Competitive Advantage Pickleball

08/05/2023

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Jim 205.317.4868

Play with the pickleball paddles National Champions choose most. FREE Shipping. FREE 30-Day Test Drive. USAPA Approved. Made in USA. Life-time Warranty.

01/20/2023

12/14/2022

HOW ACCURATE ARE THE PROS ON THEIR THIRD SHOT DROPS?
A "Pro Pickleball Stats" study.

Third shot drops and drives get plenty of attention, so I took a closer look at some stats from the PPA Hertz Championships in December.

Nine high-caliber matches...the six doubles semifinals (Men's, Women's, Mixed), and the three doubles finals...generated more than FIVE-HUNDRED third shot drops! (By the way, the three doubles finals averaged 56% drops and 44% drives, but the focus here is on the drops in the semis and finals.)

Those 563 third shot drops fell into three simple, observational, objective categories: Third shot drops that opponents volleyed, ones that opponents played on the bounce, and ones hit into the net.

Volleyed: 307. (54.5%)
Bounced: 234. (41.5%)
In the net: 22. (4%)
Total: 563.

My takeaways on what recreational players can learn from this:

A third shot drops into the is a cardinal sin in the pros. Only four percent overall, and less than one per game. 96% of third shot drops are kept in play, whether the fourth shot is hit as a volley or on the bounce. The pros "miss" high, not low.

About the fourth shot being hit as a volley or on the bounce, there are "optional" instances for both, and I think those cancel each other out. Significantly more 4ths are volleyed rather than played on the bounce. The pros "miss" high, not low. The pros don't mind missing high because they are confident their 5th, 7th, 9th, etc., shots will get them through the transition area and to eventually achieve neutrality at the NVZ.

Recreational players can note a third shot drop doesn't need to be "great" when you are adept at your 5ths, 7ths, etc. shots. It is worthwhile to refine your third shot drops (and drives), but it is also valuable to practice those extra shots needed to advance through the transition zone. Having both skill-sets will help you achieve neutrality and be in position for more scoring opportunities.

(Questions? Comments? Differing opinions?

12/08/2022

*Repeat tip from 3.5 years ago*

DJ's Weekly Tip:

It's pickleball, not d**k ball.

Whoa. Now stop. Just stop. Take a deep breath and calm down. Let your heart rate get back to normal. It's going to be ok. I promise.

The object of the game is to win enough points to win games. You should be attempting to make it too difficult for your opponent to hit good returns. You want to gain an advantage over your opponents. Essentially, you want to put them in a pickle, as the name suggests.

Now, think about the best way to do this. Do you make it most difficult for your opponents by continually hitting soft, slow shots? Or is there a better way to gain an advantage?

It makes sense to hit the ball fast when you have an opportunity. This gives your opponent less time to respond to your shot, making it more difficult to handle. Pretty basic stuff here.

Lest you misunderstand, I'm not advocating you hit EVERY ball fast. First, that's not possible, and second, hitting fast is not the be all, end all. Far from it. What I AM saying is that hitting every ball soft and slow is not the be all, end all either, though many players erroneously have been led to believe that, unfortunately.

Dinking is good. It has its place. Dinking the ball low can be very effective in setting yourself up for opportunities. When you get that opportunity, go ahead and hit the ball with some pace to a location your opponents may not get the ball. Sometimes you just need to rip it!

I reiterate, I am not suggesting you slam every ball. But you cannot afford to merely d**k every ball, either. If you do not have an opportunity to hit the ball fast, go ahead and hit a d**k. When the opportunity presents itself, go ahead and hit the ball with pace. Who knows, you may even like it!

After all, it's pickleball, not d**k ball.

Keep reppin'!

11/10/2022

DJ's Weekly Tip:

There are two enemies to improvement. One is not practicing at all. The other is constant drilling.

Yes, you read that right. Drills can be an enemy of match play improvement.

Unfortunately, there is a movement among some coaches and players towards more and more drilling and fewer and fewer games played. It's true that drills can help one improve a certain aspect of the game, but game play must be included in order to implement the practice performed in the drill.

If you're not playing games as part of your growth process, you need to seriously consider why you are doing so many drills. If you're doing drills as a way to exercise or spend time with friends, good on you! But it's not the sole best way to improve your match play results. Drills alone without match play are a recipe for mediocrity.

While many players like to simply play and never drill, let's be careful to not let the pendulum swing too far the other way and think that it's all about drills, drills, drills above playing games. They are each vitally important.

Studies have shown that it may take thousands of repetitions in drill practice to build complete confidence in a particular stroke, while that same shot only requires a few dozen repetitions executed in game play to build that same level of confidence.

Drilling is important. Competitive match play is important. Drills help equip a player to groove a particular stroke. Match play helps equip a player to utilize tactics in a variety of situations.

The best way to improve your pickleball game is to incorporate drills AND game play into your routine.

-Keep reppin'!

10/13/2022

DJ's Weekly Tip:

You can't blame your way into positive change.

If you want to improve your pickleball game, there are many ways to do it: take private or semi private lessons, attend a camp or clinic, drill with a partner, hit against a wall, watch videos, or get into better shape in the gym.

At the same time, there is one guaranteed, surefire way to NOT improve your game: blame your partner or other variables for your losses or poor play.

Will your partner play poorly at times? Of course. Will the wind be against you at times? Yes. Will the sun be in your eyes at times? You bet. That's life. How you view these challenges and respond to them are what matter. Blaming your subpar results on someone or something else will never help you improve; it will keep you stuck permanently.

