Pickleball anyone?

[Dtail]

So, I'm watching an NFL game and I see Richard Sherman, a cornerback for the 49'ers intercept a pass and run around like, well, like an NFL cornerback who has just intercepted a pass. He's about 22 months post-achilles rupture. I'm about 14 months. I will be back in The Villages Dec. 1, which puts me at 15 months post rupture. I'm still working on the rehab diligently, and still making good progress, although I'm not "there" yet, as far as the injured leg being as strong as the uninjured leg, but I'm getting closer.

So, I think when I get back to Florida I'm going to start playing a little bit. I am going to start just by going on the court with DW and hitting some balls to her, to help her drill, and see how it feels. We also have friends who are going to just start playing, so maybe some very light, casual games among the 4 of us. If it feels good, and continues to improve, and I don't get hurt, I hope to play next Spring, back north, at our club.
The hardest part for me, I think, will be to restrain myself from my naturally competitive tendencies, and stay under some control.
It will be hard for me to do, when my side starts losing.

That's the spirit.
Perhaps over time it can be the same.
I am playing with a repaired right knee ACL which is not affected at all on the court and I crouch many times for defense.

 

[timbo]

My family really enjoys pickleball. Dad started playing about 3 years ago (he is 72) and he plays anywhere from 3-6 days/week. The exercise, good competition and fellowship has been really good for him. When my Mom passed away 20 months ago that group really became a great outlet for him.

He has gotten many of his kids and grandkids to enjoy playing and it's a ton of fun. The people I have met through pickleball are extremely friendly and welcoming. It's also a good sport because it's less physically demanding than many others so it can be played competitively by older and younger people both male and female. Like any other game, it is more fun when the players are all close to the same skill.

 

[Dtail]

My family really enjoys pickleball. Dad started playing about 3 years ago (he is 72) and he plays anywhere from 3-6 days/week. The exercise, good competition and fellowship has been really good for him. When my Mom passed away 20 months ago that group really became a great outlet for him.

He has gotten many of his kids and grandkids to enjoy playing and it's a ton of fun. The people I have met through pickleball are extremely friendly and welcoming. It's also a good sport because it's less physically demanding than many others so it can be played competitively by older and younger people both male and female. Like any other game, it is more fun when the players are all close to the same skill.

Spot on plus if one has hand/eye coordination and has already played a racket sport, Pickleball can be picked up within a couple of days. Then it is just the nuances of the ball and strategy.

 

[Philliefan33]

This week DH and I were invited to "try out" for a private, competitive pickleball group. The organizers want to keep the level of play high (3.5 and up), so don't want to let just anyone in. We know many of the players in this group from playing at other places, and they are very good players. We weren't sure we could make the cut.

We played at this private place / tried out on Wednesday. While we realize that we are at the low end of the spectrum with this group, we were deemed worthy of participating. The stronger players want to help players like us who are still learning, but willing to play in a competitive environment. DH and I were happy to be allowed to join because nothing makes us improve like having to regularly play against tough opponents.

We played again this morning. What a workout! Besides the physical aspect, I found it to be an exercise in focus. When any little mistake is likely to mean a loss of point, I sure have to concentrate. I think my brain got tired before my body.

We have this competitive group available 3 days/week, and will play at our regular indoor courts at other times. While there are strong players at our regular courts (some of them also play with the private group), it's an open play environment so we sometimes get mixed in with much weaker players. We can use those days to work on specific parts of our game and maybe help the weaker players improve.

 

[Dtail]

This week DH and I were invited to "try out" for a private, competitive pickleball group. The organizers want to keep the level of play high (3.5 and up), so don't want to let just anyone in. We know many of the players in this group from playing at other places, and they are very good players. We weren't sure we could make the cut.

We played at this private place / tried out on Wednesday. While we realize that we are at the low end of the spectrum with this group, we were deemed worthy of participating. The stronger players want to help players like us who are still learning, but willing to play in a competitive environment. DH and I were happy to be allowed to join because nothing makes us improve like having to regularly play against tough opponents.

We played again this morning. What a workout! Besides the physical aspect, I found it to be an exercise in focus. When any little mistake is likely to mean a loss of point, I sure have to concentrate. I think my brain got tired before my body.

