Of all the pickleball lessons we give, one of the most sought after themes is being able to send balls with spin. People want their serves to be hit hard and high over the net, and then have topspin make it bite down into the court at the last second. They want their returns to have enough sidespin that they jump left or right as the opponent is preparing to hit a great third shot. They want their dinks to dip and their volleys to kick. In short, people are crazy about spin!
The continental grip (CG) is dead — or at the very least, it’s on life-support. For years we have been advocating for the CG to be used in a range of different pickleball situations but most especially when up near the non-volley zone. But as pickleball has evolved, so has our perspective. This article is about why we are saying goodbye to the CG.
Whether you are hitting a serve, return, drop, dink, or smash, controlling the speed of the ball is critical. When it comes to balls you’re hitting on a fairly straight trajectory, like a third shot drive or a return of serve, how fast you hit the ball will influence how far it travels. All things being equal, a faster ball will travel farther than a slower ball. All things being equal, a ball that is hit faster will go farther and possibly long compared to a ball that is hit slower which may land short or even find the net.
Pickleball Technique, Pickleball Coaching, Pickleball Strategy
One of the first things new players learn in pickleball is that they should try to return serve deep. Never mind that most people misunderstand why a deep return can be effective, it has become virtually axiomatic in most pickleball circles that you try to push your opponents as far behind the baseline as possible.
While deep return can be in effective tool, I think there is good evidence to suggest a short return of serve can be as good or even better. Let’s look at three reasons why:
Pickleball Coaching, Pickleball Technique
If you are like most people, you don’t love it when the ball comes to your backhand side. This may be when you are up near the net hitting a volley, a dink or a smash, or could be when you’re at the back of the court playing a return of serve, third shot drop or a drive. For many people, when the ball comes to their non-dominant side panic sets in and that is never a good thing in pickleball. So here are three tips to improve your backhand.
Pickleball Coaching, Miscellaneous Pickleball
These are questions that I am asked on a pretty regular basis from pickleball instructors who want to know what drills and games they can use with players of different skill levels.
I’m always happy to share my ideas. In fact, I wrote a whole drill guide about it. But whenever responding to these questions I always add something like this:
Last week my pickleball-heavy social media was inundated with ads and reminders for the upcoming show PICKLED. For those who might have missed it, PICKLED was “TV’s hottest pickleball tournament hosted by Stephen Colbert and features eight celebrity teams competing to benefit Comic Relief.” In the days leading up to the show, people were getting pretty amped up about pickleball being featured during prime time on a major television network.
Myth Busting, Pickleball Coaching, Pickleball Strategy, Pickleball Technique
If you ask 20 people why they should run to the net after returning a serve, you’re likely to get a variety of different answers. The most common ones will be some version of: it’s where the game is won or lost; because it’s not tennis; if you control the net, you control the point; the first team to the net usually wins. None of these answers actually get to the tactical value of returning and running. So let’s make it more clear.
Pickleball Technique, Pickleball Coaching
One of the great things about pickleball is how easy it is to start playing. Even without a strong racquet sport background, new players can have fun almost immediately after hitting the court.
This low barrier to entry also means that we see pretty wide variations of technique (i.e. how people use their body and paddle). Drop in on your local courts and you'll see a plethora of different grips people use to hold their paddle. You'll see some people prepare for the ball in a sideways position and others who are almost always facing forward. You'll notice some players using two hands on their backhands and others who only use one.
By David Lopez (used with permission) — see more of his work at davidmarklopez.com
Calls the paddle a racket, poops in pants, serves overhand, thinks pickleball is a stupid sport for old people, wears huarache sandals to play, is bored and wants to start drinking early. Thinks he had Covid in January.
Thinks the sport was named after a dog born 20 years later, walks slowly through your match, does not close gate, drinks the last beer, hits on your spouse who hates you for poaching, played last 6 months ago indoors at a Michigan Y with his cousin from Ypsilanti, smokes between matches, falls often, serves the ball into the next court.
Forgets score frequently, talks during rallies, explains every freakin’ point (well the ball went this way, but I meant it to go there...uh, I know I was right here watching), hits their partner with ball or racket (still) at least once a game, trips partner regularly, thinks the third shot drop has something to do with an incurable disease, has a fit-bit.
