It’s a common refrain throughout pickleball, advancing from a 3. 5 to a 4.0 pickleball rating.
While many folks, including yours truly, can consistently win games at local open play sessions against other 3.5 players, we struggle to take that next step up. But there are a few paths you can follow to get your game over the hump. Here’s a look at some of the keys that helped propel my progression.
As pickleball participation has increased, so has the conversation around potential rule changes and variations that could help pickleball continue to evolve as a sport.
While purists aim to preserve pickleball’s origins, others argue tweaks and experiments may attract new players, enhance entertainment value, and reduce controversies around gray areas in the rules.
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Proposed pickleball rule changes range from subtle shifts like standardizing balls to fundamental changes, including rally scoring or allowing multiple hits per side.
Ultimately, there is no consensus, as ideas that exhilarate some alienate others. Yet most agree pickleball must embrace controlled innovation to sustain growth while retaining its welcoming spirit and accessibility. With an openness to fresh thinking and debate, pickleball is poised for an exciting future as visionaries and traditionalists work together to shape the sport for future generations.
The ready position in pickleball is a must to achieve success.
Imagine pickleball not just as a sport but as an intricate dance. The first step in this dance is the ready position, a pivotal move that sets the rhythm for the entire performance. This isn’t a mere ritual; it’s the magic step that can lead one toward triumph.
Reasons that you should start a pickleball journal today and tips to get going!
Keeping a work journal over the past 20 years has been a game-changer for me, transforming how I approach my tasks, track my progress, and reflect on my achievements.
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Most importantly, it helps me reflect on how I handle situations and helps me learn from my mistakes. And most importantly, a journal helps keep me grounded in “what is” vs. “what if.”
And keeping a pickleball journal is great, too!
It’s a space to jot down challenges, successes, and learnings, providing me a real-time map of my pickleball growth. This practice helps me recognize patterns, strategize better, and ultimately enhance my performance on the court.
Journaling can also serve as an emotional outlet, helping people to manage stress and anxiety. This can be relevant for both work and pickleball. 🙂
Pickleball is similar to tennis in that it can turn on a dime when it comes to a change in momentum. That makes it imperative to maintain your focus on every point. And if you’re in control, do your best to stay that way.
I recently played a match where I employed a new strategy. Having just played for an hour, I was warmed up and feeling confident, while my opponent had only spent 10 minutes practicing dinks before our match. Recognizing this discrepancy in our pickleball warm-up routines, I consciously decided to go with an aggressive strategy, using the momentum I had built up to seize control of the game right from the outset.
The results were awesome–at least for me!
As a pickleball enthusiast, I’ve had my fair share of experience with both traditional and rally scoring systems. And while many of the folks in my league do not like rally scoring, there are pros and cons.
Discover how pickleball is a game-changer for individuals with disabilities, promoting physical, mental, and social health.
Pickleball for people with disabilities is becoming increasingly popular due to its adaptability and the growing recognition that sports should be inclusive for everyone. People of all ages and abilities play this fun, social, and competitive game, making it an excellent choice for individuals with disabilities to stay active, build connections, and improve their overall well-being. In this blog post, we will explore how pickleball has embraced inclusivity and the many ways people with disabilities can participate in this exciting sport.
Recently, I’ve been adding pickleball drills that resemble real-game situations to my repertoire, and skinny singles pickleball is just what the doctor ordered! Covering dinks, drives, drops, serves, and volleys is all part of the game, and since the game only requires half the court, you only need one additional person to play.
A lot of people think pickleball sucks. I’m not one of them…usually.
It was bound to happen.
I’m just amazed it took 13 months.
I showed up for my usual pickleball open play.
And I sucked.
Not only that, I didn’t even have fun.
I spent two hours losing point after point, game after game. Balls sailed long. My body language was pitiful. And the entire time, I kept thinking, “Pickleball is the dumbest game in the world.”
Anyone who knows me or has read this blog knows that’s not how I really feel. As an ambassador for the sport, I think the pros outweigh the cons. But every sordid love affair is entitled to a bad night or two.
Since I know the pickleball haters are out there, let’s examine why people think pickleball sucks.
There were pickleball balls everywhere.
Different colors.
A random number of holes punched through each ball.
Some had circles and some had squares and some had triangles.
If you’re wondering what the heck is happening here, it was my very first pickleball nightmare.
I showed up to play with a group at my local tennis center. But there were more people than courts. I stood around awkwardly, debating if I should just leave.