WHAT TO WATCH WHEN YOU WATCH

The increased exposure of pickleball gives players of all levels plenty of opportunities to watch high-level pickleball and view instructional videos on YouTube. There are a myriad of clips to choose from, and so many of them have good content. However, nothing beats watching matches live, so this article focuses on what you can learn from observing players courtside.

Take a notebook with you and write detailed notes. Then go home and experiment with what you observed. Imitate. Recognize that not every component may fit your style. Build your game with things that work for you. You are designing a masterpiece, not a collage.

Always be aware that innovators often go on to become dominators. Styles change as certain players become adept at a new shot or style. Do not be tied to old strategies and methods. Be open to trying the shots and combinations that are changing the game.

BREATHING

Listen to the players breathe. Note how they exhale as they contact the ball and follow through. Tennis players began grunting years ago to emphasize their exhaling. The distraction became controversial, but the principle was beneficial.

When you observe players serving and driving their groundstrokes, note the rhythm that the exhale gives them. You can adopt that principle and establish a rhythm of your own.

WATCHING THE BALL

I always enjoy seeing still photos of players. I look at their heads and eyes. The eyes of good players are riveted on the ball. Their heads are squared to the flight of the ball. They see the contact.

You can reinforce your discipline in drilling by watching the ball like the pros. Sit courtside so that you can see their eyes on the ball as their opponent begins to serve. The toss indicates the direction and spin. Look at the server’s feet. The pros watch the ball from the very beginning of the service foot plant, to the ball bounce and toss.

Continuity is essential for consistency. The pros look smooth because they watch the ball earlier. Anticipation facilitates preparation.

ANTICIPATION

At courtside you can hear the twist that shoes make as a player changes direction. Pay attention to the timing here so you observe the anticipation. Good players don’t wait until the ball is struck by the opponent. They are crouched and ready to spring as soon as the opponent indicates where he is going to hit the ball.

That push-off you hear indicates anticipation and preparation. Note how the player is down, knees bent in case he must pivot. Feet are the key. Watch the feet and see if you can predict the play.

If an opponent’s feet are moving, what is his upper body doing? At the NVZ line, is he relaxed or jumpy? A good, solid volley is the result of good body position, meeting the ball out in front, and having your body weight shifting into the ball. Keeping your weight on the balls of your feet at the NVZ line will help you move laterally as well as forward and back.

When you watch the pros, note how their weight is comfortably over their hips and legs, ready to lunge if necessary. If you are a banger, you can take note of how the pros glide into the volley rather than thrash.

PADDLE PREPARATION

You have two assignments on paddle preparation, one for volleys and one for groundstrokes.

Anna Leigh Waters’ swinging two-handed backhand volley is a thing of beauty. Power, angle, accuracy are all there. Watch her body position. Her torso is turned enough to the side to generate a full-body explosion into the ball. Watch her hips and legs on this shot so that you learn not to “arm” the ball. It is a volley, but it is a body shot. Her quick feet make the shot possible.

Good players use their legs even on the shots that look like arm and wrist shots. Watch for it, then adapt it to your own strokes. Pickleball is a game of footwork. If you are a table tennis player, you already know how to get down and then uncoil forward as you rise into the ball. Pickleball pros use that forward momentum to hit power volleys and incredible angle volleys.

As for preparation at the baseline and midcourt, just because you have time does not mean you should waste it.

Watch to see if the pros rush or delay their feet at the baseline. Do they turn, step and swing as in the old days of tennis, or do they chip and charge as on grass? Do they take the ball on the rise and get to the NVZ line as soon as possible, or do they attack full bore and come in?

Lots of different styles of play—not so much right or wrong but why? Why do some players hit certain shots? I want to be 6' 6" and a banger, but I’m 5' 3"… successful players do what works for them, their size, and their skills. Find players that you admire and copy their skill sets. Watch the shot choices they make. Angles or down the middle?

SERVING

Lots of changes in serving these days. So many pros face the net now with a wide-open stance. Observe their feet. Both feet are toes up to the line, and they deliver a topspin serve. This works for the 20-year-olds, but it expends a lot of energy for the seniors.

The pros use a lot of upper body strength, and their serves are deep with a lot of hop. Watch where they contact the ball and where they place the serve. There is a wide variety of serves in pickleball, but topspin seems to be the choice of the pros.

TWO-HANDED BACKHAND

The limitation of a two-handed backhand is reach, but a pickleball court is so small that reach is not as big a factor as in tennis. So we see lots of two-handed backhands.

When you watch a player with a two-handed backhand groundstroke, observe the contact point relative to her feet. Good backhanders utilize body strength. They don’t get jammed and hit too close to their bodies. Watch where the force is as the player transfers her weight from her back foot to her front foot.

If you want the benefit of disguise, you need to know exactly where to make contact. Watch the pros to observe where they meet the ball relative to their bodies. So often, pop-ups occur when you contact the ball late and behind you. Imitate the pros by keeping your head down and eyes on the contact point. Take some photographs of the players and look for the tripod of feet, eyes, and the ball.

COURT POSITION

When we watch, we tend to watch the person hitting the ball, but the position of the partner is critical too. When a player is pulled wide, his partner covers the middle. He doesn’t just stand still. It is a dance, a pas de deux. The partner’s movement forces the opponent to make choices for the next shot.

Watch the good players use teamwork to cover the court. See how they narrow the shot choices by responding to each shot. Just because you are not the person hitting the ball does not mean you are not influencing the play. The pros keep the middle covered at all times.

Watching pickleball’s variety of styles and personalities of players is fun and easier than ever. Pickleball is everywhere, with new shots, new trends, new lingo, and new fashions. Improve your own game by close observation of details. Every match is a lesson. Gain new skills by having fun watching the athleticism of these new young players. •

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Alice Tym was ranked 13th in the world for tennis in the ‘60s. She’s been named USPTA Coach of the Year and is a USPTA Master Professional. As a 4.5 pickleball player, she has won gold in Huntsman, NSGA Nationals, US Open, and USA Pickleball events around the country. Alice is an IPTPA member, SSIPA founding board member, Bainbridge Cup Originator and gold medalist in Spain, Italy, and Germany.

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