Quick Tips of Great Value

 Here are four items that come up a lot, but are a bit more advanced than the basics.  They don't require a lot of explanation and I think they are technically sound.  I'll pontificate a bit on the fourth one, as it touches a couple of the basic principles.

One: Moving your feet is vital (everything?).  It's real easy to get to a good place and then try/expect to lean to get shots from there.  That ain't the best.  Get used to moving the feet all the time.  A bit of a bounce or pressure shifts are a good way to be ready to move them for a shot.  You should probably have to move for every shot.  Maybe not a lot, but a step or half a step makes poaches and ground strokes much more consistent.

Two: When you are coming up to the kitchen line, it's easy to just run up your side of the court.  But depending where the ball is, this may widen the gap between you and your partner.  A great habit is to run forward, but towards the ball.  Think of this as closing the angle that a goalie does.

Three: When you are waiting for a shot, face the ball's location.  This doesn't matter a lot when you are at the baseline, but at the kitchen line it's important.  You want to be able to move laterally to hit shorts and facing forward and twisting to track the ball puts you in a bad attitude for quick movement to at least one side, maybe both.

Four: Don't stretch for shots that are on your partner's side of the court.  This is correct for two reasons, one is that it's difficult to hit a good shot when you are stretched out.  Two, you've got a partner who is probably better placed to hit it.  (And if the point goes badly, you can then blame partner!)  

We are all here to hit the ball, so let partner hit his.  The less court for which you are responsible, the better you can cover your side.  

Now, if partner is used to you taking all the middle shots, this may lead to some awkward misses, but a quick word to partner will clarify this.  

It is an extension of the theory of the crisscross responsibility, that is, the person to whom the ball is going, should hit the return.  I'll toss in an exception to this -- when one player has taken control of the point, usually when receiving a pop up, they should aggressively hit any follow up shots as required.  This is mid court to kitchen line stuff and it's pretty obvious.

There you have it, some simple plays that will make it easier to play well.

Paddles, or What a Long Trip it's Been

One of the Dans asked about paddles the other day.  I've been jotting some notes down about this topic anyways, so I'm happy to finish it.

I started out with a medium priced paddle, maybe $130, then I got a $15 dollar returned paddle from PickleballCentral because I was trying to get some of my golf buddies interested and a spare paddle was useful.

The performance of the two paddles was the same.  I couldn't feel any difference in impact and the other stuff, which I'll talk about in a minute.

Then I tried a bunch more, usually in the $150 range or so.  Gearbox 6 control I think was the next one.  I didn't feel it was much different either.  There were a couple of others too.  One of which was elongated in shape.

Then I saw a review for the Oculus by Tmpr.  The review suggested that it had a nice shape for those of us who come from tennis or table tennis.  Well, that's my background and I said, "why not?"  This was the first paddle that provided more ball speed and more spin than all the others. I finally found a difference amongst the paddles.

Coming from table tennis, spin is a big part of my strokes.  Getting more of this from the equipment was of interest.  

I didn't play with it long before the Hellbender came in to my hot little hands.  I liked this paddle a lot.  It was a bit longer than wide, and a touch more pop and spin.  It also had a larger sweet spot by being a wider at the top of the head rather than by the grip.  

The Hellbender, btw, is a name of the largest lizard in the US, suffered some damage.  It had started to crack, then a paddle - paddle collision raised a two inch section of the surface.  But, not to worry, I had ordered the Diadem Warrior by them.  So the HB was put to the side after I glued up the face to get it back to playable state.

The Warrior has some issues with the edge band being poorly glued.  I contacted them and they suggested that a two part epoxy would be the best glue to refasten it.  I did that, played some and then had to redo it.  But not to worry, I ordered a Gruvn 16E in the mean time.

I really liked the Warrior.  It is about 8.5 ounces, but I never felt it was heavy.  What I was nervous about was the surface finish.   I was worried it would wear and the ability to spin the ball would diminish in time.   It was more rectangular in shape and the corners near the grip seemed a bit dead, but I grew to prefer it to the Hellbender. But with surface considerations in re the Warrior, the Gruvn came on board.

The Gruvn has a "raw" carbon face that has some texture built into it.  Hopefully as it wears it will retain its coarseness.