Know Ben Johns?
You’re on your way to 5.0!
Frequently misinterprets NVZ rule, hits every single shot with maximin velocity, puts the ball in play roughly 50% of the time, argues line calls, laughs loudly, has new smart matching outfit, lays it up across the middle, only dinks accidentally, frowns at you when you say UP UP UP, calls the score for both teams, leaves phone on during match because daughter is expecting.
Sighs loudly frequently, wants you to stay for one more game, coaches you up on every single point, swears like a sailor, practices dinking in garage, pretends to be interested in your personal life, talks crap about ATPs and ERNEs, shows you new paddle (it’s not a racket, newbie), acts like a baby after losing, smashes the living hell out of your weak-ass lobs, plays at 3.5 in tourneys, openly argues with spouse during matches when supposed to be just having fun.
Brings 5 paddles, mysteriously disappears after playing once with mixed group of 2.0 2.5 and 3.0s, encourages you to poach so they can poach with reckless abandon, takes every shot across the middle, knows the rules but tells you to look them up so you can learn them, wears two gloves, hits you very hard with the ball at the NVZ (it’s part of the game) because your paddle was not up, subtly blames partner after loss, recommends videos, has stopped playing tennis, almost went pro, was club ping pong champion in 1987, had 3 ATPs and 2 ERNEs yesterday.
2.0
Played last 6 months ago indoors at a Michigan Y with his cousin from Ypsilanti.
Knows Ben Johns, has many many medals, post incessantly on PICKLEBALL FORUM about balls, rules, paddles and tournaments, wants pickleball channel on ESPN (cornhole wtf?), strategically hits to your backhand every shot, apologizes for hitting you very hard with ball at the NVZ because your paddle was not up, will gladly give you a lesson for $50, has 7 supercool pickleball outfits, drinks mysterious electrolyte concoction, is way younger than you, patronizes your terrible backhand, would love to play one more with you but has a dentist appointment and will see you at the clinic Saturday.
Shows up on the FORUM in foreign places playing pickleball, has savage tan and incredibly white teeth, can beat you in doubles as a singles player, sponsored but still broke, has a cool nickname, returns your ATP like it wasn’t nuthin’ bruh, dropped out of high school to go pro, walks on water, heals the pickleball lame, has a weighted paddle, stacks with partner in fast food line, has met you several times but still has zero idea of who you are, posts videos of 73 hit rallies, wears white unitard, dink...dink...dink then backhand rocket drive that hits you in the head and ricochets off your partner’s teeth. You’re in love, fanboy.
Communicates with partner telepathically, lectures frequently on the unified theory of pickleball, only plays for Bitcoin, went viral before Covid, appears in David Mitchell novel as pre-Colombia Incan pickleball god, Shroedinger’s cat is doubles partner, played on the moon, serve vaporizes, backhand contrails, body shot leaves you with a permanent tattoo. Holy damn.
Myth Busting, Pickleball Technique, Pickleball Strategy
By Mark Renneson.
Text for the video is below:
In order to understand whether or not a drop is an offensive shot, it’s helpful to think about what that term — offensive — actually means. As far as I’m concerned, an offensive shot is one that causes trouble for your opponents — that is a shot that either wins you the point outright, or puts them in a difficult position and gives you an upper hand. Are there other definitions out there? Probably. But I think this one works pretty well. Let’s look at a few examples of causing trouble — or going on offence — in pickleball.
One of the most common ways to cause trouble on the court is by taking away time. You can do this by hitting the ball earlier as well as by hitting a ball fast, so your opponents don’t have as long to prepare for it. We commonly see examples of this when players hit fast serves, volleys, flicks and drives.
A shot could also be considered offensive because of how much it moves the opponents. By making them chase the ball you put make it harder for them to hit precisely. You also increase the likelihood that they are out of position for the next shot. For both of these reasons we can consider moving an opponent to be offensive in nature.
Ok. So that’s my working definition. Offensive shots are meant to cause trouble. Now let’s turn to the drop and see if it passes this test. Do these shots appear to be causing trouble for the opponents? [No. No.No. No]
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Let’s think about he tactics behind the drop for a second. When it gets hit, one team (usually the returning team) is at the net and the player or team hitting the drop is not. The net team is threatening to pounce on anything that is high, so the dropping team is under considerable pressure.