We have this competitive group available 3 days/week, and will play at our regular indoor courts at other times. While there are strong players at our regular courts (some of them also play with the private group), it's an open play environment so we sometimes get mixed in with much weaker players. We can use those days to work on specific parts of our game and maybe help the weaker players improve.

Sounds excellent overall.
You must have learned some more on how to return the spin serves.
The sport has been a godsend for me, since I can't play competitive basketball anymore.
Trying to play 5/6 days a week.

 

[garyt]

If it were me and I was playing someone that was far below my level I would either.... not play at all as it would not be interesting... OR, do it for fun and play down to their level plus a bit (do not want to lose) so they could learn how to play..


Or, is there some other way to give a handicap? As an example, when I used to play chess we would give up pieces at the beginning of the game... try playing without both rooks and the queen and see how good you are...

I agree, what's the point of picking on a beginner. I just started playing and could tell that most people were not giving me their best serve. There were a couple though that seemed to take pleasure in making me look foolish. Oh well.

 

[garyt]

Some people just want to win. In every sport I've ever played there were teams/individuals who would sandbag. Be it softball, bowling. volleyball, basketball or golf, there's always some dufus who gets off on winning even if he has to drop down two levels to do it. I can't understand how they get any satisfaction from that.

Boy have I experienced that! Like you say, what's the satisfaction in that? But it goes on everywhere.

 

[Ready]

You never know what baggage people bring with them onto the pickleball courts. Some people just have to win every game even if it means slamming the ball at their opponents when they clearly don’t need to do that to win. I try to avoid those players since they are just not enjoyable to play with.

What exhausts me even more is when I’m playing with a lower level player and the other side hits every ball to that person every single time. So they end up winning. And I just sit there thinking “you beat a beginner by picking on them”. Was that an accomplishment for you? Are you so afraid to hit the ball to me that you have to pick on someone who is just learning the game? So frustrating.

 

[HadEnuff]

I am relatively new to the game, but I am better than most "beginners". When I am in a match where I'm way better than the opposition I work on my "dink" game. I work on 3rd shot drops, and placement over power. Those are the areas I need to improve anyway. One issue I do have, and I had this in tennis and platform tennis, is that I tend to lose my accuracy when I try to hit "easy" serves. But again, that's another thing I can work on.

 

[HadEnuff]

DW and I played in a beginner "open play" group the other day and we played a married couple. The wife was perfectly fine but the husband was a class A jerk. Half the time when we were serving to him he'd be looking at the other matches on other courts. I finally just started serving to him while he had his back turned, not because I wanted to win, but because I wanted him to start paying attention. He completely lost track of the score and then then when he learned they were behind in the score he got nasty, as if we were trying to cheat. He spent the first half of the game acting like "it doesn't matter, it's just a game" but then when he found out he was losing, he started hitting the ball really hard, and mostly wildly. Then when it was his turn to serve he gave his side an extra 4 points. Fine, I didn't even correct him. DW and I just wanted it to be over. Everyone else has been great ,whether they are better than us, or not. This guy won the trophy for "Person I will never play with again"...

 

[Kroeran]

Pickle to tennis

I grew up playing paddle tennis (wood racket, tennis ball, similar net and court size to pickle), so transitioning to pickle was easy.

A few limiting factors,

retired people tend to adopt pickle and move up to higher play, and acquire endurance to play for hours. I have trouble devoting that much intensity, so am stuck down o with lower skillls and limited endurance.

Pickle at our Florida place is two over crowded open play courts with few rules and no scheduling. Waiting to play or very intense play.,

Our friends who established pickle there started migrating to the much better funded and luxurious top grade tennis facilities and we started getting drawn into that.

My surprise was that tennis is much less strenuous than pickleball and that the action of a well connected hit on the ball is more satisfying.

For friends moving up through the skill levels, levels are carefully curated and levels are matched best they can in more structured games.

My wife prefers the greater age diversity and has an easier time returning with a tennis racket than pickle.

I put this out there for anyone frustrated with your pickle scene who might not feel up to trying tennis.

Pickle is very well organized up north so I will likely stick with it there.

