Line calls

Pictures and visuals  help me learn. This picture from the USAPA showing how to accurately view the ball as it hits the line. Some players, especially if coming from tennis, may think the ball compresses giving it more of an area to touch the court surface but that is incorrect. A pickleball is hard and only a small section of the ball actually hits the court. Check out this visual and make the right line call.

inorout

Help Your Partner With Line Calls. When your partner is trying to make a difficult shot, it is often hard for that player to concentrate on the line and the shot at the same time. Your partner is counting on you to make the out call if necessary. It is very common to see players looking straight ahead while their partner is playing the ball. You should always watch the ball so that you can help your partner with the call. Otherwise, you may be giving away points if your partner is unable to make the call.

If your partner calls the ball out and you see that it is clearly in, then you should declare the ball to be good. When you disagree with your partner about a line call, the benefit of the doubt always goes to the other side. Never play the point over. ( I am not sure about this I will check with Cindy and Nancy).

BallInOut

Videos

Watch their footwork, positioning, they never take their eyes off the ball. The paddle is always up and in the ready position.
Videos well worth watching.

Villages Pickleball #1 VS Seattle Superstarts PART 2  Lots of Dinking

2012 USAPA National Tournament – Women’s Singles Final

2012 USAPA National Tournament – Women’s Singles Final 2

USAPA 2012 National Tournament Women’s Doubles Gold 1

USAPA 2012 National Tournament Women’s Doubles Gold 2

 

PickleBall Tips 2

Pickleball Percentages

• NEVER SACRIFICE PLACEMENT FOR POWER. A SLOW BALL AT YOUR OPPONENT’S FEET IS BETTER THAN A VERY FAST HIT TO THE WAIST.

• NEVER SACRIFICE BEING IN THE READY POSITION FOR A BETTER POSITION ON THE COURT. ALWAYS STOP AND BE IN THE READY POSITION AT THE POINT OF CONTACT OF THE BALL TOUCHING YOUR OPPONENTS PADDLE.

• THE TEAM WITH THE LEAST UNFORCED ERRORS USUALLY WINS, NOT THE TEAM WITH THE MOST WINNERS.

• A GOOD VOLLIER WILL USUALLY BEAT A GOOD GROUND STROKER. THE GROUND STROKE IS JUST MEANS TO GET TO THE NVZ LINE AND WIN THE POINT.

• YOUR BEST POSITION ON THE COURT SHOULD BE EITHER ONE FOOT BEHIND THE BASELINE OR ONE INCH BEHIND NVZ LINE. STAY OUT OF NO MAN’S LAND.

• THE TEAM HITTING DOWN INTO THE COURT MOST OF THE TIME WILL WIN MORE POINTS THAN THE TEAM ALWAYS HITTING UP,SO KEEP YOUR HITS LOW TO THE FEET. IT WILL PROBABLY BE THE DIFFERENCE IN A CLOSE GAME.

• NEVER EVER MISS YOUR SERVE OR RETURN OF SERVE.

• MOST OF YOUR SHOTS SHOULD BE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE COURT, OVER THE LOW PART OF THE NET, GIVES YOU A LOT OF LEEWAY RIGHT AND LEFT, AND CAUSES CONFUSION BETWEEN YOUR OPPONENTS.

• PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE WHEN DINKING. DO NOT TRY FOR A WINNER UNLESS BALL IS MORE THAN 12’’ ABOVE THE NET.

• NEVER TRY AND HIT A WINNER OFF A VERY DIFFICULT SHOT. JUST PLAY DEFENSIVE AND TRY TO RETURN THE BALL LOW INTO THE COURT.

A GOOD VOLLEYER USES GOOD BOWLING TECHNIQUE

• A bowler first PAUSES to aim the ball at his target— steps toward his target— and follows through toward his target.

• A good volleyer PAUSES to aim the face of his paddle at his target— steps toward this target (if possible)— and follows through toward his target.

• Whenever possible PAUSE to aim (set the proper angle and direction of the face of your paddle) step and finish toward your target. Do not rush or guess… AIM!

