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Pickleball Strategies, Tips and Tricks; Pickleball Lessons, Coaching, Clinics and Bootcamps

Pickleball Coach, Prem Carnot, The Pickleball Guru will teach you to play Smart Pickleball; Pickleball Strategies, Coaching, Bootcamps and Clinics

What the Middle of the Pickleball Court Really Means

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When I was living in France, I was fortunate to become friends with Bjorn Borg, one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

There’s’ no denying his greatness, but his style of play was, well, kind of boring.

I asked him about his style of play, and Bjorn replied that he was trying to get the ball over the net one more time than his opponent. 

And pickleball is no different!

I always recommend that you take the high percentage shot, the shot that you are most likely to keep in play.

Which is why I recommend going to the middle. 

But what is the middle?

The Middle You Are Looking For

Pickleball courts have that nice centerline that runs along the middle.

But that’s not the middle that I’m talking about here!

The middle I’m talking about is that oh-so-sweet spot between your opponents. 

There’s confusion between your opponents, and it’s an extremely high percentage shot! 

The Pros Know This, Too

If you’ve ever watched pro matches, you probably remember a good number of Ernes and around-the-post (ATP) shots.

But the vast number of winners are those shots that go in between the players.

Even though the pros have amazing touch and placement, they know the best option is to go to the middle.

And the Biggest Myth in Pickleball

“Forehand takes the middle” is probably the biggest myth in pickleball! 

If you’re following my recommendation for how to cover the entire court, you know that you have to move side to side to cover most of the court, leaving one alley exposed.

When you and your partner shift to the left, there’s probably a backhand in the middle third of the court!

So should the forehand move over to the shot?

No!

The person in the middle third of the court takes the shot!

And More…

Check out my gear page for the Slam Master training paddle, the best outdoor balls on the market, and much, much more!

Plus, come out to one of my clinics, bootcamp, or Bootcamp Express!

Want more information about the middle? Check out this webinar!

How to Poach on the Pickleball Court!

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“Poacher!”

This may have been directed at you by your opponents, or even your partner, after you made a successful poach!

Poaching is certainly a big part of the game. Your opponents move to get into position and get set from a shot from your partner, but then you reach over quickly and strike the ball before your partner, surprising your opponents (and again, maybe your partner!).

But, especially in rec play, you may be irritating your partner with excessive poaching. I’ll discuss this more in detail, but first, the shot when you should always be looking to poach.

The Fourth Shot

Your partner is receiving the serve and you are already at the line (doesn’t matter if you are backhand or forehand!). Your partner returns the serve rushes to the line. Your opponent sends back the third shot.

This is where you should be actively looking to poach.

Why? Because your partner may not be fully set and ready to take the shot, especially if it’s a hard drive. Or worse, your partner may be short of the Non-Volley Zone line and still in motion (i.e., not set at all!). Plus, since you are already at the line, your opponent may very well be targeting your partner.


Try not to telegraph your poaching. What I mean by this is wait until the last possible moment to move for the poach. For example, you are at the line in the left side of the court (ad court). Your partner is receiving and advancing to the line on the right side of the court (the deuce court). 

Your opponents know that your partner is slow to the line, you know that your opponents know that your partner is slow to the line, and your opponents know that you know that you are looking to poach. 

If you shift over to make the poach too early, you may be giving your opponents the opportunity to place the ball in a now empty alley to your left, and because you shifted over, not only are you out of position, but your body weight may be tilted to the right, making it even more difficult for you to make a good play on the ball when it comes to your left.

Instead, wait until your opponent is set and almost ready to strike the ball. Once you see where your opponent is going to place the ball (noting his or her leading shoulder) right before the strike, then shift over to make the poach.

Are You the Stronger, More Dominant Player?

In some instances, it is understood that one player will try to poach at every opportunity, particularly when players are partnered together often and they understand each other’s game, where one player acts to set up the ball for the put away for his or her partner. 

For example, one player has much less of a power game than his or her partner, so the player works to set up the rally to provide poaching opportunities for his or her partner.

And the best way to do this? Let’s assume that you are the less dominant player (I hate using the term weaker) and you are the one your opponents are targeting. My recommendation to keep your partner involved is to keep your dinks to the middle of court, whether it be a dink towards your partner or a crosscourt dink (which goes over the middle of the net, by the way). This enables your partner to have a greater opportunity for the poach, especially when your opponents are expecting you to take the ball. 

Communicate in Advance

Many players have the mistaken notion that the court is divided into two halves, and that “this is my half of the court and that is your half.” If you plan working on your poaching (or just like to poach a lot!), it’s a good idea to communicate this with your partner. 

