RETREAT
Consider a couple of scenarios .
Situation 1 : You are on the serving team , and you are hitting the third shot . Your partner has charged up to the kitchen as you hit your third shot . Let ’ s say that your third shot is so-so . Not high enough to smash , but high enough for your opponent to hit a semi-drive . Where is your opponent going to hit the ball ? Most likely he / she will drive it deep to keep you back . Smart play . Now let ’ s say that your third ball is just lousy . The opponent will most likely smash it at your partner who has little time to react .
Situation 2 : Both teams are at the kitchen in a dink rally . Your partner dinks cross-court to your opponent in front of you . The dink is too high and is attackable . Where is the most likely place for your opponent to hit the ball ? Well , at you . Why ? Because you are closer to him / her than your partner , and you have less time to react to the shot .
Link 3 has 11 amazing points from the recent Men ’ s 19 + US Nationals final at Palm Creek , AZ . In those points , Gabrielsen /
Yates retreated four times after having attained position at the kitchen line while Moore / Staub retreated twice . Now , those six retreats in 11 points might not be representative of the match as a whole , but still , it is clearly different than what Dave Weinbach did at the US Open .
So what is the right way to play ? The proponents of holding your ground seem to be very boisterous in their opinions while other top players who occasionally retreat don ’ t seem to say much about the subject . It is clear that all top players try to maintain their spot at the kitchen when realistically possible and they feel that they are at a disadvantage when the position is lost .
Maybe it ’ s like boxing . Roberto Duran and Mike Tyson almost never retreated ; whereas , Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard retreated as much as they attacked . They are four of the top boxers of all time with very different styles . Pickleball is a young sport that continues to evolve , and retreating vs . holding your ground will remain an individual decision . •
“ It is clear that all top players try to maintain their spot at the kitchen when realistically possible and they feel that they are at a disadvantage when the position is lost .”
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 | MAGAZINE 31