to before. I was coaching these players for the first time and we were walking around as the group (12 people between 2.5 and 3.5) were finishing their warm up. We were about 10 minutes into the start of the 3 hour clinic and at this phase of the warm up, I had asked players to hit reflex volleys back and forth from around the NVZ (kitchen). 

J: “His paddle is too low.”

M: “Yeah, probably.”

J: “That’s a weird grip.”

M: “Yes, it is.”

J: “I’ll go tell them.”

M: “Hold on.”

Julia was observant and eager to get into things with the players. I whistled to get their attention and I could tell that Julia was expecting to hear me recount the list of mistakes players made and then correct them. Instead, I told my students that they were doing great and that the person beside them was now their partner and the people on the other side of the net were their opponents. They were about to play the first of two 6-minute games. I said that now they were warmed up, I wanted to see them in action. They quickly went back to their courts and started to play.

J: “Mark! She’s not running in after she returns serve!”

M: “You’re right”

J: “He should have smashed that high ball, not played a soft shot”

M: “Yeah”

J: “That should have been a drop, not a drive”

At this point, because she felt bold or maybe just grew frustrated with me not addressing these issues, Julia went over and started explaining to a player that a third shot drop was the best option from back at the baseline and started demonstrating the technique. The other players stood patiently as this player got some personal attention from Julia. After about 30 seconds I intervened, told the player they were doing a great job and to keep working hard, and gently ushered Julia away. 

A Dog on a Bone

Julia was too much of a professional to say it aloud, but I knew she was thinking something along the lines of: “Dude. Don’t just stand there. You’re the coach. They are paying you to tell them what they’re doing wrong. You can see they are doing something wrong, so you should address it. It’s your job!”

This perspective is fairly common — even (unfortunately) among many coaches. The underlying assumption is that, like a dog jumping on a bone, as soon as you see something ‘wrong’ with your student’s technique, your job as the instructor is to immediately ‘fix’ it it. After all, that’s what they’re paying you for, right?

I had an email exchange recently with an elite player who also does some coaching. In it, they revealed themselves as being clearly in the dog on a bone camp: “If I see basic elements that need to be corrected, I start to address them during warm ups.” Another instructor wrote: “When an issue is spotted by us as instructors, that becomes a teaching moment to start to correct the problem.” The belief is “See something, say something. Immediately.”

This perspective imagines coaches and instructors as being professional ‘fault finders’. It assumes that the coach’s job is to raise an alarm each time s/he detects a fault and to pounce on it right away, even in the initial stages of the lesson. They attack errors like dogs attack bones. They think that’s their main job.

The truth is, finding faults in other people is probably the easiest job that the coach has. All you have to do is have an image in your mind of an elite player and compare what you think they do that to what you see in front of you. Then, pick the myriad ways your real-life player isn’t matching the model you have in your head and tell them what they should be doing differently. Boom. Easy. 

Why Dog on a Bone is Bad for both Players and Coaches

Taking a pickleball lesson isn't easy; you’re publicly acknowledging that you have limitations and it requires you to open yourself up and to be vulnerable to the observations and opinions of others. While I appreciate it when people spend their time, effort and money with me, I truly admire their willingness to do so. It takes some courage to take lessons as an adult and for some people this can be nerve-wracking. I often have students who begin lessons a little nervous; they are in an unfamiliar environment, often with strangers, and it can take some time before they settle down and feel comfortable.

If you’ve ever been pulled over by the police or been caught in a lie, you know that when you’re nervous you don’t quite feel like yourself. Being nervous typically makes people act in atypical ways and in the context of pickleball, this can cause people to play differently than they usually would. Nervous players tend to overhit the ball, carry tension throughout their body, as well as make poor decisions and more errors.

Now if I’m the dog on a bone kind of instructor who starts to make corrections during the warm up, am I actually helping my student by jumping in right away? I don’t believe so. Since they haven’t had much time to settle in, there is a good chance that I’m observing a player who is not quite themselves just yet. This means that I’m possibly giving feedback and advice about a behaviour that is not typical for that person. And what’s the point of that? 