If you've been keeping notes, you might realize that there has been a fair amount of money spent on this quest.  I won't argue with that, but even so, PB is the cheapest sport I've even done as an adult.   By the way golf clubs are north of $150 each, with putters and drives a bit more and there are 15 of those in a bag.  Oh, and the bags are a couple of hundred too. 

On to Dan's question.  Dan has been playing for four months or so and getting better.  He question is really about whether the paddle he has was going to slow his progress.

My experience is that the paddles don't matter too much, but there are some characteristics that are important.  I'll pay a lot for a paddle that has an edge to edge sweet spot.  They don't make that one yet.

Surface is useful as spin in important to me.  Dan doesn't spin much at this time.  Tennis players and table tennis guys spin the ball, racquet ball people hit it pretty flat.

The paddle vary some in re how fast the ball comes off.  I have noticed this, but there doesn't seem to a huge difference in this parameter.

I finally decided for myself that I want the elongated paddle.  I don't think there is a substitute for reach.  I hit a lot of balls on the tip of the paddle - probably due to my slow feet than anything, but it's what I got.

Other things that are in play: how noisy the hits are, grip sizes and wraps.  Noise I'm not too concerned with, different face materials will create more or less noise.

Grips can be easily built up and if you're a bit handy, can be slimmed too, so I don't think that's a bit deal.

So paddle progression and player progression...  I think you want to discover what kind of a player you are.  If you need blocking speed at the net, then a lighter, more compact paddle might work better.  If you are going to be a banger, then a faster paddle with more weight might be better.

But until you find things you can't do, then chasing paddles for improvement is fun, but not effective.

I've had some discussion with John, a Downs' player who is a member of the paddle of the month club.  He has not settled on anything yet and buys a bunch and returns them.  A lot of companies will do that, so if you want to try some with perhaps the cost of shipping at stake, why not.

Of the paddles I've owned the Hellbender is the most advanced.  It is very thick, maybe 19 mm, with three layers.  I suspect that paddles have a few more years of development ahead of them.  I think about golf balls with 3 to 5 layers, all of which react to different levels of impact.  I could see PB paddles the same.  It maybe that the rule makers will not allow that, but one could see the utility of a paddle that does different things at dink speeds and drive/serve speeds.

So I think we are a few years off for those details to be available.  Until then I think paddles don't make a lot of difference other than sweet spots and spin rates.  And you can overcome the sweetspot problem by hitting the ball where you should - so more practice, less paddles!

Kirby reps some paddles, or did, so you might seen him if you want to try various variations.

A Podcast that is Worth Watching

 Dear readers, 

I have a link below of a PB podcast that is really good.  There is a list of topics in the "more" section and you can skip to where you want to go.  The talkers are at a 4.5 level and have a fair amount of tournament experience.

Starting at about the 17:50 mark is a discussion of skill levels and what each should be able to do.  Worth the watch just for that as you might want to use it as a map to getting better.

I've got a paddle blog coming up soon too, so stay tuned.

Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z59TQAXawaQ

Angel II, or Things I forgot in the First Post

 One of the other topics Angel and I touched on, was the attitude towards bad shots.

I've long thought that the important part of any sporting activity when done at a high level is emotional control.  If you do well and get excited, that's fine as long as you'll play better with that attitude.  Also, doing poorly might cause you to "dig in" and play better, or drop you into a dark mental hole where victory is a receding dream.

Angel had a story to share about that.  His partner missed more shots than he wanted to miss, became vocal about his lack of happiness, and then found out that the opponents began to hit every ball towards him.  If you are going to get upset make sure it will help your game.  If it's not going to do that, then work on not getting angry or showing that you are angry.

This is a strange game.  The pros make the same mistakes we do.  It's inevitable that you'll net some, miss a few put aways and serve out (on rare occasion, yes?).  You can't control that or its timing.  But what you can control is your attitude.  Being calm and unruffled might be best - of if you can convert darker feelings to better play, then go for it.  I'd suggest just digging in for the next point.  Don't let a bad shot affect the next point.  And realize that you may well hit several misses in a row -- something you and Ben Johns have in common.  

Let me drop in another nugget gleaned from Angel's conversation, that being, think about stuff when you are warming up or drilling.  Get analytical then, but when it's time to play, then play.  Don't try to find a fix for every errant shot, just try to become absorbed in the play and react to that.  Dance around the court, be free of fear, and wreak devastation on your opponents!   At the end of the day, you will have won or lost.  Think about what could have been better then  work on it in practice and prepare for the next game.