If a team elects to play a drop it’s likely because they have assessed that a drive won’t work — that it will either fly long or be attacked by the net team. Same goes for lobs. So the drop really is the last option, that the net team has forced upon the hitting team because of their position at the net.
So even before the drop gets hit, we could reasonably assess that the hitting team is in a weaker position than the non-hitting team.
Ok. let move on and assume the drop gets hit. Well, if it is too low or too slow, it’s in the net and the hitting team loses the rally right away. And if it is too high or too fast, it is likely to get pounded. The drop really has to be precisely hit if it won’t end in disaster. Again, the pressure the hitting team is under suggests that in this dynamic, drops come from a defensive place.
But what if the drop is perfectly hit? What if it sent at the ideal speed and height? Maybe that makes it offensive?
A drop, by definition, is a low and relatively slow shot. It has to be if it is going to do its job of forcing an upward swing from the players at the net. But the fact that it is a slow shot means the opponents have a fair bit of time to set up and prepare for the ball. Even if the ball is hit near a sideline or between the players, it usually takes so long to arrive that the net team has all the time they need to get in position for it. The necessary slowness of the drop pushes back against the idea that it is an offensive shot.
So what can make the case for a drop being a shot meant to cause trouble? One argument is that good drops are low. If a person receiving this low ball gets too excited or doesn’t give it the respect it deserves, they are likely to send it back with too much speed and pop it up. And we see this pretty regularly at the intermediate level. Someone gets a ball near their feet, panics a little and sends up a sitter.
But as you go up in level, players are less likely to get flustered just because a ball is low. In high level pickleball, most of the balls are low. Players spend all day hitting balls that are landing near their feet. And because it is so commonplace, it becomes less tricky to deal with.
Another factor we might consider in the argument for the offensiveness of a drop is spin. As paddle technology evolves, we’re seeing players use more and more spin on their drops. Sometimes it is backspin, but it is also topspin and sidespin too.
Hitting drops with spin can make handling the rebound a little tougher, since the spin can create a different bounce compared to a flat ball. In the case of topspin especially, not only does the ball rebound a bit faster to the opponent, the spin also helps the ball dip down sooner, allowing players to hit with a little more speed and still force that ever-important upward hit.
And if players aren’t attentive to the spin, it can indeed cause them to misfire when playing their next shot. I think that when spin is present on a good drop it moves it closer to the idea of being an offensive shot, but I’m not convinced it takes it all the way across the finish line.
Kyle Yates hitting a textbook backhand drop.
Finally, we can address what a good drop allows to happen next. Remember at the start of this video I argued that the droppers are in a weak position because they are at the back of the court and their opponents at the net are applying pressure?
A good drop typically leads to a relatively slow next shot from the net team. And the fact that this next ball will probably be slow allows the droppers to advance to the net without too much fear. And this is the moment — this transition from the back of the court up toward the net — that the scales can started to be tipped. This is the moment when the dropping team can leave their weak backcourt position and move to somewhere they can start to apply pressure themselves.
I would argue that this forward transition to the net doesn’t on its own qualify as an offensive moment — going forward doesn’t necessarily cause trouble for your opponents — but it does add some pressure. While the good drop the net team is receiving is not, on its own, a very difficult shot to handle, any mistake in playing it now becomes more critical. So what’s the final verdict? Is a drop an offensive shot? I’d argue no, not really. There are too many reasons to classify it as a defensive or neutralising shot — one trying to avoid trouble rather than cause it.
But when a drop is well executed and the recovery is on point, it can definitely move things in a direction that is more offensive. I might go so far as calling a drop a pre-offensive shot since when used adeptly — in combination with forward movement to the net — it can lead to an opportunity to turn the tables. But generally speaking, when a drop wins a team the point or leads to a put away, it is typically the result of the receiving team handling a relatively easy ball poorly, rather than the shot itself doing a lot of offensive work.
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Whether it fully deserves it or not, pickleball (for the most part) enjoys a reputation for being a welcoming sport. Stories abound of non-players showing up at local courts only to be met by a friendly crew of pickleheads with some extra paddles and nothing but enthusiasm. We hear of travellers welcomed with open arms when joining a drop-in session in a different city. And if you ever need a place to crash, just find a local pickleball club and doors will open.