 

PickleBall Terminology

Terminology

• Baseline — The line at the back of the pickleball court (22 feet from the net).[3]:A-4
• Centerline — The line bisecting the service courts that extends from the non-volley line to the baseline.[3]:A-4
• Crosscourt — The opponent’s court diagonally opposite yours.
• Dink — A dink is a soft shot, made with the paddle face open, and hit so that it just clears the net and drops into the non-volley zone.[3]:52
• Fault — An infringement of the rules that ends the rally.[3]:xxii
• Foot fault — Stepping on or into the non-volley zone while volleying a ball, or, while serving, failure to keep both feet behind the baseline with at least one foot in contact with the ground or floor when the paddle contacts the ball.[3]:xxii,61,A-11
• Half-volley – A type of hit where the player hits the ball immediately after it has bounced in an almost scoop-like fashion.
• Let serve — A serve that touches the top of the net and lands in the proper service court (it is replayed without penalty).
• Non-volley zone — A seven-foot area adjacent to the net within which you may not volley the ball. The non-volley zone includes all lines around it.[3]:A-4 Also called the “kitchen”
• Poach — In doubles, to cross over into your partner’s area to play a ball.
• Rally — Hitting the ball back and forth between opposite teams.
• Serve (Service) — An underhand lob or drive stroke used to put a ball into play at the beginning of a point.
• Server number — When playing doubles, either “1” or “2,” depending on whether you are the first or second server for your side. This number is appended to the score when it is called. As in, the score is now 4 – 2 – second server.
• Sideline — The line at the side of the court denoting in- and out-of-bounds.[3]:A-4
• Volley — To hit the ball before it bounces.
• Players – 2 or 4

More on the Dink

Master the Dink. The dink is one of the most effective shots in pickleball. The main purpose of the dink is to keep your opponents from gaining or keeping an offensive advantage. The dink is a soft shot that is hit just hard enough to clear the net, but not so hard as to allow your opponent to aggressively volley the ball (volley means to hit the ball before it bounces).

If you don’t have a chance at a strong offensive shot, then chances are good that the best shot selection is the dink. That is especially true if both of your opponents are at the net (at the no-volley line, which is the strongest position in pickleball). If one of your opponents is back at the baseline, don’t use a dink in that situation unless you are pretty sure that he won’t be able to get to the ball. A dink in that situation will just bring your opponent up to the net, which is where he wants to be. If he is at the baseline, keep him on the defense with a deep shot hit with pace.

The keys to effective dink play are patience and precision. It takes patience to keep dinking and to resist the urge to try to create an offensive shot when none is available. Move your opponents around with a variety of shot placements including a cross-court shot at an angle. You want to maneuver the opponents enough to where they make the first mistake, either by hitting the net or hitting it high enough to give you an offensive shot. It takes precision on your part to not make that first mistake. That takes practice to hit the ball with just the right amount of touch. Practice the dink while you are warming up.

Master the dink. It is likely that your opponent has not.

PickleBall Tips 1

Return of Serve. Very often, the best return of serve is a soft floating return that keeps your opponent in the back court. You will be taking advantage of the 2-bounce rule that prohibits the serving team from volleying the return of serve. The soft floater gives you and your partner plenty of time to establish your positions at the no-volley line. When you control the no-volley line, you have assumed the offense and put the serving team on defense. The other advantage of using this type of return is that it is one of the easiest returns to make and greatly cuts down on errors.

There are times when a hard driving return is appropriate. It can be especially effective if one of your opponents has a tendency to move up too quickly after the serve. If he has moved up too quickly, the hard drive forces him to backpedal quickly and forces an off-balance shot. But, keep in mind that your chances for error increase with that type of return. An attempt at a drive return means that it is much more likely that you will hit the net or hit the ball long. The other risk of the drive return is that it may be returned to you before you have had time to establish your position at the line.

Use the hard drive return every now and then for a change of pace and to keep your opponent off balance. But, most of the time, it would be wise to play the winning percentages and return a deep soft floater.

Is it OUT or IN? The ball can only touch the court at one point. As you can see in the first photo below, the center of the ball is touching the red. So, even though part of the profile of the ball is over the top of the line, the ball is out. The second photo shows a ball that is good because the center is touching the white line. Reference: section 6C of the official USAPA rules. Note that this rule is different than the rule for tennis. A tennis ball can flatten out when it hits, so if any part of the tennis ball touches the line, it is called good.

BallInOut

Remember, all lines are good during the rally and the serve except for the no-volley line during the serve. A served ball that touches the no-volley line is a fault and results in loss of serve.