 

[Dtail]

You never know what baggage people bring with them onto the pickleball courts. Some people just have to win every game even if it means slamming the ball at their opponents when they clearly don’t need to do that to win. I try to avoid those players since they are just not enjoyable to play with.

What exhausts me even more is when I’m playing with a lower level player and the other side hits every ball to that person every single time. So they end up winning. And I just sit there thinking “you beat a beginner by picking on them”. Was that an accomplishment for you? Are you so afraid to hit the ball to me that you have to pick on someone who is just learning the game? So frustrating.

Same thing happens to me, but I just deal with it. I started playing additionally in a different place where the level of play is more competitive but also more closely together in skill level, so this picking on the weaker player happens less there.
We also have some sore losers in our complex, especially the person who taught us Pickleball, but is not the best player anymore. He will never say good game when he loses and the games have a more tense atmosphere when he plays.

 

[HadEnuff]

You never know what baggage people bring with them onto the pickleball courts. Some people just have to win every game even if it means slamming the ball at their opponents when they clearly don’t need to do that to win. I try to avoid those players since they are just not enjoyable to play with.

What exhausts me even more is when I’m playing with a lower level player and the other side hits every ball to that person every single time. So they end up winning. And I just sit there thinking “you beat a beginner by picking on them”. Was that an accomplishment for you? Are you so afraid to hit the ball to me that you have to pick on someone who is just learning the game? So frustrating.

Same thing happens to me, but I just deal with it. I started playing additionally in a different place where the level of play is more competitive but also more closely together in skill level, so this picking on the weaker player happens less there.
We also have some sore losers in our complex, especially the person who taught us Pickleball, but is not the best player anymore. He will never say good game when he loses and the games have a more tense atmosphere when he plays.

Oftentimes that occurs because the weaker player is out of position. You have a choice of hitting something to the weaker player, out of position, or the stronger player who is in position, and likely, if you don't hit a perfectly placed shot to that stronger player, he or she will then hit a winner at your weaker partner.
Also, if the weaker player delivers a ball you could slam at either player, I don't think it's cool to slam it at the good player, just because the weaker player set me up for the kill.
So I try to hit the ball to the weaker player a lot, depending upon how much weaker they are, and usually, at the level I play at right now, the stronger players are teaching as they play. Instructing the weaker player as to position and strategy, and understanding that we all miss shots due to limitations in racket skills, and we all could use reminders, and instruction on strategic positioning. 99% of our games are played that way. But like everywhere in the world, there are a few jerks.

 

[Osprey]

Started playing last spring and love it! Has anyone played at East Naples Community Park in Florida? We are visiting Naples this winter and that place Has lots of pickleball courts.

 

[Dtail]

Started playing last spring and love it! Has anyone played at East Naples Community Park in Florida? We are visiting Naples this winter and that place Has lots of pickleball courts.

Never been there yet, but will one year attend the Open Championships which are played IIRC in the April time frame.
Naples is 3 hours from me, so can't just go there for a day's play.

 

[Corporateburnout]

I recently ran into a former tennis colleague who had to retire from tennis a couple of years ago after shoulder and back surgeries. He told me that he will never be able to play tennis again but started playing pickleball 6 months ago and found it to be much less strenuous on his back than tennis. He seems to be enjoying it a lot.

He invited me to join him after the holidays to introduce me to the game.

 

[Dtail]

I recently ran into a former tennis colleague who had to retire from tennis a couple of years ago after shoulder and back surgeries. He told that he will never be able to play tennis again but started playing pickleball 6 months ago and found it to be much less strenuous on his back than tennis. He seems to be enjoying it a lot.

He invited me to join him after the holidays to introduce me to the game.

Good luck. It is a great sport with varying degrees of strategy with hard/soft/spin shots.
One way I look at it (with respect to all the golfers out there with me being one of them), how many great shots does one make in one golf game lasting 3-4 hours and compare that to how many great shots in multiple Pickleball games if one played 3-4 hours in total. These feel good shots will keep you coming back.