I guess for completeness sake, we must always work to keep partner playing at their best - be encouraging and supportive, you'll both have a better time.

Thanks Angel for dropping in and sharing your play and knowledge!

A Visit from an Angel

Angel dropped by the Downs today.  I got to play with and against him.  We had some time for conversation too.  

You all should know that Angel has read all of the blog posts.  I asked if he had any technical disagreements in re content and he replied that it was all pretty accurate.  So now you are assured of veracity, at least by two peoples' opinion.  :-)

Angel is currently ranked 4.67 or thereabouts, he is expecting that to go up as they had a good tournament result the other day.   I told him he had to play at 3.875, and he agreed to that.

I want to talk about the conversation we had, but let me jot some thoughts about his play.

A lot of shots from his ground strokes landed about half way into the service area, i.e., not flirting with the end line much.  His speed was reasonable, but not outlandishly fast.  The balls could easily be returned, if, of course, you were there to hit them.  He placement was usually up the middle and then up the middle and more so, up the middle.  If you were determined to cover the middle like syrup on a pancake, then suddenly the balls seemed to go up the sidelines.  Hmm...

But the major difference I saw that made Angel different from you and me and greater Downs population is that his shots were very well controlled for height above the net.  He hit most shots with a touch of top spin, kept them low, and as mentioned previously, not particularly deep.  Oh, and you are not likely to hit a ball to him when he is at the net that he can't get a paddle on.  

He wasn't perfect and missed some shots, usually side/wide shots and net balls.  I guess he missed a couple long, but that was rarer than the other misses.  He was very consistent and controlled.  It looked like a game with little angst in it, quite relaxed and a player with time to deal with any shot he got.  It was very polished and smooth.  

I gave an assignment to a couple of players to let me know what they wished they had talked about before playing in the tournament this past weekend.  So far nothing has been turned in.  Angel mentioned that his partner and he had a four hour conversation before they started to play together.  There is a lot to talk about it seems.  Of course if they talked really slowly, maybe not that much, but I joke.  Tournament preparation is a topic that sadly I know not much about.  If anyone wants to contribute a guest post, I'm all for it.  This paragraph is here as Angel mentioned the topic.  

Partnership agreements is a topic that has not been explored much in these pages.  In some ways it is not important for the Downs as there is so much mixing and not much pairing off.  But maybe down the road it will be worth talking about.  Note that if there are a lot more courts, then the game may change from "there are too many players here," to one of "Who can meet me at some park at some time."  That may herald in a time of partnership v. partnership and change the look of the whole PB scene around here.  But this is a topic for another time.

Let me note some things that I picked up from playing against Angel.  The middle of the court is where the action is.  Keep the ball low.  You don't have to hit it hard to be a good player.  When he was not playing, the shots was three feet higher in the air and a lot more errors!  His drives, while probably not at full speed, were still difficult to block from the kitchen line as they were usually below the net level and had a lot of topspin on them.  He had some wild serves that he used a couple of times, lots of side kick and difficult to return.  He mentioned a game against a fifteen year old who had an incredible serve that they couldn't return much at all.  The quickly found themselves at zero to seven - it was a game that didn't end well.

In summation, the road to "Better" might be to control the arc of the ball keeping it lower, moderate speed - no need to hit them long, get better at hitting diving balls.  If you want to crank hand speed up to eleven, that wouldn't hurt either.  :-)

Angel mentioned that he thought that the level of play at the Downs was much better than he has seen previously.  I guess we're doing something right!

Thanks Angel, for dropping by and sharing thoughts and play!

About Those Out Shots

 At the meet and greet, sadly without wine, one of the Downs' regulars asked about out balls, when and what, basically.

This topic has been addressed a couple of times most likely in conjunction with other topics, yet it deserves its own post.  Let's explore this useful topic.

The first point I will make is that out balls are not rare.  But frequently they do not end the point.

Secondly, if you want to get good at ducking, then a big part of that is to expect out balls.  Actually, you want to hope an out ball is hit to you.  What is more consistent than ducking?  A good ready position allows you to duck easily.

