PLAYING ON DIFFERENT SURFACES
ADJUSTMENTS TO MAKE ON VARIOUS SURFACES
Playing Indoors on an Outdoor Tennis Surface
If you are going to
use an outdoor ball
for this surface, most
players will need very
little adaptation to
their game. An outdoor
ball will probably be
the choice for most top
players on this surface.
No sun, no wind, and if
you are playing at a tennis club you will have great lighting
with a background that allows you to see the ball really
well.
If you are a beginner, this surface can even be made
easier to learn the game by using an indoor ball. The ball
will be slowed down by the texture of the court surface and
you will have long rallies. This might also be a good choice
if you would like to get in a great workout with longer
rallies.
Playing Indoors on a Fast Surface
Typically we
are talking about
gymnasium floors
that are also used
for basketball and
volleyball, but this
could also be a tile
floor and untextured
concrete. First off, I
recommend that an
indoor ball be used that can be depressed by pushing in
on it with your fingers. By choosing a good indoor ball,
you will actually be slowing down the surface to make it
more like what you are used to when playing outdoors
with an outdoor ball. If you choose a ball that does not
compress, the ball will skip quite a bit. This will mean very
short rallies with only expert players able to hit a 3rd shot
dink. I know that Timothy Nelson (Puppet Master) would
sometimes practice and even play with a hard ball on this
type of surface. It would develop great reflexes, but very
few players would have the talent to enjoy pickleball this
way.
• Wear shoes that have not been worn much outdoors.
You will need better traction. You might also want to
keep a wet towel handy to occasionally wipe off the
bottom of your shoes.
• You might also want to use a slightly lighter paddle
indoors since you are also using a lighter ball. Many
players who go back and forth between an indoor and
outdoor ball will do this.
• Always be ready for a randomly skipping ball. These
types of floors don’t always have the same bounce every
time.
• You will probably be using a portable net in this
situation. The portable nets tend to be forgiving, with
more net cord shots falling over. Be ready.
• Most of the time when using an indoor ball on an
indoor surface, the ball will not bounce very high. Have
a dinking attitude and be patient.
Playing on an Outdoor Tennis Surface
For most players there will be minimal adjustment since
the outdoor tennis court material, ball and conditions are
the standard we are most accustomed to. However, for all
players who originally learned the game indoors using an
indoor ball, this is a big adjustment.
• You may want to use a slightly heavier paddle since
outdoor balls are also heavier.
• The outdoor ball is less forgiving than an indoor ball, so
develop great mechanics. Generally take smaller swings
because the ball will be going faster off your paddle.
• Advanced players will probably want to work on adding
more spin compared to the indoor ball. Spinning the
ball is more effective with the outdoor ball because of
the different hole pattern.
• If you have sun facing one side of the court, choose the
side that will place the sun at your back on the last half
of your match.
• If you are playing in wind as a single, you want to finish
the match with the wind at your back. This is a big
advantage. In doubles, since I primarily use a 3rd shot
dink, I actually like a little bit of wind against me. I feel
it allows me to land a higher percentage of 3rd shot
dinks in the kitchen.
General Preparation for Various Surfaces
No indoor or outdoor su