And this is good. But at the risk of blowing a hole in this feel-good bubble, I’d like to make a suggestion. I’d like to remind people that you do not, in fact, need to play pickleball with anyone that asks you to.
Most of us have been in a situation where people we’d rather not step on a court with ask us to play. Our reluctance might come from the person’s poor behaviour; perhaps they have been rude or abusive to others in the group. Maybe it’s a person with whom we have fundamental disagreements with — disagreements so strong that you can’t look past them even to play a game. Maybe you don’t want to play with them because, well, they’re level is just so much lower than yours and the people you are playing with that it will diminish the fun you and the others are likely to have.
Now I’m not saying you need to be rude in your rejection either. There are many polite ways to decline. But I am advocating for people to feel empowered to have some say over who they get on the court with.
If you are playing at a venue that has clearly stated policies about how play is organized, and you choose to play there, then you are agreeing to play by their rules. If the common practice is that the next four people in line go out on the court together, it’s not cool to be number four, look up ahead, and then swap places with someone because you don’t like your grouping.
And if there is a sign-up board where the rule is if there is an open space anyone can add their name to it, if you want to keep playing with that crew you best abide by the rules when the 3.0 adds their name to the court with you and your 4.0 friends. You don’t have to like it, but by playing in that place you should honour their format.
Further, if you are all part of the same club you may have some measure of obligation to acquiesce since the nature of a club is that people are bonded together in a way that non-members aren’t.
Let’s imagine you and your friends are enjoying a cold drink at your favourite bar. And while there, a person you don’t know really well — or one you do know but don’t care for — comes up and asks if they can join you. While you might choose to pull up a chair for them, you are certainly under no obligation. This is your time with your friends and you have the right to choose who you include (or not) in that group.
The same goes for pickleball. If you and the people you like to play with are enjoying some leisure time together, you are under no requirement to include someone else just because they ask. Their desire to be part of your group doesn’t outweigh your desire to choose who you play with.
That doesn’t give you permission to be rude or cruel, of course. There are many gracious ways to get out of this situation:
“Actually, we’ve really been looking forward to playing together for some time. Maybe later?”
“I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve got a bit of a rivalry going. We’d like to keep playing as a group.”
“Thanks for asking. We’re actually all working on some things together so we’d prefer to keep our group as it is.”
“We’ve had some really good games lately, and we’d like to keep it going. I’m sure you understand.”
Is it possible that the person being rejected gets their feeling hurt? Absolutely. And I think we have an obligation to limit the degree to which this happens. But it is also important to remember that they put themselves in a vulnerable position for that to happen when they chose to approach a group and try to enter it.
While I’m arguing that you should be able to freely decline to play with someone you don’t want to, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t consequences you might have to pay. You may be perceived by others are being a snob; of thinking yourself superior or too good to play with others. There can be social penalties too, like not getting invited to post-pickleball drinks or the next barbecue. How heavily these things weigh is a matter for each person to consider on their own.
It’s also important to think of other costs of turning someone down. Did you just lose out on making a new friend? Did you just blow a chance to make someone feel good and included? Was this a chance for you work on aspects of your game now that the competitive element wasn’t so strong? These are all worth considering when making your decision. It is just a game after all, right?
By Mark Renneson
I've been noticing some discussion online lately about pickleball commentary during live-streamed matches. It seems that most people agree that they like having broadcasters include play-by-play. But people are also particular about what it sounds like. I’m no expert, but I thought this might be a chance to offer my perspective on what makes for good commentary and what causes it to fall off the rails.
I think it is important to differentiate between colour commentary and play-by-play. The role of the latter is to describe the action in front of the viewer -- to put words to actions as they take place. Colour commentary, on the other hand, has a different objective. Its aim is to enhance the viewing experience in some way, not just describe the action as it unfolds but to help an audience make sense of it in ways that they might not be able to on their own.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of play-by-play in pickleball. This isn't based on some grand principle, but more on the idea that I can see where the ball's been hit, I don't need to be told about it. I prefer a broadcaster to speak only if it is giving me something I can't get otherwise. And to be told that a player is running to the kitchen or returning serve with their forehand doesn't really give me that. Some people may feel differently. But if you've ever heard me call a match, I rarely talk about the shots as they are happening.
