Pickleball Paddle Reviews

Improving your pickleball skills

Pickle ball is difficult to master and yet it is easy to play. It is played on a rectangular 44 foot by 20 foot court. The court is separated into two sides by a low net. The court has the centre lines that divide each side into two service courts. Matches are usually played two games out of three. Many people get hooked once they try pickleball.

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and pingpong. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States and is expanding across the world as well. It is easy to learn and it is appealing to all ages.

How to improve your game

There are several things you can do to improve your pickle ball game. You need to develop some techniques and principles on how to become a better player. Of course, you need to be aware of the basics such as positioning, proper paddle swing and footwork.

Probably, the most important thing you have to do is to believe that you are great. Believing in your self is an important factor that is not just helpful in a pickle ball game, but also in real life. Positive belief systems are the basic foundations.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where all you had to do to succeed is believe in yourself and do relentless practice? That is the case with pickle ball as well. The journey is not going to be easy as you will experience ups and downs. However, what will matter most is your determination.

Visualize the game

You can visualize yourself playing the game even when you are not playing pickle ball at the time. Take time to visualize relentlessly what you love and you will get better at it.

Learn from your mistakes

It is imperative to learn from your mistakes. Don’t just get mad from your mistakes, but also learn from them. Convert the frustrations of making mistakes into productive thoughts.

Also, when playing the game, getting frustrated only reveals your weak points to your opponents making your them aware of the strategies to use against you.

Avoid Errors

You are supposed to realize that pickle ball is a game of error avoidance. This is one of the major concepts in pickle ball. The game is about forcing your opponent to make mistakes while you try to avoid making them as much as possible. Pickle ball is a game of survival.

Hit your shots wisely

Do not hit shots you know you can’t make. When playing pickle ball, the objective is to win. Therefore, leave the shots you can’t make on the shelf. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with making new shots. However, leave them for the time you practice.

Don’t use them during the game.

When you are at the court, learn to stay calm and don’t get too excited as this can lead you to doing something crazy.

Dink to the backhand

Another point to consider in improving your pickle ball game is to dink to the backhand and not the forehand. This is one of the best ways to consistently win rallies in pickleball.

A backhand shot is harder to achieve and in most cases, it is a player’s weaker stroke. It takes practice to execute a perfect backhand stroke consecutively. When you dink to your opponents backhand, you are forcing them to make a mistake thereby giving you the advantage in a competitive game.

A set of JUGS indoor balls bounce very highly when they are brand new than when they have been played with for a couple of months. The likelihood of your opponent driving the ball back at you is much higher in high bouncing balls. Remember to keep it low and maintain to the opponents backhand.

Include third shot drops in your warmup.

The best way to warmup for pickleball is to warmup based on the kind of shots you will use. You can also add stretches and jogging to your warmup. Practice the kind of shots that you would use during a match.

The third shot drop is the most difficult shot you would use in pickleball. The third shot drop is prioritized in most cases more than dinking back and forth. You can use a simple drill to practice your shots.

Have another player to stand across you at the kitchen line. Let the player hit the ball to you and then do a drop shot back to him or her while backing up toward the baseline. Allow them to respond to you when the ball is too high and applaud you when you get a good ball.

This is the advantage of having another player across you as you are able to get feedback from him or her.

Reconsider the choice you make on your paddle.

Your paddle selection is important. Most people use the wrong paddles that do not compliment their physicality or their game. However,as much as this point is true, the technique and skill of a player overshadows the kind of paddle used in playing the game.

The right kind of paddle is essential but not necessarily the major factor in playing a good pickleball game. The fact is that your game can suffer by using the wrong kind of paddle. Choose a paddle that compliments you as your pickle ball paddle should be an extension of you.

When selecting your paddle, you should consider weight. This is the most important factor when looking for a brand new paddle. A big percentage of your decision should be weight consideration. Note that it can be tempting to put the blame on your paddle about your gaming mistakes.

I will mention the symptoms of whether you are using a paddle that is too light or too heavy. If it is too heavy you will find yourself doing overhead smashes that go out of your opponents baseline. Also, you will find making swings difficult, resulting to your arm to get fatigued after every match.

On the other hand, a paddle that is too light could result in making you miss the ball completely, doing overhead smashes that go to the net and make you think that you are not using the right amount of force that is needed.

Having the problems mentioned could mean that you are using the wrong kind of paddle. Always try and look out for your preferred weight range.

Moreover, consider your core material. Polymer core is recommended for a vast majority of the players. A polymer in this case describes the molecular structure of polypropylene, a plastic. Most paddles made nowadays have polymer cores in them.

Polymer cores are good in both control and power. These paddles are recommended for use by everyone. Choose a paddle that is under 7 oz if you have armstrength limitations. The recommended price range for a paddle is between $60 and $100.

You will find very little difference for paddles going over a hundred dollars except for the Selkirk paddles.

It is good to have more patience on the net.

This means that you have to wait for the ball to bounce in stead of having to hit a hard-to make or a hard-to reach shot out of the air. In such situations, a player is supposed to be mentally prepared before embarking in a dink where the opponent hits low at you.

The lack of patience will result in a couple of things going wrong. For one, if you attempt to reach the ball out of the air, you might not reach far enough so that the ball hits the end of your paddle and goes into the net. You might also reach forward too aggressively and pop up the ball giving your opponent a chance to smash it.