 

[Ready]

Oftentimes that occurs because the weaker player is out of position. You have a choice of hitting something to the weaker player, out of position, or the stronger player who is in position, and likely, if you don't hit a perfectly placed shot to that stronger player, he or she will then hit a winner at your weaker partner.
Also, if the weaker player delivers a ball you could slam at either player, I don't think it's cool to slam it at the good player, just because the weaker player set me up for the kill.
So I try to hit the ball to the weaker player a lot, depending upon how much weaker they are, and usually, at the level I play at right now, the stronger players are teaching as they play. Instructing the weaker player as to position and strategy, and understanding that we all miss shots due to limitations in racket skills, and we all could use reminders, and instruction on strategic positioning. 99% of our games are played that way. But like everywhere in the world, there are a few jerks.

What I pay attention to is when regardless of whether I or my partner is serving the ball, my partner gets every return of serve. This puts them in the position of taking every third shot. The third shot is critical to establishing an offensive position and getting up to the kitchen line. If they have not taken the time to develop their third shot, or they just aren’t consistent in where they place it, they put us in defensive mode every time. It’s hard to make progress when the weaker partner is always in control of the third shot. It’s very frustrating.

Sometimes I tell them to cover the line and I’ll cover my side and half of their side, but often times the opposing team still manages to hit their quarter of the court. So frustrating!

 

[Dtail]

What I pay attention to is when regardless of whether I or my partner is serving the ball, my partner gets every return of serve. This puts them in the position of taking every third shot. The third shot is critical to establishing an offensive position and getting up to the kitchen line. If they have not taken the time to develop their third shot, or they just aren’t consistent in where they place it, they put us in defensive mode every time. It’s hard to make progress when the weaker partner is always in control of the third shot. It’s very frustrating.

Sometimes I tell them to cover the line and I’ll cover my side and half of their side, but often times the opposing team still manages to hit their quarter of the court. So frustrating!

Time to change partners. lol

 

[Ready]

Time to change partners. lol

Tell me about it! I brought a partner with me today. We ended up winning most of our games so at one point someone said “how about splitting up and playing again”. The guy who asked loses every game. I politely said no thank you. But I hate coming across as a jerk in those situations. I usually use the standard line of “we are practicing for a future tournament”.

 

[HadEnuff]

I love it when I'm the weak link. I get lots of action.

 

[Dtail]

Tell me about it! I brought a partner with me today. We ended up winning most of our games so at one point someone said “how about splitting up and playing again”. The guy who asked loses every game. I politely said no thank you. But I hate coming across as a jerk in those situations. I usually use the standard line of “we are practicing for a future tournament”.

Actually at one place I play, the local rules are as follows:
The winners stay on the court, but split up for the next game. If one wins 2x in a row, then they sit for the next game and line up the racket for playing again.
This concept seems to work well.

 

[Corporateburnout]

Sometimes I tell them to cover the line and I’ll cover my side and half of their side, but often times the opposing team still manages to hit their quarter of the court. So frustrating!

It's often difficult in leagues of every sport to match skill sets of ALL players. In our doubles tennis league of 12 players there are 2 players at a slightly lower skill sets (3.5 USTA rating vs 4.0 for the other 10). The schedule of play rotates all players every session. The team with the weaker player loses 90% of the time but since we're not playing USTA competition we're all fine with it and don't get frustrated too often. It's all in fun....

 

[Ready]

It's often difficult in leagues of every sport to match skill sets of ALL players. In our doubles tennis league of 12 players there are 2 players at a slightly lower skill sets (3.5 USTA rating vs 4.0 for the other 10). The schedule of play rotates all players every session. The team with the weaker player loses 90% of the time but since we're not playing USTA competition we're all fine with it and don't get frustrated too often. It's all in fun....

Out of curiosity, do the two lower rated players recognize that they are the reason they are losing 90% of the games?

There are a few people who I play with that are really weak players and they end up getting almost every shot. They might as well be playing singles. But if I point out that they are getting almost every shot in the game they say “no I’m not”. It’s like they are in a virtual reality zone where they are playing a completely different game than what I’m observing.

 

[Corporateburnout]

Out of curiosity, do the two lower rated players recognize that they are the reason they are losing 90% of the games?

They do recognize they are the weaker players but opposing players don't target them to win the point. It's usually their unforced errors that is the problem.