Moreover, I would argue that If I’m telling a nervous person what they’re doing wrong in the first few minutes of a lesson, there is a good chance that I’m making things worse for my student not better. I’m quite possibly adding to their anxiety rather than relieving it. And that’s not good.

An Alternative: Spear Fishing at Sunset

So if the coach isn’t going to jump on each and every ‘bone’ they come across, what’ s a better approach? How can they fulfil the role as a paid expert but do so in a way that is better for the student? A thought experiment might be helpful here… 

Let’s imagine you are fishing — not with a rod but with a spear. And let’s add the time constraint that the sun is setting quickly and you only have time to use your spear about five or six times before it gets too dark and your chance to fish is gone. 

As you step into the stream to try to catch your dinner, you spot three very small fish in the water about a dozen feet ahead of you. Walking toward them, you notice a flash off to the side. There are four more fish, but these ones are bigger and more appetizing than the first. You change paths and move toward them but suddenly hear a splash. Looking downstream, you spot five much bigger fish jumping out of the water, practically begging to be caught. 

As you walk toward the big fish, eagerly anticipating your feast, you realize that the stream isn’t actually a stream at all. The water funnels into a pond in which all the fish reside. When you look into the pond, you see that there are dozens and dozens of fish of all shapes, sizes and varieties.  You are excited to see the bounty — and relieved you didn’t spend your precious time on the first fish you saw. Not going for those first fish (which would have used your valuable time for little reward) turned out to be a great decision on your part. But now you are confronted with a new question: of the many different fish you see, which ones do you pursue given your limited time?

This is the kind of problem a disciplined pickleball coach is confronted with — so long as they don’t impatiently attack the first fish/problem they encounter! If they are willing to wait just a little bit, to explore the terrain in front of them by letting their student play without the interference of a coach, the instructor will be in a far better position to assess the situation and decide what direction to take the lesson. And while it is possible that the initial issue is the best one to pursue, you will only know this if you’ve taken the time to explore all of the other possibilities. Only once you’ve seen the whole pond will you know where to focus your attention.

Warm Them Up, Let Them Play

If you want to observe your students’ strengths and weaknesses as a player, you have to let them play an actual game of pickleball I repeat, LET THEM PLAY! After a thorough warm up to get loose (mentally and physically) let your students play a real game or two. While you should praise and encourage effort, don’t place any restrictions or give any tips as this may tamper with their normal behaviour. As much as possible, you want to see what they normally do in a game.

Deciding What Issues to Tackle

As you watch your student(s) play — I usually give them 8-15 minutes depending on how much time I have to work with — you have to pay attention to what you see. This is where you can (silently) go into fault-finding mode. You can notice the poor grips and late set-up. You can observe the weak serves, short returns or lack of third shot drops. You can identify all the things you’d like them to do differently.

The trick is to watch these things, make a list — either in your head or on paper — but do nothing other than praise and encourage the players’ effort during the game. Make your students comfortable, allow them to be themselves as much as possible. Not interrupting the game can be very hard for coaches who are eager to jump in and start imparting their knowledge, either because they are impatient or because they feel the need to prove themselves to be as expert as they claim.

Moving Forward

Truth be told, it is not that difficult to pick out other people’s errors. The real skill/art of coaching — or any kind of teaching for that matter — isn’t in finding faults, but in prioritizing them and then creating conditions where the person can make meaningful improvements. If we haven’t overdone our metaphor yet, anyone can see a bunch of fish but knowing which ones to pursue and how to catch them is what separates an amateur angler from a gifted one.

Different people will have different opinions about which skills are most important to address and in what order. I’ve written elsewhere about a time I was criticized for seeing things differently than some others in the pickleball coaching world and why I think some of the conventional thinking is misguided. Perhaps I’ll write another article about how I make my decisions about which ‘fish to catch’.  

