5 . Think of yourself as an archer on the serve so that your entire body is lined up in the direction you want to serve . 6 . Use your left hand for balance and stability . 7 . Keep your head down on your groundstrokes throughout the complete stroke . 8 . Keep the ball out in frontal vision , especially on the volley . 9 . Watch the ball come off of the opponent ’ s paddle .
Pick up the direction early . 10 . Visualize hitting down a hallway so that you maintain your stroke longer .
PACE
1 . Bend your knees because pace comes from weight transfer using your legs and hips .
2 . Prepare early . You can ’ t step into the ball if you haven ’ t taken your paddle back .
3 . Use your left hand to push the paddle back on your forehand and pull it back on your backhand if you need to be reminded to prepare early .
4 . For added pace on your overhead , think and visualize “ Attack .” Don ’ t let the ball drop . 5 . Play the ball ; don ’ t let it play you . 6 . Take your opponent ’ s pace and add to it by being prepared early . 7 . In baseball , players pitch using the term “ rock and fire .” It works on a serve too . Rock back and fire .
8 . Never hit harder than you can cover in the next shot . Pace works both ways .
9 . Just because you can hit hard does not mean you should hit hard . If you are out of position , give yourself time to recover .
10 . Do not confuse pace with depth . Depth is more important . Work to achieve both .
CHANGE OF PACE , CHANGE OF HEIGHT
1 . Don ’ t let your opponents get grooved . Change the pace .
2 . Be sure to set up the stroke the same way so that you don ’ t telegraph the change . 3 . Use change of pace on your serve . 4 . Change the height of your serve . Changing the trajectory keeps the opponent on his toes .
5 . Not every overhead needs to be hit hard . Not only is placement important , so too is pace . If the opponent is waiting on the fence , a good drop volley or drop overhead works well .
6 . A high , deep return to the backhand is often more effective than a low drive . Mix it up . 7 . Dink , dink , dink then drive the attackable ball . 8 . Don ’ t be predictable . Practice a variety of shots with different speeds .
9 . Stay focused on depth . Hard and short is going to bite you .
10 . If you are a senior , work on your lobs .
DECEPTION
1 . Stand the same way when you serve . Don ’ t give away direction or place . 2 . Wear a visor so your eyes don ’ t give direction away . 3 . Don ’ t be predictable . Return down the middle .
Return down the line . Lob a return . 4 . Work on your redirects and misdirects . 5 . Try some “ rolls ” ( topspin for pickleball ). 6 . Throw in a slice serve or a slice dink . 7 . Learn to stack . 8 . Use signals behind your back to tell your partner that you are going to cross and / or poach . 9 . Tell your partner when you are going to serve short so he can cover the short return .
10 . While I do not approve of this , pickleball has no rules regarding color of clothing . You can wear clothes that match the color of the ball so that your opponents lose sight of the ball .
STRATEGY
1 . Subscribe to Pickleball Magazine — and read it . 2 . Watch videos of good players setting up a point . 3 . Play tournaments and learn from others . 4 . Practice with better players . 5 . Experiment in practice to learn what works for you . 6 . Play chess . Thinking five moves ahead trains you to think five shots ahead . 7 . Play with a variety of partners including lefthanded partners . You can learn from everyone . 8 . Know thyself . Know what shots you can make under pressure .
9 . Be prepared . Bring plenty of food and water , sunglasses , sunscreen , hat or visor , cool clothes , warm clothes , good shoes , spare paddle , etc . It is a Boy Scout ’ s dream out there .
10 . Practice on all surfaces , indoors and out , and with all ball brands .
The best part of pickleball is its inclusiveness . People will help you and they will make it fun for you . But you must do your part by dedicating time and effort to improvement . Then you , too , can pass it on . •
Alice Tym was ranked 13th in the world for tennis in the ‘ 60s . She ’ s been named USPTA Coach of the Year and is a USPTA Master Professional . As a 4.5 pickleball player , she won gold in Huntsman , NSGA Nationals , US Open , and USA Pickleball events around the country . Alice is an IPTPA member , SSIPA founding board member , Bainbridge Cup Originator and gold medalist in Spain , Italy , and Germany .
MARCH / APRIL 2021 | MAGAZINE 31