Watch and Learn

The video age has given us almost unlimited access to pickleball matches where we can immediately see ourselves and the pro's in action.

If you are watching for enjoyment, then put your feet up and enjoy the games.

But if you are interested in learning from what you see, then you need to adjust your view slightly, especially if you are reviewing your own performance. Basically, the ball is the last thing you need to watch - you need to start watching the players more.

When I am reviewing games, I make liberal use of my keyboard arrow keys and the YT playback speed settings so I can see and analyze what is going on.

The Serve

I watch the serve and make a note of the mechanics.
Is it an open stance parked close to the baseline (very popular)?
Or is it a closed stance, using the body to get power (rarely used)?
Is the serve short (not effective and a gift to the opponents)?
Or is it deep and effective (surprisingly rare)?

The Return of Serve

Do the returning opponents take advantage of the weak serve?
Is the return effective, putting the player at the NVZ?

The Third Shot

For the third shot, where is the player that is hitting the ball - deep, behind the baseline, or on the court?

Is he hitting a drive or a drop shot?

How effective is the shot - does it allow him to move forward?

Are the partners moving forward together and efficiently?

Dinking

Once all four are at the NVZ, are they really at the line or 2-3 feet away?

Are they dancing on every dink (wasting time, energy, and movement)?

How effective are the dinks (moving feet, causing short hops)?

Are they volleying or stepping back?

I watch all of these things (and much more) when evaluating players, and I like to do the same for the pro's so I have a basis for comparison. Unfortunately though, I have been mostly disappointed by what I see at the pro level. With a few exceptions, most of the pro's rely on extreme athleticism to get them past high unforced error counts.

So use the videos and watch them with a critical eye, especially your own games. But learn from them. Build a list of takeaways and ACT on them. One at a time. Get better, and have more fun winning!

See you on video!

​Michael Gauthier