For now, I’ll sign off by encouraging other coaches to give their students a chance to show themselves as players before jumping in and telling them all the things they’re doing wrong. Resist being a dog pouncing on every bone you see. It will be better for you as a coach and for your students as people.

READ PART 2 HERE

Mark Renneson is a 5.0 player and professional pickleball coach. He has spent more the 20 years coaching and has advanced degrees in education. Mark  tours North America working with pickleball players and instructors. He is the founder of Third Shot Sports and can be reach by email at mark@thirdshotsports.com

10 Ways to Annoy Your Pickleball Partner

10. Show up for your tournament match late and unprepared. 

9. Agree on a game plan and then completely disregard it once the points count.

8. Announce "I've been experimenting with some new technique this week".

7. Take balls that you clearly don't have a chance at hitting well.

6. Lose track of the score EVERY SINGLE POINT.

5. Say "I only missed that shot because I play better against better players".

4. Make the same mistake again and again and again...

3. Call balls out when you are 25 ft away and your partner is right on top of it. 

2. Announce half way through the match: "oh! She's left-handed!"

1. Tell your partner about everything they are doing wrong.

It's Not What You Think: Myth-busting the Drop

When people register for our clinics we include a form asking them about their ‘pickleball priorities’. We want to know what skills they are most keen to develop. Without question, the most common answer is “third shot drop”. It’s not even close.

And when we are all together in the gym or on the court, everyone knows exactly what is meant by a third shot drop: a slow-moving reply to the return-of-serve. A shot that lands in or near the kitchen when the opponents are near the net. This is not big news. But then I ask them: “Why, exactly, would we hit this shot? What is the point of a drop?”. This is where things get interesting.

The 3rd Shot Drop is a response to a return of serve, used when opponents are at the NVZ.

Myth: The Drop is About Making Your Opponents Move

Even if you choose to hit your drop near a sideline, it is such a slow shot that your opponents should have plenty of time to track it down and be on balance by the time they have to hit it back. While it might make them move a step or two, rarely will it move the receiver so much that they are off-balance when they hit.

Myth: The Drop Is About Making Your Opponents Miss

We all love it when we hit a winning shot; when we hit a ball so challenging that our opponents are unable to return it in play. But this is not the goal of a drop. Unlike a third shot drive (a hard hit ball right at a net player), a drop is not designed to force an error. Remember, it is a slow moving shot right at the person! They have plenty of time to prepare and it is easy to make solid contact. I fully expect my opposition to get the ball back in play. 

Developing the feel for the drop takes deliberate practice and patience.

Myth: The Drop is About Getting You to the Net

If I wanted to get to the net, I don’t need any special shot — I could just run forward. And if I wanted a little more time to move up, I could just lob the ball in the air and jog. That would get me to the net just fine, thank you very much. 

By now you are likely thinking: “But that’s dumb, Mark! If you hit it high and run to the net, they’ll just smash it at you. You’ll be dead meat!”. You’re right, of course. And it is precisely here that the true purpose of the drop reveals itself. It is not about you, it’s about your opponents.

Causing Trouble vs. Staying Out of Trouble

There is an important distinction I’d like to make. Sometimes we are on offense and try to make our opponents miss their shots by playing a difficult ball (e.g. hitting fast to take away their time; playing a great angle to make them run or reach; lobbing over their heads so they have to turn and chase, etc.). We could call this tactic “causing trouble”. 

Aspen Kern makes Matt Wright pay the price for an ineffective drive: a fast ball down at the feet.

Sometimes we find ourselves on defense. Our opponents have put us in a position (see the list above) where we are just struggling to get the ball back in play. We’ve got a problem. It may be an emergency. In this case, we are trying to “get out of trouble”. 