Most out balls that you can duck will take place when you are at the net and the opponents aren't.  They might be at the baseline or moving up, but this is one of the more frequent scenarios.

So, how to judge...  Firstly watch a match and evaluate how many shots would go long.  It's a surprising number.  

Secondly, an out ball is usually hit pretty hard, it's usually pretty high over the net, and it might have some backspin on it.  So a ball that is hard, high and spinning, is not going to land in.  Step aside and give your opponent a wry smile.  I like to add a compliment, for example, "You got all of that one!"  Just to keep things light you understand.

Spin is a big part of this as it causes the ball to sail a bit, so if it's spinning, it doesn't have to be very hard nor high to go out.  

The one shot that can fool you is a high shot with a lot of top spin on it.  The good and the bad about the pickle ball is that its velocity decays rapidly and with some top spin, it will stay in.

Like poker, you want to be playing the player and not just the shot hit.  There are those players who will always hit the ball hard, and others who will always chop spin the ball.  And there are folks who do both, sometimes always!  These guys are most likely to hit out balls.  Know your opponents!  Study them and compile a book of weaknesses. 

When all parties are at the net, there are a lot of out balls too.  Mostly from folks who don't dink much.  They hit shots that are not "lobby," i.e., they have little spin and will not land in the kitchen.  A lot of those shots are going to go long.  However it's hard to let them go or even to duck as decision time is limited and you might be the target.  But stepping aside is worth doing on occasion as it keeps the opponents honest and you can learn what shots are going to be long.  Again, looking for specific shots is a way to speed up your decision making.

I hope this helps, it's a big part of the game.  The more people let bad shots go out, the more likely folks will adopt a more genteel style, which suits my vision of a wonderful future.

Livermore Pleasanton Scramble Report

 I thoroughly enjoyed playing in the first Pleasanton Livermore social get together pickleball scramble.  Oh, I was just going to watch a bit then wander over to the Downs for some play, but there was a need and I was drafted.

Some of you may know my aversion to highly competitive play and it's a real condition, and not one that should be thrust on the world stage anymore.  But the play today was without scoring or winners or losers.  And that made it just fine in my mind.  The format of playing with a new partner for 15 minutes, then getting a new partner and opponents added some spice to the meal.  All in all it was well run and a lot of fun.  Thanks to Tri Valley pickleball club for putting it on. 

The abilities were varied and I played for long points rather than slams and put aways and the usual body shots.  And for the most part everyone was playing like that, which made it an exercise in resets and dinking.  I found that fun and good for my game even if ball speeds were not very fast.

One of the common issues I saw with players was paddle position when at the net.  Typically it was not high enough.  While there were no real fast shots hit, having a low paddle makes it very difficult to kill a pop up.  By the time the paddle is in position, the ball is no longer hanging in space ready to be smacked.  The only shot left is a highish dink that typically floats too long into the court.

The paddle up position is needed for a couple of reasons.  You want to protect your body, block an aggressive speed up, and mostly to punish a bad dink.

The droopy paddle is seen across a lot of skill levels.  Even some of the Downs' tournament players can get into this position.  So check your form on occasion and make sure I'm not talking about you.  :-)

There is another occasion when this type of issue comes up.  In the blog posts from early on, I stressed the need to follow your service returns as far into the court as you could.  There are several advantages to doing this.  For example you take away an easy deep third shot which is available if you stay all the way back.  Secondly if you can get all the way to the kitchen line, there are high balls just asking to get smacked away, but if you are not in position, then they can't be hit aggressively.  Thirdly, there is nothing more scary than being at the kitchen line expecting to hear your partner's shot and there nothing but the belated sound of a bouncing ball.  

There you have it, hopes, fears, inner issues and a touch of training, all in one post.  Thanks again to the TVPBC for their work (and brownies, and swag, and cookies...).

About Being Ready - Or What Will Come My Way?

I personally find myself getting caught by a dink that goes to an extreme edge of the court.  

It may be that my large feet are not the quickest or perhaps more accurately, not as quick as they need to be.  But while watching the pros play, it looks like they don't move until the ball is hit and they manage about three steps before they hit the return.

If that's doable by a rec player, then they must be aware of other things than you and I.  There is literature about experts who are spending their concentration on different things than beginners.  I might suggest it's the same in pickleball.

