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INSTRUCTION
by RICK CIPES
WHY BEGINNERS SHOULD TAKE LESSONS
When I was 5 years old, my mother took me for my first swim lesson. The instructor, a gruff man in red lifeguard Speedos, led me to the deep end of the pool and pushed me in. With my mother looking on in shock, I managed to dog-paddle to the side safely. At which point, the instructor exclaimed:“ You see! He swims!”
We never went back for lesson two. I mention this lesson for one reason: If you’ re not coming to pickleball from another racket sport( especially tennis), you would be wise to find an instructor to teach you the proper strokes, so you don’ t end up doggy-paddling your way through your game.
Every sport you can think of is based on form and technique. For example, there is a right way to shoot a basketball, to swing a baseball bat, and to throw a football. Deviate from these tried-and-true methods and you’ re going to find yourself hacking through whatever sport you play. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule, but they are rare.
Once bad habits are formed, they are hard to break. They will hinder your game and limit your potential.
A few( out of the many) mistakes I see at the beginners level are players contacting the ball directly in front of their body, rather than to the side. This is a perpendicular swing as opposed to a more parallel-tothe-ground swing, which is where you want to be. A swing straight up to the sky results in one thing: a popup being slammed right back at you.
Another example is how players grip the paddle. I see players use a backhand grip for a forehand shot, and vice versa. I also see players choke up, with one finger on the paddle face, using the old“ ping-pong grip.” I don’ t have time to argue why that isn’ t your best bet, but go look at the pros and tell me how many top players you see using it. I can think of one, Tyler Loong.
Tennis players come into the game having a distinct advantage, because pickleball utilizes the same form and technique that originated in tennis. That goes for how to grip the paddle, the swing motion, and footwork.
Turning it back around on tennis players, however, many of them come into pickleball thinking that staying
back and continually driving from the baseline is going to lead to a win. It does in tennis singles, where driving from the baseline is the primary strategy. But in pickleball, the game is won by whoever controls the NVZ( non-volley zone).
With that said, I recommend trying to find a teacher who comes from a tennis background, because these instructors are often ahead of the many who themselves learned by hacking their own way through the sport.
If you take time to learn to play the right way, it’ s not only going to shave months off your learning curve, it’ s going to ensure that you’ ll never be called a“ hacker” by this writer ever again. •
Rick Cipes is the writer of the books“ How to Play Better Pickleball” and“ Pickleball Riffs,” both available through Amazon.
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