But there is a third situation to consider. If I have served and my opponents play a standard return back to me at the baseline and rush to the net, I’m not really in trouble. I’m not desperate. But I’m also not in a position to really control the point. I’m at the back of my court with my opponents in a strong position up at the NVZ. I’m neither on offense or on defense. I’m in between. I’m in what we could call a neutral situation.

The value of the drop is in its ability to keep you in this neutral situation — to prevent you from sliding into defense. If I play a drive or a lob, I’m giving my opponents a high ball and I am at risk that they hit hard at me, putting me in a defensive situation. I don’t want that to happen. But if I hit a good drop that lands short enough and low enough that my opponents must make contact below net level, they have to hit upwards to get the ball back over. And if they are hitting upwards, they must also hit relatively slowly or else their shot is at risk of flying out.

Matt Staub plays an excellent drop that forces his opponent (Alex Hamner) to make contact below net level. Having to hit upwards means her options are limited.

A good drop doesn’t cause trouble for your opponents so much as ‘keeps you out of trouble’. When done well, it steers you clear of danger because it puts the other team in a position where their options are limited and they cannot do much damage. When they are hitting from below net level, if they want to keep the ball in play they must do so with a slow shot.

We could think of a drop as being not about what it lets you do (incidentally, if you play a good drop and your opponents will have trouble hitting hard while keeping the ball in play, this would be a great time to move to the net), but what it prevents your opponents from doing; hitting a fast shot in bounds. The drop is designed as a way of avoiding trouble and should not be thought of as more than that.

Mark Renneson is the founder and Head Coach at Third Shot Sports. He tours North America helping pickleball players of all levels to play better. He is one of those weird people who prefers hitting backhand drops.

Sorry, Not Sorry. Really?

Marcin Rozpedski at the 2017 US Open.

It was almost a year ago yet I still think about it often. I put out a survey asking people whether they thought a pickleball player ought to apologize after hitting a lucky shot. The example I used was when their shot unintentionally clips the top of the net, making it difficult or impossible for their opponent to play a reply. I used a fictional scenario to illustrate how the lack of apology could be interpreted as bad sportsmanship. 

I knew, of course, that some people would say that no apology was needed; that this was “part of the game” and that “what comes around goes around”. What I wasn’t prepared for was the great number of people who took the position that no apology was due. 

Of the 142 people that answered the question, a full 114 (80%) said that no apology was necessary. The 48 people who chose to offer additional comments used some of the following explanations to justify their view:

• The better you get, the luckier you get.
• Just part of the game. It happens to everyone.
• I find it’s being too sensitive that you need an apology. 
• It can just as easily go the other way next time.
• Why should I apologize for being lucky? I am thankful for my blessing…If you are lucky then I congratulate you on your blessing.

The results surprised me; I never expected 8 in 10 people to be anti-apology when a ball hits the net and dribbles over for a winner or hits your hand for an un-returnable shot. To be fair, how I framed the question (“Should you apologize after hitting a lucky shot”) may have caused a reflex in those who think you should never have to do anything.  

But I have often wondered about why this many people were opposed to the suggestion that apologizing for a lucky shot should be the normal expectation. One answer may lie in the ongoing tension between pickleball and its closest cousin, tennis, where apologizing for net cords is standard practice. I often hear from people complaining that tennis players who take up pickleball don’t play “properly” and that tennis courts should be made to include pickleball lines. The tensions that sometimes exist between these two communities may explain why one commenter explained their “no” vote with the only justification being “that’s just a carry-over from tennis”. For some people, if something happens in tennis then it shouldn’t happen in pickleball.

To better understand why so many people might oppose the practice of apologizing for lucky shots, I went to a trusted source: my mom. She’s a 3.0 pickleball player and a pro at giving advice. Before I barely finished asking the question she said, “If I had to apologize every time I hit a lucky shot, I would never shut up”. She went on “I mean, more often than not, the ball doesn’t go exactly where I want so if I win the point, there is nearly always an element of luck”. 

