​This afternoon, I received an email from an 82-year-old gentleman who said he'd read and enjoyed The Art of Pickleball. He said he hoped I had some tips regarding playing singles—his game of choice—as he'll be playing in a tournament soon. After applauding him for playing singles at his age, I scoured my notes, watched some videos by YouTube pros, and collected these tips. I hope they're useful to you when you are 82!

Tips for Better Singles Play

• Stay close to the center line when you serve, so you can reach the returned shot with fewer steps. Face your opponent and watch his paddle angle and the ball, so you'll know where it's headed.
• Singles pickleball is a lot like singles tennis, in that you should keep your feet moving. Don't get caught flat-footed, and you'll be able to get to the shots more easily.
• I watched a Kyle Yates video where he said his technique in singles was to hit mostly forehands (that's always good advice) and long drives as hard as he could. I don't think that will work for everyone, but it won him the gold. Deep, hard serves are more difficult to return and may help you on your way to the non-volley zone, if your opponent's return is weak. Same for the return of service—send it deep and hard, and hopefully you can gain the net or at least try for a good passing shot. 
• Regarding hitting forehand: many singles players seem to win by having that good footwork and the agility to "run around" their backhand, allowing them to hit forehand instead. Yet I heard one retired tennis coach take umbrage with that, insisting players should work on their backhands, as that was ultimately a lot easier. It's true that you usually hit harder with a forehand stroke, so when power is called for, stick to forehand when possible.
• When you're in the back court, hit deep to the corners, not down the middle—just opposite of typical doubles strategy. Keep your opponent running side to side, which he should find the most difficult. 
• Try not to get stuck in mid court, where your opponent can send shots to your feet. If you can't get to the net, stay in the back third of the court until you can, or hit a split step if you get caught, grounding yourself for a good return, and then hustle toward the net again. 
• Get to the non-volley zone, just as in doubles. That's where your power is. From there, volley your opponent's returns and, again, hit toward the corners to keep him moving and ultimately to put away the shot. You can use a hard drive, if he's in the back court, or a drop volley to get to the net (add underspin/backspin to the ball to make it tougher for him to return it). Don't use a drop shot if your opponent is deep—you want to keep him away from the net. Keep pounding him with long drives to the back court.
• If your opponent does get to the net, you can force him back with a lob (not commonly done anymore, because many players often smash it back for a put-away) or hit a passing shot. Which you use depends on your skill and your opponent's skill. 
• Stay on the attack. Send shots to your opponent's backhand, as it's typically weaker.

Drills for Singles Play
This man also asked if I could suggest drills for singles. Here they are:

• Hit serves and returns so they land within two to three feet of the baseline. If practicing with a partner, send shots to your partner's backhand. Have your partner do the same for you.
• Practice drop volleys from the baseline, sending them to the sides rather than the center of the non-volley zone. 
• Have a partner send shots to you at the baseline, aiming for the corners. Concentrate on your footwork and staying mobile between the shots.
• All target practice drills are good. 

Most pickleball players are impatient when it comes to results. But like most sports worth playing, pickleball takes practice and patience to learn to play well.

Patience and forgiveness are often synonymous. Whether you're practicing or competing, you'll have good and bad days. No one's perfect, not even the pros. We all have moments where we don't make our usual shots. 
 
When that happens, our "fight or flight" instinct kicks in. We get angry with ourselves and fight to recapture our strokes. Sometimes, we give up hope. Referred to as "tanking," this is the flight response. We want to flee the discomfort of losing and give up trying to win. 
 
True competitors have a particular kind of patience that is born from forgiveness. When we forgive ourselves for being less than perfect, a relaxation sets in. We become more patient and have a greater likelihood of resurrecting our game. When things go horribly wrong, forgive yourself as soon as possible. 

A while ago, I was talking with someone about pickleball strategy, he said he’d been approaching the game logically, trying to improve his playing without playing. Since he is a good player, I listened as he rattled off statistics and logical assumptions.

He’d been thinking about the serve. He pointed out that serving in pickleball isn’t like other racquet sports because of the double-bounce rule. In pickleball, the side that gets to the net first wins more rallies — 60 to 70% more. Because the serving side has to wait back near the baseline because of the double-bounce rule, the receivers always reach the net first, and they win more often. He went on to say that it really didn't matter if he missed his serve — his chances of making an ace on the serve are small.

The first part of what he said made sense. He was right about being at the net — the position of power — and the receivers do have an advantage by getting there first. But what did that have to do with making or not making the serve? I said, "If you miss your serve, you’ve lost the possibility of making a point, and your opponents didn’t have to do anything."

He shook his head and said, “Since my chances of winning while serving are less than the receivers’, I should try an extraordinary serve to even the odds. I’m better off serving the ball with maximum power, skill, and deception and miss the serve entirely than delivering an easy serve. If my opponents are any good at all, they’ll send it back with thanks and a victory. When I serve hard or send the serve to the outside corner of the service box, for example, I’m risking a fault to achieve a point. My old tennis coach used to say that a service ratio of an ace to an error is a good ratio. The same thing applies here."

This was an approach to the game I hadn’t considered, but which was all around me in the way other people play.

He continued, “People concentrate on getting the serve into the box, but I disagree with that. You shouldn’t be afraid to miss a serve. Statistics say you won’t win that point very often anyway, so why not take a chance and try a tough serve? If it goes in, even if your opponent sends it back, they won’t do as well as if you handed them the ball on a platter. Serving hard and with as much skill as you can muster has everything to gain and nothing to lose [assuming you get it in 50% of the time]."

I nodded and let this sink in. The key to his strategy being successful depends on that last bit in brackets. If you get the serve in more than half the time, his strategy might work.

He went on. “This changes the serve in pickleball from a defensive opening to a power play that can win points and reclaim the edge (or at least even the odds). The question shouldn’t be what percentage of your serves are in. Instead, track the ratio of your service winners to errors. Track an error if you miss the box. Track a winner when your serve makes them miss or the return is weak and sets up an easy point for you. If the ratio is even or better, that’s great."

His method wouldn’t pay for beginners or inconsistent intermediate players, but for those who can usually place the ball well, it might be worth rethinking whether the serve should be only a game starter or if it has more going for it.

If nothing else, this kind of serve would keep your opponents on their toes because it would be unexpected, and that’s always a good thing.

​What do you think?

​There are two types of anticipation. One isn’t a conscious choice and can be detrimental to your pickleball game. The other type of anticipation is a conscious choice you can make to improve your play.