One of the things I've noticed is that they tend to face the ball and not the opponents' baseline.  Since the issue is more moving laterally at the net than up and back, this makes some sense.  So shift your feet as the ball moves around and face it, particularly if a cross court dinking battle breaks out.  You want your feet to be moving all the time, so this ain't [sic] a bad idea in any case.

I also suspect that they watch the paddle face to see where the ball is going to go.  If you watch Todd play, there is a lot of last sub-second paddle face manipulation (LSSPFM)  to create an angled shot.  I have watched paddle faces in the past, but it is difficult for me to concentrate enough to do it all the time.  Lazy, perhaps?  You may be right, but it might be one of the things that an expert does that others don't/can't.  Still the pros get fooled on occasion.

Watching a paddle gives you more time to move your feet in preparation to make your return.  And where will you return it?  If you pause to think about that, it's going to be a problem.  How many times has the reason for a miss been, "I changed my mind?"  If you are playing and not thinking, you'll do wonderful things with no internal deliberation or hesitations -- I think that is what you want to strive for.  As a master once said, "Become one with the ball..."

There is another point here, is that a professional is probably a lot more predictable than a rec player.  If you are going to grind out high level play all day long, you can't be hitting the balls on the lines all the time, you need to be somewhat conservative in your shot selection.  If you watch Andrea Koop, a top level female player, she has the most relaxed, simple serve.  Doesn't try to win points with it, just getting it in and starting the rally and she can do it for hours.  

If you play against Matt, Scott or Roger, et al., you will get very predictable shot selection.  They are interested in beating you with consistency rather than by being clever.  It is an easier way to play, being clever all the time is hard work.  

So, a quick summation: align your body with the ball location when at the kitchen line, When you are running up to the kitchen line, then a good habit is to run towards the ball and not just straight forward to the net -- you'll be able to cover the middle of the court better.  Try and watch the paddle of the opponents for clues as to the next shot.  Play with freedom and with verve.  Keep your feet moving.  :-)

Bad Shots That Work

I had a couple of games against Larry and Kirby the other day.  The game they lost was due to a lot of shots going long.

But one must recognize that there are shots in PB that are technically bad, but will work in the heat of battle.  

The technique is to hit the ball too hard, but keep it barely in reach of the opponent.  Where to hit it, is the topic of the day.

You can win points by hitting the ball where the opp can't get to it.  For example a drive to the feet or a corner, or the dink that gets behind the opp as the net.

You can also do well by hitting a ball that is directly at an opp.  This is useful for serves and at the net.  If you can, the dominate hand hip and shoulder are traditional targets for good reason.

If you hit a ball at an opp that jams him and yet is moving too fast to duck is also effective.  Note that this shot doesn't have to be in to be effective, as it will never get past the baseline.  

There are variations on this too.  Hit it over a shoulder, somewhat hard, but in reach and it's the rare player that will duck it.

In the dinking game, it's easier to hit it hard (maybe at the opponent) than the touch shot.  There are a lot of Downs' players who do this and will hit the dink very flat, sometimes at you and sometimes trying to get it past you, but never intending it to land in or near the kitchen line.  

It is my opinion that a lot of these shots will go out, but ducking is difficult as the ball are typically low over the net and there is little time to decide about returning it and it may be too awkwardly placed to duck.  These kind of shots usually turn the point into a fire fight as the ball will keep speeding up until someone misses.

Now for the moral dilemma, should you deliberately hit balls that are going out?  You can probably get away with it for a while and it might be very good tournament strategy as you will be up against new opponents every game and tournament players are probably more likely not to duck as they are aggressively going after all balls.  

Is it a violation of partnership responsibility to play as well as you can?  Game theory might suggest that you should do it, as long as it succeeds more often then it fails.  

I might suggest that you hit a couple of wild ones early in a game, just to give the  opponents something to worry about.  Also, try a poach that takes you all the way across the court.  Do that early in the game and it may well modify the opponents play and what kind of returns they feel safe making.  I'd suggest that in any tournament game with strangers -- make them think and worry, then settle in to play solid pickleball.  

Lastly, to be a good player you don't want to be predictable, so do some weird things on occasion and have a partner with a sense of humor and advanced strategy.

Winning by Not

 "Master, I am having trouble winning points," said Po after entering the Master's room.

