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INSTRUCTION by ALICE TYM
WHERE SHOULD YOU SERVE IN SINGLES ?
When I interviewed pro Michael Loyd for the January / February issue of Pickleball Magazine , I asked him to name his best shot . He replied , “ My serve ,” and I was surprised . Remember the days when pickleball players said , “ You just put the ball in play , the serve doesn ’ t matter ”? Times have changed . Players have improved and they see opportunities that were formerly overlooked .
If you are a trained professional , you are solid off both sides and experienced at dealing with heavy topspin and heavy slices . You are adept at taking the ball on the rise and moving into good position . This article is not geared to your game .
It is for the senior players and for those who have to exploit weaknesses , perfect placements , and utilize spins to their full advantage . Points must be earned . Plays must be set up . It is for those who want to be chess masters . Even the pace of the game can be thought of in terms of chess . Most of us still have to think when we play . This is for us , and it is by no means the complete guide to serving .
I believe it is important to have an overall strategy before you even walk onto the court . For the seniors , a good strategy is to make the opponent move . Wear him down . Or , if you are the player who is in better shape , plan to keep your opponent out there in the hot sun as long as possible .
Another overall strategy is to focus your play to set up your power shot . If you have a big forehand , you gear all your shots toward hitting that big one .
Defensive players will plan to hit every ball back and keep the ball deep enough to give themselves time to hit the next ball back . Consistency is their goal and their game plan . Counterpunching means a lot of running . You need to be strong physically , and very determined , to be a counterpuncher .
Once you have a sense of who you are and what your court capabilities are , you can plan a strategy for each component of your game . The serve initiates the point , and you have full control of the serve . It is the key to setting up the chess game . It will allow you to take control or to be controlled . You can impart spin . Depth is up to you . You can lob serve , short serve , serve to the backhand or forehand … so many choices .
Now it is apparent why you need an overall game plan . When you walk up to the line to serve , you have the overall strategy and are about to apply tactics . Now you see why those Roman soldiers were famous for figuring out how they could win so many battles under such different conditions . Audentes Fortuna iuvat (“ Fortune favors the bold ”) according to the ancient Roman poet Virgil , and those who like to get to the kitchen line first .
STRATEGY WHEN SERVING FROM THE RIGHT COURT
If you are playing against someone with a strong forehand , if your strategy is to run and tire out your opponent , and / or to exploit a weak backhand , then I suggest serving a wide angle to the forehand . Many players want to serve to the backhand , but an opponent with a good forehand knows how to run around his backhand and hit his strength .
A better plan is to serve to his strength to open up his weakness . Pull him wide to the forehand and on the next shot he will have to be running to his weakness . You accomplish making him move as your overall strategy , and you have him on a yo-yo of movement side to side .
Of course , you must be able to play his good forehand return . If this is not working , you need to be able to serve down the middle . That gives no angle to your opponent that he might use against you . While it does not make your opponent run , it does keep the ball in an area that is easier for you to cover and to get to the net .
Give an angle , get an angle . If you are losing the angle battle , you need to focus on depth to at least keep your opponent back a little longer . If your opponent is crushing your serve , try a lob serve . It needs to be a deep lob to push the receiver back . It is worth a try to break your opponent ’ s rhythm . Depth is the key and it fits into an overall strategy of making your opponent run .
Be careful not to get sloppy yourself . A lob serve is not just a chuck-it-into-the-air shot . It should be crafted to make the opponent wait on the ball and not have a really good place to hit it . Impatient players will rush
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