Help Your Partner With Line Calls. When your partner is trying to make a difficult shot, it is often hard for that player to concentrate on the line and the shot at the same time. Your partner is counting on you to make the out call if necessary. It is very common to see players looking straight ahead while their partner is playing the ball. You should always watch the ball so that you can help your partner with the call. Otherwise, you may be giving away points if your partner is unable to make the call.

If your partner calls the ball out and you see that it is clearly in, then you should declare the ball to be good. When you disagree with your partner about a line call, the benefit of the doubt always goes to the other side. Never play the point over.

Anticipation. Pickleball is a very quick game requiring fast reflexes for those quick exchanges at the no-volley line. The best players give themselves an edge of just a fraction of a second by anticipating the shot. If you wait for your eyes to pick up the flight of the ball after it is struck, it may be too late. It is important to take note of the visual clues that will tell you where the ball is most likely to go. Observe the speed and angle of the paddle as the ball is struck so that you can begin to react and shift your weight before the ball is actually hit. Also take note of the position of the feet for another visual clue of the general direction in which your opponent is aiming. You don’t need to look directly at the feet. You can usually see the feet in your peripheral vision as you keep your eyes on the paddle and ball.

Watching the paddle will also help you anticipate any spin that is being placed on the ball. If the paddle is moving from high to low, then the ball will likely have backspin. That is especially true if it is hit with an open face (paddle tilted slightly upward). If the paddle is moving from low to high across the top of the ball with a closed face, it will have top spin. If the paddle is swept horizontally across the body, it will probably have some side spin.

Three Lanes

Three Lanes

Posted On August 16, 2012

Most people think their choice of where to hit the ball is limited to one half of the court or the other. The best way to visualize the court is to divide it into three lanes. One lane down the middle and one on either side giving you three choices, or three lanes, to place the ball. Always know where you want to place the ball BEFORE you hit it.

At the 5.0 level you really have to protect all lanes because they can place a shot down a lane (or line) at any time.

So BEFORE you hit the ball, have a target, pick a lane and go for it!

Written by Jennifer Lucore

National PickleBall Champion
National PickleBall Champion

The Dink Shot

Posted On August 16, 2012

The Dink Shot

Mary asks: I am new to pickleball and everyone talks about the dink shot. What is that?

The definition from the Official Tournament Rulebook states: A dink shot is a soft shot that is intended to arc over the net and land within the non-volley zone.

This shot is important to have in your bag of shot choices. Dink away!

Written by Jennifer Lucore

National PickleBall Champion
National PickleBall Champion

Proper Serving

Correct Serve Motion

Posted On November 30, 2012

Super form
Excellent form on her serve Chris M

Bennie asks: The rules say the serve must be underhand. Many players serve sidearm. Is this permitted?

ANSWER: There has been, and probably always will be, much discussion on this rule; both the wording and the interpretation of it. But bottom line is however you create your serve (sidearm or not) as long as you follow the below rules with your paddle head below your wrist and contact with the ball below your waist – then that is permitted.

For fun I looked up the definition of sidearm according to the Webster Dictionary: of, relating to, using, or being a throw (as in baseball) in which the arm is not raised above the shoulder and the ball is thrown with a sideways sweep of the arm between shoulder and hip.

Also, the odds are if you are serving sidearm you will have some upward arc in your serving stroke.

Here’s the Serve Motion Rules from the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) Official Tournament Rulebook:

SECTION 4 – SERVICE RULES

4.A. Serve Motion. The serve must be made with an underhand stroke so that contact with the ball is made below waist level.

4.A.1. Underhand Defined. The arm must be moving in an upward arc and the paddle head shall be below the wrist when it strikes the ball.

Written by Jennifer Lucore

National PickleBall Champion

Welcome to PickleBall Fleischmann Park

Good morning,
Players start arriving about 8:00 am and practice. Play usually starts by 9 am. M – S and sometimes on Sunday.

Welcome back to Naples.
Checkout: https://pickleballnaplesfl.com/.
Here are some PB videos of us on YouTube.com search term PickleBall Naples.
Here’s some PickleBall information. I have attached a copy of the rules, I downloaded them from: https://www.usapa.org/

2012 USAPA National Tournament – Women’s Singles Final https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzNIbc3864o

Here is the park information:
Park Manager Jennifer Fox
Fleischmann Park
1600 Fleischmann Blvd.
Naples, FL 34102

Phone: 239-213-3020
Fax: 239-213-3018
Email: jfox@naplesgov.com

Jerry