For example, “I want to work on my poaching for this game – is that okay?” This lets your partner know in advance that you’ll be actively looking to poach.

That being said, you certainly don’t want to be known as the local ball hog. In other words, if you are the best player on the court, you don’t have to go out and take over every point and every game with your poaching prowess. 

And if you’re not the best player on the court and have a tendency to poach, there’s that unwritten rule that says, “if you’re going to poach, you better make it.”

Check Out My Bootcamp Page with New International Trips!

Please see my bootcamp page here! Or think about coming out to a clinic! Richmond just added for Bootcamp Express!

 

Getting Shallow on Your Dinks!

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Courts are opening back up throughout the nation, so if you’re going out to get in some games, please be safe!

And when you get out on the courts, what I would like you to try goes against conventional wisdom that you’ve no doubt heard many times.

No, I’m not encouraging you to let the backhand take the middle on those juicy pop-ups!

I’m encouraging you to try to get your dinks shallow into the Kitchen!

The Conventional Wisdom

You’ve probably heard that your dinks should be deep in the Kitchen to your opponent’s backhand foot; however, if you’re getting your dink deep enough, your opponent can take the ball in the air.

Which gives you less time to reset yourself!

If your dink is too deep, you may also be giving your opponent the chance to drive the ball at you!

Why the Shallow Dink Is More Effective

Let’s go back to the Seven Principles of Smart Pickleball, specifically number 6, never hit up. Conversely, you want your opponents to hit up. 

Because your dink is shallow, your opponent will have to step into the Kitchen and hit up on the ball. 

If your opponent doesn’t hit up on the ball and strikes the ball normally, it’s probably going into the net. 

If your opponent winds up with a big backswing, you know it’s either going into the net or probably out of bounds. (This is a bonus of the shallow dink! It neutralizes your friendly neighborhood banger!)

By forcing your opponent to step into the Kitchen AND hit up on the ball, you are effectively taking away his or her options for how to return the dink! You are more in control of the point!

A Brief Rules Clarification

Many players believe that you cannot go into the Kitchen until the ball bounces! 

As long as you don’t strike the ball in the air, you can hang out in the Kitchen as long as you want (and maybe even check emails or make a sandwich).

When you know the ball is going to bounce in the Kitchen, you can step in, wait for the bounce and then strike the ball.

So Just How Shallow?

The Kitchen is seven feet long, and I recommend getting your dinks in the first half of the Kitchen, which is the space three-and-a-half feet from the net.

At bootcamp, before we begin the Shark at the Net session, I’ll mark off the middle of the Kitchen with some painter’s tape. I then ask participants to get 30 dinks in a row in the first half of the Kitchen – if the ball bounces past the line, even if it’s still in the Kitchen, they have to start over! (And if they get really good, I raise that number to 50!)

To get your dink into the shallow part of the Kitchen, the apex of the ball should be above the net as it’s on its downward arc. As an added bonus, you don’t have to just clear the net – you can go as high as 12 to 18 inches!

So try it out, and if someone remarks how shallow you are on the courts, take it as a compliment!

And If You Want to Make Those Shallow Dinks Perfect…

Consider coming out to one my upcoming bootcamps! Just remember to use coupon code WEBINAR for $500 OFF!!!

 

Make Your Very Own Practice Pickleball Net!

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I know everyone is itching to get back on the courts and play pickleball! (Even though I’ve been enjoying my extra time with the kiddos, I’ve been missing time with my local pickleball buddies, too!)

We’ll get through this! And when we do, pickleball will be there for us, like an old friend!

For the time that we are stuck at home, this month’s newsletter is how to easily build a simple practice net (with the bonus of doubling as a training tool!).

Tools That You Will Need

A hacksaw.

That’s the only tool that you will need! (Okay, that’s technically the only tool that you need – you’ll probably also need a tape measure and a marker!)

Material

Some one-inch diameter PVC pipe, a bunch of connectors; specifically:

  • 3 sections of pipe cut to 31 inches long
  • 2 sections of pipe cut to 24 inches long
  • 4 sections of pipe cut to 8 inches long
  • 2 sections of pipe cut to 12 inches long
  • 2 elbow connectors
  • 4 3×1 elbow connectors
  • 6 caps

Here’s a pic of all the different parts:

All these materials should be available at your hardware store (to stay safe, you may want to check if they have curbside pickup if you feel uncomfortable going into the store!). The pipe will probably come in 10 foot lengths (hence the need for the hacksaw).

