PICKLEBALL OPEN PLAY |
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Playing Up |
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Down
BY SARAH ANSBOURY
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Coming from tennis I wasn ’ t quite sure how open play worked in pickleball . In tennis , we tend to set up our games and we don ’ t mix around a lot . I recall the first time I went to the pickleball courts near Surprise , Arizona , which was hosting one of my first tournaments . My partner and I were trying to find a game during warm-up . Would someone let us in ? Luckily I asked the right person , “ How do we get a game ?” She was a 5.0 player and , without a clue of who we were , let us in .
PICKLEBALL OPEN PLAY
Sometimes I will go to places and it ’ s not always easy to jump into open play . At times someone will invite me to play , but intentionally exclude the person I am with . I don ’ t like that .
I understand that we all want good practice and we want to keep it challenging , and I realize that people feel that they will improve more if they “ play up .” In fact , I play better when I play up . However , I believe you can do both … practice and play .
When I am at open or recreational play , I am all about having fun and playing multiple players and I don ’ t really care what level I am playing with or against . When I play lower level players , I want to give them the experience of playing with someone more consistent so they can play some longer points than they are used to . I don ’ t intentionally smash a high ball at them to intimidate them . Likewise , if the two players are of differing skill levels , I try to mix it up . I don ’ t avoid the stronger player and pick on the weaker player . Nor do I exclude the less experienced player . This isn ’ t a competition . We aren ’ t playing for a title or money … this is supposed to be fun ! I want them to see a stronger player reaching out to other levels who need more experience so that when new people come in they will welcome them into the group .
OPEN PLAY VS . COMPETITIVE PRACTICE
When I want competitive practice , I set up a time outside of open or recreational play . It is usually a group of 4-6 and it is about playing back-to-back and maybe playing with a certain partner . We will intentionally look for courts that aren ’ t in use or a time when the courts are not used for open play .
From time to time , someone might wander by and want to join . I explain that we are practicing but they can join us for a game or two . I ’ m lucky because the players I typically practice with are very welcoming of new players . However , occasionally a player may groan a little or give me the evil eye . But I remember that I was once that player that players groaned at , and I remember exactly how it felt . I felt disrespected when a player would not play very well on purpose , or would be focused on a game in a nearby court that they found more interesting . I also remember how good it felt when I as able to surprise them with my ability .
My goal whenever I go to open or recreational play is to have fun and to help the people I am playing with to have fun too . I am going to give the person in front of me the respect that everyone deserves . We all love this game . We all want it to grow . Let ’ s go have some fun ! •
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016 | MAGAZINE 35