SOUTHERN OREGON PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION

HOW TO IMPROVE AT PICKLEBALL?

Pickleball is fun at any skill level, but for many of us pickleballers, there is a great deal of enjoyment that comes from improving your skills and play level. Pickleball is an easy sport to learn and a hard one to master. I have heard that quote from many advanced players who are continually reminded of "the shot they don't have." Following are some ideas on how a player might improve their pickleball skill level.

how to improve

  • Play more pickleball. Very obvious, but truly useful. Many pickleball shots improve through "muscle-memory." The more you hit the ball, track the ball during flight, move to the ball, etc., the more those primary skills will improve. These skills are the foundation of an improving game.
  • Play with more INTENTION. Many beginner players hit the ball with little focus on where it's going to go, other than "over the net." Try setting your body up to hit the ball to a particular part of the court. You might miss more shots initially, but with practice those shots will get easier and you will be more successful in your games.
  • ALWAYS warm-up extensively before you play. Too often I see "Rec Sessions" start with a 3-7 minute warm-up until someone says, "Okay, let's play....," usually followed part way through the first game after missing an easy shot with, "this is only a warm-up game." Here's what happens: People don't want to let their partner down, so they modify their hitting technique to "keep the ball in play" and effectively are "practicing bad habits and incorrect stroke mechanics." I believe players should aim for 15+ of warm up, which includes:  Dinking easy. Dinking away from your partner. One person steps back to hit third shot drops to the person still at the kitchen line. Switch places for drops by the other player. Then come to the net and volley the ball back and forth at the kitchen. Work to hit 20-50 volleys in a row. Then move on the diagonal and dink cross court. Switch and do it from that angle. NOW, you are all ALMOST warmed up. Play at least three rotations of the "Kitchen game" (see below for a link to this game). To learn more, look at this page.
  • Practice more and play less. This step assumes you have started doing the first two steps more often. Then take one or more of your available play days and spend the first half of your time drilling shots that are difficult for you. You should focus on unreliable shots to make them more consistent. You can also spend time on fine-tuning your "good shots" to make them more potent, but that should be secondary. By the way, everything mentioned here is what pickleball addicts call, "Drilling." To learn more about drilling, see this page: My favorite drills.   Finally, remember that famous coach's quote, "Practice doesn't make perfect... PERFECT practice makes perfect."
  • Practice and Play against better players. Many intermediate players tell me this is difficult because better players only want to play with the other better players. Well, yes, this is true... because they also want to get better and the same rule applies to them. BUT, the solution is to ask them, preferably in person when you see them on the court. They may not be able to join you or your group every time, but they might occasionally if asked. It also helps to not reach too far. If you are a 4.0 player, you don't need to look for 4.5 sessions or players. Look for 4.25 sessions and try that. Asking the session organizer if this is okay also makes players more amiable to helping up-skill a developing player.
  • Get some professional instruction. We have many wonderful instructors in the valley at various levels. Look on our instruction page to find one. These can be very effective, especially in groups of three or four players.
  • Compete in tournaments. Both local and larger tournaments can help you see other play styles and give you a chance to test and improve your focus and fortitude. 
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