Hit and Hope

I've been watching a lot of pickleball lately and it sure looks like a lot of people are playing "hit and hope" with their shots. I constantly see people running to the ball and swinging wildly at the first possible moment - and hoping for the best.

Pickleball is essentially a slow game. Yes, things happen quickly, but it is still a whiffle ball. We will generally have time to get to the ball, to get into a good stroke position, and to hit the ball with intent.

So what is this "intent" thing? And how does it work in pickleball?

I generally "intend" to get the ball over the net on every shot, but it's a little more complicated than that. I will carefully and patiently watch the ball until I am in a good position and have a "bead" on it. In other words, I've figured out where I have to put the paddle in order to make the shot. At that point I start looking at my target, and I think this is where visualization and intent come into play. I can "see" the path the ball needs to take and I execute my stroke to have the ball follow this path. This process seems to help with the overall execution of my stroke, and it works more often than not. So being "ready" allows me to visualize and take the shot with "intent".

Of course there are numerous possible variables that might get in the way - things are happening too fast, the ball has tons of spin, you change your mind at the last minute, you think short-hop shots are a good idea, and the really big one - you haven't yet learned to be patient with your shots.

So if "hope" is not getting the ball over the net for you, learn some patience and add a bit of "intent" to your game.

See you on the courts.

Michael Gauthier