The enhancement offered by a colour commentator isn't in their ability to describe the action, but to make sense of it. This can be through analysis, explanation, observation, or anecdote; and it frequently includes all four. I try to draw the audience's attention to something I think they might appreciate but don't necessarily notice. This is frequently related to a team's strategy or tactics but could include unpacking a decision-making process or trying to anticipate adjustments that players might make as a match unfolds.
I think of the job as a mixture of explaining what has happened and predicting what will happen (although I tend to give more weight to analysis rather than fortune-telling). But there are some risks that come with the effort to add to the action. Generally speaking, when people complain about commentary their criticism usually takes these forms:
The commentators were off-topic.
They didn't give proper attention to big points.
Their discussion was irrelevant to the action.
Really, these all boil down to the viewer saying: this isn't improving my experience of the match. And that's usually when they hit the mute button. So what’s going on? Why does this happen? I’m going to try to give my view of how things can fall off track
First off, let me start by saying that if I’m leading the commentary side of the production, I take full responsibility for any announcing-related problems that go down in the booth. If we miss a cue or drone on too long, that’s on me. And if I have a guest who is joining the broadcast, my job is to help them shine. If they don’t, that’s my failure, not theirs. Ok. So how do things turn south?
Too Broad a Focus. In some cases, the announcer thinks about the forest rather than the trees. Sure, they are watching this particular match, but it almost always exists in the context of a bigger story — a tournament. Broadcasters will sometimes still have other parts of that story in mind even though they — and the viewer — should be focused on a very narrow part of it; the match in front of them. This can be especially tempting if there have been some exciting stories from earlier in the event and if the match they should be focused on is, ahem, a little less captivating.
A Little Too Friendly. When broadcasters are working as a team they are bound to develop some kind of relationship. And a certain level of comfort and chemistry is good. But if you aren’t careful, that easy-going attitude can slip into ‘friend mode’ which can make the broadcast seem like it’s a couple of buddies hanging out on the sidelines rather than broadcasters doing a job.
Being a Good Host. I really enjoy inviting people into the booth. I make an effort to find people who I think will offer useful insights and who viewers will appreciate hearing from. And I’m always grateful when people take time out of their schedule to join me. What becomes tricky is the balance between giving that person space to be themselves, but also keeping the focus on the match we are watching. It’s kind of like inviting people to a dinner party — you want everyone to feel comfortable, important and valued. You want to hear what each person has to say. But if you pay too much attention to one person and their thoughts, it can cause the party to go sideways. When broadcasting, I have to think about the person in the booth, the people watching at home, as well as respect the people playing the match. It’s a delicate balance that I know I don’t always get right — often because viewers tell me!
Again, when this happens and I’m running the show, it is always my mistake — never the guests. My job is to guide the guest and to get the most out of them I can for the viewer without overshadowing the players. It’s true that it is hard. But it is also true that it is a pleasure to be part of a process that when done right, provides something enjoyable and valuable to pickleball fans.
If you are a regular pickleball player then you know that one of the hardest things to do in a group or club setting is to determine how court time should be allocated. Should you put the newbies on courts 1 and 2 and let 'Masters' play on 3 and 4? A challenge court where if you win you stay? Random selection? Trying to figure out how best to distrubute court time and access to a wide range of people can be a real headache.
Generally speaking, games are most fun when you are playing with people at a similar skill level. If the abilities of players are too far apart, the game is boring and/or hopeless. People don’t have to be exactly the same, but having some degree of parity makes the action more interesting. So how do you do it?
COMPETITIVE vs. RECREATIONAL
One method that is frequently tried is to separate courts and identify some s “competitive” and others as “recreational”. And while this might make sense at first glance, there is a significant problem: we’re identifying the wrong thing!
