My last blog post talked about adding spin to your shots. Let’s assume you’re getting good at putting spin on the ball. That doesn’t tell you how to deal with an opponent who’s learned the same techniques. Countering someone who knows how to send a mix of shots with topspin, backspin, and sidespin takes...
Read more →Of all the questions I receive about pickleball, the one asked most often is how to put spin on the ball. I’ll describe how it’s done below, but it’s also important to know when and why topspin, backspin, or sidespin might be used. So first let’s look at what adding spin can do for your strokes. Topspin makes the...
Read more →Recently I received a message from a man who had read my last posting here. He retired and discovered pickleball about a year ago and, like the rest of us, became hooked on the sport. He promised himself that he would play by the rules and not become demoralized when he played with people...
Read more →During the last few months, some people have written to me regarding the correct way to serve in pickleball. They have been involved in heated arguments regarding their interpretation of the current USAPA rule concerning the underhand serve. While the spirit of this rule is quite clear, in my opinion, the actual wording allows...
Read more →[An aside before beginning this blog: I've never discovered why the non-volley zone is called "the kitchen," but it is. Because of that, and the very name of the sport having to do with food, it seems appropriate now and then to carry that theme forward, so today's entry about poaching and pickling seems...
Read more →The National Pickleball Tournament, hosted by the USAPA, is finally happening soon. It’s taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people to get to this point (along with funding by some terrific supporters), and they all deserve a huge round of applause (and your business). Although I’m no longer closely involved...
Read more →Disclaimer: The names in this blog post have been changed to protect the innocent – and the guilty :-) The other day, we were talking about how we practice. As with everything else about pickleball, there were different opinions, but the most interesting discussion was about whether you should hit the ball toward your...
Read more →When I picked the title for my book, The Art of Pickleball, I wasn’t thinking about Sun Tzu’s principles in The Art of War, Robert Pirsig’s journey in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, or even Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The truth is that I had planned to call the book Winning Pickleball. My publisher said that was not...
Read more →My son was visiting friends recently and happened upon some strangers playing doubles pickleball. Of course, he had to stop and say hello and eventually join in their games. What he related later was interesting and something I hadn’t run across before. The folks playing pickleball in this park didn’t play by the rules....
Read more →This week, I was thinking about winning strategies (again). While there’s a lot to be said for just getting out there and enjoying playing pickleball, if you’re reading this, chances are you also think about winning and want to better your odds. Most pickleball games are played as doubles. (You singles players out there...
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