You're So Fast!

I chased down a ball yesterday that was well off the court after the bounce and, much to the surprise of everyone (including me), I returned it with a good shot.

I would like to suggest to you that it was my youth and my amazing speed that allowed me to do that, but too many of you know me.
There is one skill though, that I do have that is important for developing players to learn - and that is being able to read the path of the ball at the earliest possible time.

If you watch carefully, you will notice that most beginner players struggle with reacting to the incoming ball. It is typically over the net before they have figured out a path. As you can imagine, this becomes an issue with "getting better".

You should be able to start your reaction before your opponent even hits the ball. Most of the time he will be very deliberate in getting ready to hit a ball - he will look for possibilities, he will put his body in a good stroke position, he will put his head down to look at the ball (this is when you can start moving), and his stroke will reveal any spin that he adds. Recognizing and interpreting all this is how you become an amazing "fast" player.

You can work on this skill initially by watching the pro's on video. Watch the player (not the ball) and see if you can predict (not GUESS) where the ball is going to go. Slow the video down a bit if you need to so you can look for clues. As you get better at this, you can then transfer the skill to real games. You will be surprised at the difference it makes.

There are a couple of people in my group that have really good cross-court dinks that are particularly effective when I am crowding the center. They will still beat me occasionally, but I have learned to watch them for clues. I can then "cheat" back to the sidelines to return the shots. So instead of them having a pocket full of guaranteed winners, I have taken many of those away from their game.

It might be easier of course to be younger and faster, but being a bit smarter certainly goes a long way.

See you on the courts.

Michael Gauthier
Rally Academy
Pickleball Strokes