That's right. Playing competitively or 'just for fun' says something about your mindset, but says nothing about your skill level. A strong desire to win and willingness to try hard may be admirable traits, but they don’t much make up for the ability to hit consistent drops, devastating drives, or put away high balls on demand. There are extremely competitive 3.0 players who live and breathe pickleball, who travel to tournaments, who proudly wear the medals they've won and who will fight tooth and nail to win every point. And given the option between playing on the comp court or the rec court, these people would (rightly) gravitate to the competitive side. When it comes to pickleball, they are competitive.
Likewise, there are 5.0 players who show up for a little social time and couldn't care less whether they win our lose. If asked "are you a competitive player" these people would understandably answer "no" and move to the rec side of the gym. But that doesn't solve the problem of having skill level mismatches. While you might have grouped people who have similar attitudes when it comes to sports in general or pickleball in particular, this does nothing to make it more likely that the games will be good. A person can be as competitive as they want, but if the are severely outmatched by players with more skill, it isn’t much fun on either side of the net. Again, if you are looking for evenly matched pickleball games, organizing by attitude is the wrong way to go.
WHAT TO DO?
If organizing people by desire is a losing game, what’s better? Personally, I believe that if you want close games then you need to organize by skill level. Simple as that. This, of course, is easier said than done. Who is the arbiter to decide each person’s skill level? Is it based on notoriously unreliable self-ratings? Is there a test people have to take before stepping on the court? Some clubs that choose to use a challenge court system (i.e. you win you move up, you lose you move down) is tricky since it is relatively easy to isolate the weaker player which will simultaneously attribute the ‘L’ to his or her partner.
Personally, I like ratings systems that are as objective as possible. I find the wording of the current systems unnecessarily vague and open to interpretation. What exactly does it mean when a person has “increased consistency”? Increased compared to what? How do we measure that a person is “starting to understand the block/reset volley”? I prefer a system like the one we use as part of the PCI Level 1 instructor certification test (see video below).
It is relatively objective and a player either meets the standard or they don’t. It’s not perfect since it doesn’t take into account a player’s decision-making ability or ‘court sense’, but compared to the rather nebulous wording used in most current systems, I prefer its rigidity and focus on performance. To be perfectly honest, if I’m playing a good game with someone I don’t really care if they know why they are doing what they are doing — I just want them to be able to do it.
Mark Renneson is the founder of Third Shot Sports and Pickleball Coaching International.
If you're like most people, you've had a PB hiatus. Here's what you can look forward to upon your return and what to do about it:
The Problem: Inconsistency. Pickleball is very much about timing: receiving fast balls at the net; hitting returns on the rise; co-ordinating switches with your partner and knowing who has the middle balls. After a break, it is likely that your timing will be off.
The Solution: Be forgiving. Expect that you're not going to be playing your best right out of the gate and be ok with that. Pickleball is a game and games should be fun. Give yourself permission to have a good time even if you're missing some easy shots. It's a process.
The Problem: Pain. Unless you've been doing some driveway training, you're probably not PB fit the way you were a couple months ago. There's a good chance you'll wake up sore.
The Solution: Take it slow. I know you are keen to get out there. But just as you should pace yourself when you go to your favourite buffet, being over-eager now can have real consequences. I suggest setting a hard time limit for the first few days. If you're accustomed to playing for three hours at a time, set the limit to 90-minutes your first day out. You'll be disappointed to leave but you'll be even more disappointed if you don't and the next day you can't walk.
The Problem: Different groups of players. Just because courts are opening up, doesn't mean everyone is comfortable going back. You should expect that your regular contingent of players probably won't be there.
The Solution: See this as an opportunity. I know it's fun to play with a regular group, but this is a chance to expand your horizons. Maybe you'll discover that you and another person have great on-court chemistry. Perhaps you'll make a new friend since the cliques have to break down. This is a chance to grow your network of pickleball comrades.
The Problem: Frustration. Even if you're happy to be back on the court, there is a good chance that you and your PB buddies have some residual stress. After all, we're still in the middle (?) of a global pandemic and we've all gone through a lot. Some of us definitely more than others. Given that, it shouldn't be a surprise if we find ourselves getting frustrated with our on play or with other people.
The Solution: Be aware. The best way to combat unnecessary frustration is to anticipate it in advance. Knowing that you or others might be more apt to have a short fuse these days makes it easier to handle if it happens -- or even better, prevent it in the first place. Be kind to yourself and to each other.