If you want better results or to improve your abilities, look in the mirror. The person staring back at you is the one in charge of your accomplishments. If you want to change, accept the fact that you are responsible for it.

Keep reppin'!

-DJ

09/09/2022

DJ's Weekly Tip:

Partner communication is mostly NON verbal.

Did you know that upwards of 93% of conversation is non verbal? Knowing this could have a profound effect on your behavior on the pickleball court.

First, you ought to communicate positive body language to your teammate. If you're saying positive things but your non verbals are negative, your teammate won't hear anything you're saying. Your actions will betray you.

Second, you need to communicate confidence and composure to your opponents. Your opponents will be looking for any crack in your armor, hoping to exploit it. You better believe your opponents can hear the difference if you shout "come on!" with authority and confidence versus saying it with an eye roll and exasperation or stating it as a way to muster up some false bravado.

Be aware of what and how you're communicating on the pickleball court with your non-verbals. You'll be a better partner and player.

Keep reppin'!

-DJ

09/04/2022

DJ's WeeklyTip:

Focus on your process and don't worry about your wins and losses or errors.

Too many players focus on the wrong things: technique, wins and losses in local league, mistakes, unforced errors, or their results at a tournament. None of these ought to be the primary focus. Your process of development should be your focus. As such, you will make plenty of mistakes along the way. And that's okay!

Why prioritize your processes versus your outcomes? Listen to the words of professional golf coach Bob Rotella:
"They know that if they honor the preparation and performance processes they've determined will work for them, the outcome will take care of itself. They're process oriented not because they don't care about the outcomes, but because they know this attitude leads to the best outcomes."

Your performance process is the first priority, while your outcome is secondary. The good news is, better results will follow!

Instead of focusing on short term things, especially unforced errors or losses, focus on staying the course to improve your processes of development.

Keep reppin'!

-DJ

08/18/2022

DJ's Weekly Tip:

Strengthen your strengths.

Everyone has some weaknesses in their game. Most people realize what those weaknesses are and they often do one of two things: seek to strengthen those weaknesses or try to hide them. Which begs the question, how much time should be spent trying to work on a weakness vs not worrying about it?

Years ago the conventional wisdom was to spend a high majority of practice time working to strengthen one's weaknesses so they couldn't be noticed by the opponent or exploited by them during competition. However, in more recent years an alternative philosophy has emerged. The idea is to focus on spending a high majority of time making one's strengths even stronger, turning them into weapons.

Consider the size of a pickleball court. It is quite possible to hide any number of deficiencies in one's game because the playing surface is relatively small. In addition, because players may stack positions, it makes hiding one's weaknesses even easier. Therefore, it's not too difficult to use your strengths far more often than not.

It makes sense to structure the foundation of your game around your strengths and utilize them as often as possible. First, define what your top one or two strengths are. It's interesting how many people can identify their biggest weakness but often have a difficult time identifying their biggest strength. Figure it out and hone it! Work those strengths. Master them. Make them super powers.

While you need to spend some time improving your weaknesses, spend more time improving what you're already good at so you become great. Then it becomes much easier to hide the weaknesses as well.

If you want to master a part of the game, spend a higher percentage of your time strengthening your strengths!

Keep reppin'!

-DJ

08/11/2022

CREATE PRESSURE WITH THE 3 P’S
From Mark Price

Beginner and intermediate players look to create pressure on their opponents by hitting the ball aggressively. This can be effective but it’s only one way to create pressure.

Pressure can be applied to your opponents effectively using what I call the 3 P’S: POWER, PACE & POSITIONING.

Advanced players will use all three of these techniques to apply pressure.

POWER
Power is the simplest and easiest way to put pressure on your opponents. Becoming aggressive and attacking your opponents gives them less time because of the speed of the ball and can cause errors such as miss-hits, over hitting, or pop-ups.

Power comes from a clean connection in the centre of the paddle, getting behind the back of the ball, weight transfer and core rotation.

Power also has an intimidation factor with the speed and sound of the paddle connecting with the ball.

PACE
Pace and change of pace is an advanced technique. The ability to change the pace of a ball will make you a formidable opponent. Pace is a silent killer, as it’s almost invisible. Change of pace is something that is hard for your opponents to read. Taking pace off the ball can be just as effective as adding pace to the ball. Rolling the ball with topspin to someone’s feet in mid-court (softly) can often surprise a player who is expecting a fastball.

If we only have one pace that we play your opponents will start to acclimatise to the speed and feel of the ball. However, if you work on changing the pace of the ball throughout the game you become unpredictable and more of a threat.

POSITIONING
Understanding good positioning and movement on the court is key to becoming a more advanced player. Your position on the court can apply a lot of pressure to the opposing team without even hitting a ball.

Positioning must be understood in the context of where the last ball is placed. Your position and movement on the court is in response to the last shot. Good movement off the ball is just as important as your partner hitting the ball.

In order to take your game to the next level become a student of the game understanding good positioning, placement, change of pace and when to use power.

08/05/2022

Just received my new Engage Omega T700 Carbon faced Paddle and did a test drive today. What a sweet paddle, good touch and feel, very close to the Pursuit but at a lower price point.. Order from Engage Pickleball and text me for a 20% off coupon. Currently on sale till Aug 15 and a really good deal when using the coupon. Paddles come in regular and extended handles, 1/2 & 5/8 inch
thickness.

Jim 205-317-4868