Pickleball Magazine 6-6 | Page 84

INSTRUCTION

Big Bang Theory

Once upon a time , there was a caveman who plotted his path to survival : clubbing things over the head and beating them senseless . ( This is all strictly based on my knowledge of the Stone Age , which I got entirely from “ The Flintstones .” Anyway , stay with me .) Beating things over the head was good for this caveman because it put food on the table … food that included woolly mammoths . OK , you gotta hit hard to take one of those suckers down . BAM ! BAM !

Eventually , the bam wore off and the cavemen went extinct , clearing the way for the human species . We humans invented better tools and weapons , and learned how to survive more with our brains , not just our brawn . Hello , Third Shot Drop !
“ I had a friend who played D1 tennis . And we went to the park , thinking we could play ,” says former banger , and creator of HBO ’ s “ Entourage ,” Doug Ellin . “ Two 65-year-olds dinked us 11-0 , and I knew right then I had to learn the game .”
I ’ m guessing most players go through their caveman phase , and spend their formative days , months , years just banging away at their opponents . ( I did .) Ellin , himself a 5.0 player , says , “ Bangers are just not smart people .” OK , would you expect the creator of “ Entourage ” to sugarcoat anything ? “ It ’ s very easy to tell who is smart on a pickleball court . Smart people quickly learn you can ’ t just overpower good players .”
Banging is great fun at a recreational level ; it certainly feeds the dopamine rush . But usually when those bangers take a walk on the wild side ( a more advanced court ), they quickly find their game doesn ’ t translate . Because getting to the next level in pickleball , say 4.0 and above , takes work and a balanced skill set — not just a club
By Rick Cipes
to the skull . As Ellin says , “ You have to play angles and position .” If you don ’ t , and you just bang away , you won ’ t be invited back to the A court .
Another , often overlooked , issue with banging is that it doesn ’ t allow you to effectively utilize your energy over the course of a long , grueling match . Does a heavyweight boxer come out and throw haymakers in Round 1 ( other than Mike Tyson )? You gotta jab and weave , float like a butterfly , THEN sting like a bee .
So , to bang or not to bang ? Pretty obvious . If you want to have fun and just stick to rec ball , then by all means , tap into that 4 percent Neanderthal DNA we have and bang away ! But if you want to come out of the cave and into the light and really compete , there is a whole , nuanced world of pickleball waiting for you . You just might not want to play with Ellin right off the bat . •
Rick Cipes has written for over 40 publications including the L . A . Times , Los Angeles Magazine , and ESPN Magazine . Check out his site , InnerGameofPickleball . com , or the Inner Game of Pickleball Facebook group , or find on Instagram .
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