This can happen with smashes and dives at the net as everyone loves to take advantage of the opportunity of smashing the ball. Players should patiently wait for the ball to bounce so that they can hit the ball instinctively.

Give the ball ample time for it to bounce once you think that you cant reach for it. Most pickleball players have a tendency to lean towards the ball when it is coming over. By waiting for the ball, you are allowing yourself to have a higher chance of success and also a chance to collect yourself before you can hit the ball.

The secret is to stay as calm as possible. You can achieve this by realizing that it is much better to take the safe route. You don’t have to take the risk as it won’t give you much return compared to letting it bounce and hitting it back over.

To develop physically, you need to execute a slow and patient stroke on the ball. Walk calmly in any direction you are going. If you are that you are going to let the ball bounce, keep your legs relaxed. Developing more patience will change your game radically and transform errors into calm dinks back over the net.

Introduce a set partner in the game.

You could choose to play with anyone who is paddle stacked with youse. It is advisable and highly encouraged to find a set partner. A set partner will help you to start playing better and more consistently.

Also,playing with a set partner builds your communication and trust. Once you gain experience with a person on the court,you begin to understand how that player plays and functions on the court. With that awareness comes predictability and predictability builds trust.

When you play with a random person, you wont get the most out of them as you will not be able to find out if they will go out of their way to maintain the ball if make a shot for them. Also, you will not be able to predict if your left-side partner will take the forehand once a ball is coming down the middle.

Play against people who are much better than you are.

In this game, you have to be willing to lose in order to get better. In some situations, when you lose you learn better from your mistakes.

The point is not to lose intentionally, or to play against opponents who are better than you all the time. The objective here is to challenge your abilities thereby making you a better pickleball player. Make sure that you learn from your mistakes by asking your opponents how they managed to beat you. Losing will feel bad but you will get over it by the morning.

Smash for effectiveness, not power.

Overhead smashes are not always effective.If you are the kind of person that needs advice drilled onto your head on a daily basis,then you should know that overhead smashes should be based more on efficiency rather than power.

Most of the time, smashing the ball harder does not necessarily mean that it will translate to better performance. Infact, it could actually be a disadvantage and turn out to be a poor shot.The harder you hit the pickleball, the less control you have over it.

Your main focus should be on strategy and positioning. If you find yourself smashing many balls towards the net, then you could try to point the paddle face onto your target instead of putting a lot of the effort on your wrist.

Another point you should not forget is that you should learn to talk. By this I mean that you don’t have to wait until you lose a point before you dicuss with your partner about how you want to handle the middleballs.

This is a kind of game where communication is key. You can do quick chats at the first five seconds of the game on whether to do forehands or take the opportunity to discuss some other plan.

Be sure to identify the target player.

First and foremost, discuss with your partner on who you should pick on. Isolating the weaker player will give you a good tactical advantage in the game. However, this strategy should be used cautiously while playing recreational games.

This is because the opponents might not take it kindly if you keep the ball away from the stronger player.

You should also consider to get your returns deep. Many people hit their return of serve without thought. Try to pin your servers behind the baseline with your return. This will make your game a lot easier.

Get ready to move.

Pickleball is an athletic sport and yet most players stand around like they are waiting in a line in the bank. You need to run and try to get the ball back in this manner. Have the desire to chase down every ball.

Ascertain that you serve smart.

Most people prefer to hit the third shot with the forehand. For this reason, when serving, stand as close to your backhand corner as possible. If you are right-handed, stand near the sideline when serving from the left. Also,stand near the T when serving from the right side. By doing this, you will almost be assured that a return of serve will hit back to you giving you the forehand you want.

Serve like you mean it

The serve is a great chance for you to cause trouble to your opponents.If you serve deep, make your opponents move aiming for a weakpoint or just by hitting the ball hard. A good serve makes it more likely that the return ball will be less tough for you.

There is some risk involved in making a hard serve. As we all know, practice makes perfect.

To improve your game, don’t just ‘sorta’. Get to the NVZ. It is wise to move forward after returning a serve. It is an opportunity to take away your opponents.

However,many people move forward haphazardly and not get to the kitchen as near as they can.Get to the kitchen before your opponents hit the third shot if you want to be a threat at the net.

Analyse your body position.

Ask yourself these questions; Is your paddle at your side? Are your feet positioned correctly so that you can quickly move to take the next shot? Are you flat footed? It is crucial to be ready to take the next shot at all times.

Learn how to dink early on.

The dink is a key part of a slow game just like the short drop shot in tennis. Beginners of pickleball first learn to get used to the paddle and learn the basic strokes. On the contrary,many stay back at the baseline and rely on the powergame.

A soft game requires patience as many “hard-hitters” are not as patient. By maintaining soft dinks you are tempting your opponent to try and smash the ball past you. These shots end up as errors most of the time.

Dink often and dink early

Have the practice of dinking early and make it a culture to always practice. Dinking correctly will take your gaming skills to the next level. You can watch videos on YouTube on how to improve your dink shot. Always be patient with your slow game and resist the temptation of smashing the ball.

Learn and perfect your “third shot”

The first short is the serve,secondly,the receiving team returns the serve and thirdly is the serving team’s second shot. The third shot is often crucial and sets the pace for the entire game. The objective of the third shot is to allow the player to transition to the net.

Conclusion

If you are a beginner, it will take you a little while to assimilate some of the good habits of playing pickleball. The key is to maintain patience and lots of practice.