Short Term v. Long Term -- Goals, Rewards, etc.

 Win the game or try to learn something...

Todd suggested this topic.  There are posts already written about how to play when the skill levels are uneven, the enthusiastic reader can go back and look for those.  But basically, it is my opinion that everyone should play to the top of the lowest level player's skill level.  Doing that should increase the enjoyment of everyone and by playing at the top or a smidge beyond the lowest skill level, provide a challenging environment to the player with the most to learn.

Now, Todd accused me of beating up on the weaker player in order to win the game at all costs.  Now, I don't remember this the way Todd does.  Actually, I don't remember the game at all.  If I did beat up the weaker player, I'll apologize now.  And by "beating up" Todd may actually mean, that I didn't hit the ball to Todd as much as I could have.  Let me pass on a thought on that point.  The less skilled player, the more likely they are in the wrong place.  Either they don't follow a service return to the net, or they get caught in the middle, or they advance too soon, or don't back peddle in panic often enough...  If I see this, I usually will play to this position because that shot is my best selection, but I'm not going to try to just put the ball away.  It is the same with serves, I'll cut back on spin, speed, and depth so that there are fewer service return errors from the other player.

OK, but let's get to the topic.  And I've had this discussion with Robo, who gets less than his share of balls hit to him in a match, usually because he is the stronger player.  There are others in this same boat and I deliberately will play to them (recently) so they don't feel excluded.  Feelings matter!

But what I experienced with Robo two years ago, is that if I hit to him, I usually got a very hard shot right back at me.  It only took a couple deflecting off the top of the net and face bound to make me 1) a bit fearful of my life, 2) thinking that it was a silly thing to have done.  The returns from Robo were rarely returnable, and watching a ball zoom by my face was not improving my game or blood pressure much either.  So I quickly saw no point to doing that.

Times have changed and I've gotten better and played a lot with Robo and against him and I'm not too worried about a ball in face or my life at this point, so I am happy to hit to Robo -- and I am hitting a better shot, so he can't just whack them past me.  So there was a learning process there that worked for me.  But balls in the face all day long was not where progress (and/or fun) was made.  I've written about learning before, but if I were to sum it up, you need motivation, practice, feedback, and some of that needs to be in appropriate doses.  Tossing a beginner into a 5.0 game is not going to pass on as much knowledge as some time in front of a ball machine or a bang wall.

There is an old tradition that you have to (should) play with better players to improve.  That there is no "boot strap" method.  I disagree with that.  I think that you will get better faster with better players - probably due to feedback and providing insights to what just happened.  But you can do it yourself.  This is not a game of strength or esoteric skills.  There is a lot of "don't panic," "be conservative with shot selection," "don't hit the ball when you are running," and other tips of that ilk.  I would also suggest that playing in a game where you are competitive will provide more practical experience and more actual shots to make and feedback, than getting beat up in a game well beyond your level, where if you don't hit it effectively, the points will be short and lacking joy.

Case History:

Mr. Y and I had a brief discussion the other day and he mentioned that he'd played three games that morning with player X, who continually made the same mistakes as he had since he started playing a couple of years ago.  Y found it difficult to watch after three games and sought other players.

So what to do about X?  It is a bit rude to provide coaching unsolicited and not everyone cares about getting better or does not care if they win or lose the game.  I can't say any of those attitudes are "wrong."  But if you and your partner are not at the same level, skill, interest, or attitude, it can make for a game that one partner didn't want to play or repeat.  I'm not sure X cares or is capable of improving.  And just playing may not be enough to get better.  There is something to drilling and lessons...  But it may come down to self reflection and interest.

There is another complication.  In my two years playing with Downs crowd, it seems to me that there is a lot of improvement and the average skill level has risen a lot.  The success of the Downs' players in outside tournaments provides some objective evidence to back that up.  If you are not improving, then the field is rising past you.  

Hmm, this is getting long and I'm worried about upsetting players.  And all of this is just my opinion anyways...

One of the things I hope that the Tri-Valley Pickleball Club might do is to provide workshops for intermediates and advanced players.  It is great that they have started a beginners workshop.  I would be excited about attending more advanced classes.

I'm playing a point and when it is over, it's time to reflect... Did I do something wrong?   Was this judgement, execution, or understanding?  

Judgement: I chose a stupid shot - too hard or bad serve, or off the back fence, or trying to be too clever?  

Execution: I chose a good shot, but dumped it into the net or hit it just wide, or popped it up turning my partner into a pin cushion.  (A shot that just misses might have been a bad shot choice.)

Understanding: I was caught in the wrong place (I think), my partner and I were split (what's that mean?), when we served we never got to the kitchen (why?).

You can add more detail to all of those categories and see where the problems lie.  There is a lot of instruction on YouTube for all areas of pickleball.  It's a great resource and if you want to get better, it's a great start.

Hang in there loyal readers, another couple of topics have appeared.  

Why are beginners difficult to play with?  

What makes a game fun?  Which brings us back around to why we are playing.  If winning is everything, then yes, playing with a beginner is unfun depending on your competition and whether the game will take into account the level of the weaker players.  Also, as Robo has mentioned, the ball is going to go to the weaker player and he might be just standing around being bored.

Secondly, playing in a highly competitive game will test your game more efficiently.  You might get none of that with beginners.  Or their shot selection is so strange that you spend the game chasing down lobs or stretching for down the line shots, rather than getting some dinking or blocking in.  Also you may not get any reward for a good shot.  You hit it, they return it to partner who can't handle the speed or pops it up.  Unless you can enjoy the shots you make and how well you contact the ball and don't mind getting beat eleven to two, then you can still have a fun time, but it may not be the game you would really like to play.  Finally, playing with beginners is an investment in their skills.  Down the road hopefully their skills will make them good players.

Why would I want to play in a game where I'm well over my head?  Let's look at this from the beginner's point of view.  Downs is very good at including people regardless of abilities.  There is the view that everyone should get access to the courts and have the same play time.  However when there are a lot of players, groups will form and play amongst the same four players all morning.  I don't have a lot of problem with that.  People should be allowed to play with whomever they want.  And if I were a beginner, there are a lot of games I would not want to play in.  I've noticed that players with less skill will often defer to more skilled foursomes and wait for another game.  I have no problem with that either and I wouldn't want to get crushed - what fun is that?  I think the best game for everyone is where the level of skills is pretty even.  

So, have I addressed Todd's question?  Have I upset everyone?  Well, then my job is done!  But seriously, I think that the skill levels is important to take into account for all players when a game is played.  I think the good players should play to a lower skill level.  If you are going to ask to play in a game, be a bit sensitive to the skill levels and maybe watching a good game would be more of a learning experience than playing in it.  Particularly if you were to discuss aspects of the game with one of the players after the game.  I don't think anyone would refuse that discussion. 

This is long, thanks for hanging in there.  Feedback is appreciated and this is probably a topic that will never resolve itself.  I understand that there are other courts where there is some strict ability level segregation.  That has its pluses and minuses, I guess.  Maybe the beginners ought to wade in here.  Maybe I should have talked to a few of them too.  They might be more sensitive to this than the advanced folk.  Ok, time to publish and perhaps perish.  :-)