To me, this explanation makes a lot of sense. Nobody likes to be apologizing all the time. It may also explain why many of the top pickleball players — although with some exceptions — are some of the most common apologizers. While luck may factor into a 3.0 player’s game on most points, this is decidedly less so for the pros. They have the skill to send the ball where they want more often than not and are more deliberate with their shots than most recreational players. So when good fortune happens to show up, it is a surprise rather than the norm. The infrequency of luck may make explain the top players’ willingness to acknowledge it.  

Of course, I don’t know that this is true — it’s just a hypothesis. When constructing the survey, I didn’t ask people to indicate their skill level so I cannot draw a correlation.

There may be other explanations too: perhaps it is the case that we live in a time where we re-imagine good fortune as personal prowess or even as a marker of skill (“the better you are, the luckier you get”). Maybe people are so happy to win points that the thought of apologizing isn’t even on their radar. I don’t know. But for me, sports are most fun when players are able to genuinely test their skills against one another. And when luck enters the picture, it isn’t the fault of the lucky person, but it does sort of diminish the quality of the competition. I think that acknowledging a lucky shot — and yes, even apologizing for it — is one way to show that you value an unadulterated contest.

How Video Will Help Your Pickleball

“Mark. You’ll never believe what just happened”. This was the start of an email I received back in 2016. “I have been telling my pickleball student for 6 months that he was (unwisely) moving forward after he served and he was getting burned. He nodded and said he understood, but he never changed his behaviour. Then, he happened to see a video you made — featuring him wandering into the court— and he called me to say that he now believes me. All of the sudden, he didn’t make this mistake anymore.”

I was very happy to receive this note. Helping people to play better pickleball is, after all, what I do as a profession. And it is always gratifying to know that my work made a difference. But this story points to a powerful fact: if you want to improve your pickleball game, video can be an incredibly useful tool.

Why It Works

Humans have an incredible knack for not paying attention to what we are doing. We live largely internal lives and this limits our perspective. Using video allows you to see yourself from the outside and this can bring into focus the gap between what we think we are doing and what is really going on.  Further, we can watch and re-watch the video as often as we want. We can slow down or freeze clips so that we can more precisely pay attention to details. Video gives us the ability to manipulate time.

Getting the Most From Video

Today’s technology makes capturing yourself on video really easy. A couple taps on most phones and you’re already filming. Here are a few tips for recording yourself as effectively as possible:

1) The right equipment. Whether you are using a phone or a dedicated camera, an adjustable tripod is super-handy. This way you can put the camera in place without worrying that it is going to fall over. Also, it is important to make sure you have sufficient memory. Video takes up a lot of space (don’t worry, you can delete it later) so make sure you’ve got room on your device. If you are using a video camera, SD cards are fairly inexpensive and can be scrubbed clean once you’re done with them.

2) Know your purpose. If you want to capture the whole game, it is important to set up your camera in a way that the whole court is in the frame. Positioning the camera as high up as possible is a great way to do this. If you’re looking for something specific (say, how you move at the kitchen line) you can put your camera in a place that will emphasize just what you need. Each facility is different so some experimentation will be needed. 

3) Get some feedback. There is a lot that you can pick up on your own but having a knowledgable coach can help you see things in your video that you didn’t notice before. Whether you use our personal video analysis. or share it with a coach you already trust, having a pro take a look can really help. 

Traps

I have made a tonne of mistakes when working with video. I’ve also had some funny things happen. Here’s a short list of some of them:

Thinking the camera is recording when it is off. 

Thinking the camera is off when it is actually recording.

Dropping the camera from 10 feet up.

Accidentally deleting fantastic video.

Unknowingly recording a married couple discussing their impeding divorce.

Running out of power at the critical moment.  

Having a dog pee on my camera as it was leaning against a fence.

Forgetting the camera at the courts overnight (it was there when I returned the next day).

As you can see, things happen. But as with anything you’ll get better with practice. You’ll find tricks and shortcuts that will save you time and make your life — and your pickleball game — better.  Oh, and you’ll thank yourself when you just happen to capture that amazing around the post shot or wicked put away volley!

