Adjusting Your Game Plan

A common discussion point with partners is about a game plan to deal with the opponents. But have you ever stopped to think that you might need a game plan to deal with your partner?

Rec games are often followed by "I hate playing with that person" or "Wow, I played great with that person". But what is really happening in these cases and in most rec games?

Rec games with random partners usually bring together two people with widely varying skill sets. In a perfect world both of you would make some adjustments and all would be good. But reality says that neither of you is going to change much and you are destined to be frustrated by playing together.

So the solution is that one of you has to be the bigger person and make some adjustments. And, believe it or not, it is very good practice for it to be YOU.

So have a close look at your partner.

Does he/she have an aggressive style? If so, you should probably be prepared to back off on those overhead slam opportunities. No one gets hurt and he/she might even win a few unexpected points for you.

Is he/she likely to chase down a lob? If not, then you should be prepared to do so. Pay particular attention to your opponents' paddle position so you can react earlier when it looks like a lob is coming. You might even get good at it and make your opponents change their strategies.

Does he/she cover the center properly? If not then you just became responsible for the middle all the time.

Does he/she get to the NVZ in a timely fashion? If not, then you might want to stay back a bit until he/she is in position. Otherwise you are just inviting your opponents to drive the ball at your partner.

So adjusting your game a bit depending on your partner's skill set will make things much easier and likely much more successful. Maybe you can even have fun winning again.

See you on the courts.

Michael Gauthier
Rally Academy
Pickleball Strokes
​NDY (Not Done Yet)