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INSTRUCTION by ALICE TYM
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
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