Training with Intelligence

It is very gratifying to see how many people don't just play pickleball, but want to play it better. The fact that our clinics are full, our e-book is flying off the virtual shelves, and that our YouTube channel just hit 900,000 views, tells me that there is a thirst for improving. And that makes me happy. 

But as more and more people start to train (as opposed to just play), it is worth remembering a few things about how to practice well. Here are some considerations.

1) Practice Deliberately. If you want maximum gains, you need to be clear when you are practicing and when you are playing. Ideally, you have allocated specific time to practice (e.g. 9am-10am on Wednesdays) so that it gets built into your schedule. It should be clear to everyone on the court that this is a practice session, not competition. 

2) Practice with Purpose. What exactly are you working on? A training session focused on third shot drops looks very different from one about serves and returns. Have a conversation about todays topic(s) and stick to it.

3) Do Great Drills. Whether it is something from our Drill Guide or an activity you invented yourself, make sure the drill is effective. I've written more about what that looks like here.

4) Remember: Failure is Part of Growth. You should practice things you struggle with -- otherwise, what's the point? And if you do, that means that you'll probably miss a lot of shots. That's okay. Try to see each missed shot as getting one step closer to mastery.

I get that playing the game of pickleball is fun. But training to get better can be fun too! And the gratification that comes from seeing marked improvement is, for me at least, very rewarding. So, get out there and start training! 

Quiet Please!

One of the great things about pickleball is that you get to play with other people. It is an inherently social game and that can make it extra fun. 

That said, we recommend you think twice before having a conversation during the game -- certainly not during points. Between-point chatting slows down the play which can be frustrating for those waiting for your court.

And talking during the point (e.g. "on the line!", "nice shot!") can often be misheard as you calling the ball out. 

Our recommendation is play hard, play fair and then talk about it all you like after the game is over. It makes the games run quicker and gets more people in on the action!

The Time My Student Cried

It’s not very often that you have to stop a lesson because of tears. But not long ago, that’s exactly what happened. It caught me by surprise and ever since has had a significant impact on me. 

I was working with a group of 8 players who were all hovering around the 3.0 level. They were a keen bunch and were willing to work hard. Our focus that morning had been on starting the point effectively: using the serve and the return to cause trouble for their opponents. We had practiced hitting the serve with speed and with spin. We worked on returning the ball not down the centre of the court but towards the weaker opponent. It was good. It was fun. It was normal.

photo credit: Rick Thiem

But after a quick water break and discussion about some local club controversy (should they tell Gary that his serve is illegal?) it was time to move on. It was time for us to work on the third shot. 

I sent two players to the far side of the court to act as the returners. I hit the serve and they dutifully returned the ball and established their position at the net. When the return came back to me I caught it and asked the group: “so, what should I do with this next shot”. Everyone, as though they had all read the same instruction manual, agreed that (obviously) I should drop the ball in the kitchen.

I nodded and asked the returners to play the point again. I served, they returned the ball and formed a wall at the NVZ. This time, instead of catching the ball, I hit it. But I didn’t do what the group advised. I didn’t drop the ball in the kitchen with a slow, arching shot. Instead, I stepped into the ball and drove it low and hard down the line. The player at the net got his paddle on the ball but couldn’t handle the speed of my shot; he just didn’t have enough time to react. His ball popped up high and was easy for me to put away as a winner.

The players stood there in silence, shocked that I didn’t play the drop that everyone had expected. “You can do that?” asked one woman. “Of course”, I said, “you can do whatever you want. If you think that you can overpower the net player, driving the ball is actually a much smarter play than dropping it. The drop is really hard to hit”.  The players looked at each other, bewildered. It was at this point that I noticed her. Susan, about 50 years old, put her head down and covered her face. She was crying.

I went over to see what was wrong. I’d been in coaching situations before where something personal was affecting a participant: a spouse had recently died; a family member was ill; a pet was missing, etc.. I assumed something like this was at play here. 