The smell of incense filled the room, or maybe it was Louisiana Hot Links, the Master was partial to both.  The carpets were rich, soft and lent the room a quiet that the slap of a court shoe would not disturb.

The Master was busy with a small cotton ball and some cleaner, making sure the grip of his paddle was perfect.  A cup of tea and a saucer of almond cookies lay at his elbow.

"What is that Po?  I did not hear you come in," the Master replied.

"I'm not winning a lot of points.   Points that I think I should win," said Po.  He looked dejected and any glow of a long day's play had faded his features.  His tan couldn't break through his lack of winning.

"Remember Po, the movie that was shown last week.  The one with the little green creature, who suggested that doing and trying were different things?  What was his name?"

"It think you are thinking of the Star Wars movie and that was Yoda, who was training the last Jedi."

"Yes, well, whatever.  The issue of trying is one that must be understood.  Trying is a measure of impatience, Po.  Doing requires patience and waiting.  Effort must be used only when appropriate."  The Master reached for a cookie and took a nibble.  The cookie made a soft sound as it was replaced on the plate.  The tea was slurped and the Master put down his paddle to concentrate on Po's lesson.

"But Master, I wait for an opportunity, but I can't seem to finish the points."

"Of course.  I suspect like all young players, you see the path to win the point."

"Yes, I get a pop up or loose shot and I strike, like the cobra."

"Of course.  And how many times does the cobra eat for each strike?"

"Well that is the problem Master, my strikes are not wonderful."

"So we have opportunity.  Errant ever are opponents given time and teasing.  The game is one of waiting for the gifts of the gods.  Or lessor opponents, heh, heh," said the Master.   A gleam shown in his eyes as his memory skated back over decades of matches.

"But Po, what happens then?"

"Then I strive for victory!" replied Po.

"Ah and in doing so, you miss on occasion?"

"Yes, but I have the chance, should I not take it?"

"Po, we are back to doing and trying.  The little green man knew something of the truth in this, but not all.  I guess it was made that way to satisfy the base understanding of the masses.  Sad that, but Po, you are not of the masses.  You need to know more and do more and do better.  When opportunity arises, you must do several things, you must recognize it, which is not as simple as you might suspect.  Some opportunities are easy and some are traps for the unknowing.

"It is often better to be conservative in your cobra strikes, Po.  If you seek to accrue more advantage rather than end the point, you will find more success.  Stretch the opponent, make them run, of course hit it past them if you can, but only when you can do it without error.

"Po, the final phase of all players to become the player that cannot be beaten.  To do that, remove errors.  Never miss easy shots by overhitting.  Better to dink back than to miss long or try to overpower the net tape.  Patience is supreme, wait and then wait some more.  If an opportunity shows up, take it but do not over take it.  Play the ball back firstly, then winners will come.  Let the opponents err, you just strive to be serene and patient and accurately and thus deadly.  Does that help Po?'

"Yes Master.  I see your wisdom.  I will strive to the wall that misses no returns."

"Excellent Po.  Would you like an almond cookie?  The chef seems to have given me an extra today.  I need to watch my figure, heh, heh."

A Question from a Mike, Strategy!

One of the Mikes wanted to discuss strategy a bit.  I suggested that it was basically king of the hill.  Get to the kitchen and wait for a mistake.

Mike seemed dubious about that take.  Shall we examine the issues?

I think it's important to start with a simple division.  Are we talking about tournament play or rec play?

Rec play is all about having a good time.  I think that means longer points, everyone gets to hit the ball and while hitting a put away is fun, it's not a great thing to do if you are beating up on a beginner.  I'd suggest trying to prolong points and win them by moving opponents around, being clever, keeping the ball in, etc.

What Mike might have in mind is how can a team play better together and I think that's an interesting topic.  Playing together basically means moving together and shot selection.  

The basic movement implies that you can move ahead of your partner's shot if it's going to be a soft one.  If partner likes to hit the ball hard, then you have to be back to return a hard shot.  

There are players who will hit the third, fifth and seventh shots all hard.  This is not my style and I prefer a soft third, or at least soft shots after a hard third.  I see situations that cry out for just dropping the ball over the net allowing my side to scamper to the kitchen and get in the dink battle, but partner winds up and misses or we get caught with a return too hot to handle.  I agree that hitting the ball hard is fun, but it's not the funnest way to play in my opinion.