Assembly

Assembly is really easy! Insert the 12 inch sections into both sides of the 3×1 elbows – this is your base. Into the last hole, insert the 31 inch length of pipe, and top that with the elbow. Into that elbow, insert the 24 inch section of pipe for both sides, and connect them together with the 3×1 elbow.

And you’re done! When finished, it should look something like this:

Now Get to Dinking!

Your brand new practice net should be somewhere between 34 and 35 inches high. If you have a basement, garage, or a driveway, you can tape off some Kitchen lines and practice your dinking!

As I’m sure you noticed, assembly (and disassembly for that matter!) is pretty quick! At some courts, there may be extra space for you to set it up so you and another player can practice dinking until it’s time to play! (This may also be the case at tournaments where practice courts may be nonexistent!) 

You can also set up this little practice court near a fence to try some drills that I mentioned in my most recent podcast!

Don’t Be Afraid of the Scarecrow!

After you put together your net, you may be asking, “Prem, what about these extra pieces?” Those are there to convert your net into what Randy refers to as the scarecrow. 

You add those pieces to the center 3×1 connector so it looks like this:

The scarecrow is for when you’re on the court practicing your drop shot. My recommendation for a good drop shot is for the ball’s apex to be about five to six feet above your Kitchen line. 

Place the scarecrow right on top of your Kitchen line, and when practicing your drop, try to just clear the top of the scarecrow (which is between five and six feet high) so that the ball drops into your opponents’ Kitchen!

Getting Creative

Want some netting? Drape a couple of towels over it (makes a fine towel rack if you bring it with you to the courts!) Plus if you take the scarecrow with you to the courts and set it over to the side, you can turn it into a windsock with the aforementioned towels!

Hope this helps pass the time while we’re all safe and stuck at home!

And When We Do Finally Get Back on the Courts…

Consider coming out to one of my bootcamps or clinics! My 2020 schedule is set, as well as some for early 2021!

How to Keep Playing Pickleball for Years to Come!

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Prevention is better than cure.
     -Erasmus

Yes! I want you to keep playing pickleball for many more years to come!

And I know you can do it! I’ve personally seen players in their 80s and 90s still on the courts, passionately playing the sport we love so much!

So this month’s newsletter article is all about increasing your longevity on the courts (not the most exciting topic I’ve written about, but maybe the most important!).

And I promise, it won’t just be about stretching before your games!

Even More Important than Stretching

Yes, stretching those muscles and tendons is important (and here’s a short video on some recommended stretches), but lately there’s something even more important!

A simple warm-up!

As I mentioned, the warm-up may be even more important than stretching, and should be done before stretching so that your muscles are, you guessed it, warmed up!

Take a few jogs around the court to get your muscles warmed up and your heart rate up a bit – it doesn’t have to be extensive (no dreaded burpees, nasty wind sprints, or anything severe like that!) – just enough exercise to get that blood flowing a little better!

Once you’re warmed up, that’s when you can begin your stretching exercises so that you’re loose and ready to play pickleball!

Stay Hydrated

Remember to bring plenty of liquids with you to stay hydrated on the courts, even when it’s cold outside (I know for a fact there’s plenty of you out there that will even risk the increase in cracked balls and play in the 30s!).

Water is good, but if you need to replenish those electrolytes, there’s certainly a number of sports drinks available to you. If you’re not into sports drinks (I’m personally not a fan), there’s a number of homemade sports drinks that you can make yourself! 

You Don’t Have to Go for Every Shot

I’ve written before on how to defend the dreaded lob, and I’m here to tell you now that you don’t have to try to get every shot!

I’ve seen players (even recently!) dive for balls and fly into fences trying to make a play!

In some gymnasiums, where space is at a premium, I’ve seen players fall onto the bleachers, run into curtains or nearby tables and chairs trying to make a play on a lob!

I know you want to win and not let your partner down, but there’s going to be another point and another game. Trust me on this, it’s not worth risking an injury that can put you out of (pickleball) commission for weeks or months!

If it’s a good shot, just say, Good shot!” and move on to the next point (or game!). Trust me again on this, I do this often!

Shoes

It’s not a good idea to wear proper shoes, it’s a great idea! 

Court shoes are specifically designed for lateral side-to-side movements, while other shoes, especially running shoes, are designed for cushioning that up and down action. 

Cushioning is important, but not as important on the courts – it’s that lateral support that is important when playing pickleball.

And if your feet need more cushioning or arch support (e.g., you’ve got fallen arches or flat feet), there’s a number of over-the-counter orthotics available, or you can look into custom orthotics. 

Prevention really is more important than the cure! And prevention of injuries will keep you playing pickleball for many years to come!