“Are you alright?” I asked. She nodded, her face now wet with tears. “I’m sorry” she said. “It’s just, well, another coach has been telling me that I have to play a third shot drop. And I’ve been trying really hard but, well, it’s just really frustrating to miss so often. I felt like a failure. And now to hear someone tell me it is ok to do something else, well, that makes me really happy. It’s a huge relief”. And with that, she threw her arms around me and gave me a hug.

I was shocked. I knew that people were often surprised when I advocated thinking about driving the third shot rather than automatically dropping it. But I didn’t think it would have this kind of impact. I didn’t think it would bring a grown adult to tears.

Many people erroneously believe that the ‘right’ thing to do on a third shot is to drop it in the kitchen. That if you hit the ball hard you are somehow playing pickleball poorly. You get called a “banger” or a “slammer”, you are derided for your lack of skill. But the thing is, in pickleball you don’t get points for doing the ‘right’ thing. You get points when you put the ball in play once more than your opponents.

It is true that against strong volleyers or if you are hitting from far back in the court, the drive may not be an effective shot. If you don’t hit it well enough, good volleyers can handle the ball and not just put it back in play, but can hit offensive shots against it. So it is important that the third shot drop is something you learn to hit, especially as you move up in the ranks. 

But if your drive is better than your opponent’s volleys, or if the return is short and you’re moving into the court and getting close to your opponents, the drive can be an great option that is more effective and less risky than the drop. Even top 5.0 players use third shot drives if they think they can outmatch the net team. Instructors make an important tactical mistake when they take the third shot drive off the table. It is a legitimate shot that can help you to win points.

But instructors make another, more important, mistake when they teach that a person has to play a drop. They put unnecessarily difficult expectations on their students — especially those who are just getting into the game. The drop is an advanced shot that takes excellent touch and paddle control. It is a shot that if hit poorly (i.e. too short or too deep), almost automatically results in you losing the point. It is indeed something one must develop to play the game at a high level. But for novice and intermediate players, a regular third shot drive can serve them very well. That doesn’t mean they should’t work on developing a drop, but there is no need to be dogmatic about its use. 

When instructors — and groups that certify instructors — promote the drop as being the “proper” third shot to play, they are revealing something about themselves. They are showing that either: 1) they have a poor understanding of pickleball tactics; or 2) they are out of touch with the realities of most novice and intermediate players who are looking to have fun and play a little better. 

Susan, the woman who was brought to tears, is an example of the collateral damage inflicted when you use a one-size-fits-all model for coaching. She was told that she had to do something that she was not equipped for. And because the authority — the instructor who gets paid to tell people what to do — told her she had to do it if she wanted to play properly, she saw herself as a failure when she missed her shots.

The coach (unintentionally, I’m sure) took the fun game of pickleball and turned it into an exercise in humiliation and fear. So much so that when these burdens were lifted from Susan, they were replaced by tears.

Let’s consider this a call to action. I’m encouraging all instructors to resist the temptation of telling their students that they have to do one thing or another. Not only is is poor advice from a tactical standpoint, but it psychologically paints the student into a corner.

Instead, let’s talk about the options that are on the table and when we might choose one over the other. Let’s discuss the advantages and drawbacks of playing different kinds of shots in different situations. Let’s encourage players to learn to do more advanced things, but let’s not try to force them into a one-dimensional game style. 

Let’s not put people like Susan in a position where they feel like a failure but see no clear way out. Instructors often have much more power and influence than they think. We also have a duty to be aware of the myriad ways in which that influence can impact our students. When it comes down to it, be an instructor is not really about teaching tactics and technique. 

It’s about teaching people.

Mark Renneson is a 5.0 player and professional pickleball coach. He is the founder of Third Shot Sports and author of 20 Drills and 10 Games to Play Better Pickleball.

He can be reached by email at mark@thirdshotsports.com.