You can also look at the post about Byran and Lori, who basically do not hit hard shots unless they can win the point outright.  If you get a chance to play with one of them, you'll see that knowing what is going to happen makes the points much easier to play.  You know where you want to be, where they will be, etc.  There is then a smooth bit of team work that I find quite rewarding.  Win or lose, I'll have enjoyed the "dance" of the play.

If you go back to some of the early posts you will find one about who covers the middle of the court.  This is vital and it requires anticipation and movement.  If your partner is pulled left, you have to shift left too.  Same thing when you are pulled away, partner covers/shifts.  Thinking about having one or more of you sitting on the center line at all times and switching roles, is simplistic, but pretty close to the truth.  This is more basic to advanced play than strategy, actually.  

One of the difficulties of rec play is that you will not have discussed any of this with your partner.  You're going to get at most a couple of games together.  How much does partner know and what will they do about shots and coverage, etc, are the questions.  Being on the same page is part of learning the game.  What an advanced player does automatically, a beginner is probably not aware of, or might even be hesitant to do.  Abandon a side of the court to handle the middle? Camp on a sideline because of whom you are playing? Hmm, scary at first, comfortable later, and soon a standard element of the game.

When all the finer points are integrated, then they can all get warped due to whom you are playing.  For example you are playing against a banger who likes, ok, loves the down the line shot.  Well to control the point you want to coax them to hit that shot because if you know where the ball will go, you have a large advantage.  

There are other examples of this, if the opponents bang all the balls, be ready to block and angle the returns off.  If the banger's partner is in the wrong place, then punish him.  

Mike and others are fervent about getting better and are interested in the learning the finer points of the game.  That's great, and there are a bunch of players who were beginners and are getting better quickly.  The beauty of the game is that a rapid skill acquisition is easy to do.  But what about partner?  You learn something new and want to try it, if partner has not heard of it, then you may be in trouble.  You don't want to do things that partner won't understand and react to properly.  

So once again I'm off topic.  Strategy is a bit nebulous, I guess, and I'm leaning at more altering play based on whom one plays rather than the basic movement and shots of a game played by the book.  

So maybe to answer Mike's question, the answer lies in getting real good at coordinated movement, better at controlling the ball you hit, and best, which shot to hit.

Tournaments are a different case and there is a very recent post about that.  Basically, beat up on the weaker player.  Dink if you are better dinkers, bang if you are better bangers.  Serves become a bit more important, but still vital to always get them in.

Most shots are Dinks!

 With the exception of overheads and some slapping shots, the rest of the shots are ground strokes.  I would suggest that most ground stroke might be hit like a dink.  Not a lot of wrist, some arm movement, not much much of a backswing.  If you apply the dink structure to other shots, you will find more control and less anxiety!  All good.  Now let flesh this in a bit and add an exercise to test this proposition...

A good dink is a smooth, short stroke without much of a follow through or backswing.  It contacts the ball near the south pole.  The more you need to hit a short dink or get it over the net, the closer you hit it towards the bottom of the ball.  A cross court dink is closer to the equator.  As a human machine you'll do this somewhat automatically.

Step back from the kitchen line two paces and then hit a shot into the kitchen.  It's just another dink but with a touch more follow through.  It doesn't start with a bigger windup or body movement or wrist flip, just a gentle lifting of the ball.  Since this is more of a lift than a hit, you again need to hit the ball closer to the south pole.  Keep this is mind as we move further back from the kitchen line.

Step back another six feet  and you're close to the baseline.  Hmm, a short, shot with a lot of follow through is all you'll need to hit the dink, but now we will call it a drop shot.  It's the same shot.

How about a lob?  Hit the bottom of the ball, long follow through.  You don't hit the ball hard, it's just more lift as you hit it.

The location of the strike on the ball controls the elevation.  For a dink it's three feet, for a drop it's maybe six feet, and the lob is 10 or 15.  Again, you'll do this quite well with a bit of practice.  

Try this out by starting at the kitchen line with a dink, hit it, then step back a step or two, hit the shot, and keep moving back with the same shot just varying the follow through. 

How about a lob from the kitchen line?  Just get under the ball more, and a longer follow through.  Though I think people should dink when at the kitchen, it is possible to just lob -- how sad.  :-)  (Sorry Sam!)