To Pickle is to Rhyme

 Current statistics "prove" that the average PB player is erudite and prone to read poetry.  Who am I to disagree?  So here are some short pieces that may inspire.

 To Live:

To lob is to live, I've been told.
Though the thought leaves me quite cold,
I'd rather hit me a drop,
or a couple of flops,
But on lobs, I'll never be sold.

Duty:

At the Downs I'll often be found,
Whacking a yellow ball around.
It's noisy, as well,
Not close to a bell,
But on the court I'm dutifully bound.

Style:

Serve is shot one,
Return is but two,
Three is the pivotal point.
Dink me a shot,
softly not hot,
and I'll return it gently to you.

A Bit More on Targets

 Let me pass on some thoughts about returning the ball.  This is an extension of the Third Shot Target Post, posted recently.

I was thinking that before you know whether the ball is coming to you or not, should we be thinking of where we'd like to hit it?

Some things to consider.  

• Where will the opponents be?  Up, back, or split.
• Where is your partner?
• Where are you?
• Will this be a poach, volley, ground stroke?

But there is some validity that there are good places to hit the ball regardless of where the opponents are.  

Examples of this: down the middle, cross court if you have a wide angle, at the nearest person, or at anyone's feet.

The thought here is that if you know where you want to hit the ball a priori, then there is much less to do if the ball comes your way.  That can't hurt your reaction time.

I'm not wedded to this thought line.  But I'm going to throw it out there for those thoughtful players who might find interest in it.

Diadem Vice Paddle - Early Report

 As some of you may have noticed, I've been sporting the Diadem Warrior paddle for a few months now.  I've added weight and really found it to be quite a performer.

But there is always greener grass somewhere and paddle technology marches on, or has it?

I bought a Diadem Vice paddle and took delivery on Saturday, a week ago.

The Vice is a paddle that is very quiet.  It has lots of small holes in it (26).  It's made from extruded EVA foam.  It's not going to be submitted for approval for tournament play - at least, that's the rumor on the paddle street.

Why might it not be approved even if submitted?  EVA foam is a material that has been used in the past for paddles, but is now on the "forbidden materials list."  Rumor is that the material is a bit springy and the game wardens are not approving a paddle that would provide some spring.

By the way, you can no longer make your own paddles and play with them in a tournament.  I'm inferring that that was a thing back in the day.  Too bad, really, it would be fun to buy a "kit" and make one up.  Also plywood is not very expensive...  I have some plans actually.

So the paddle is not a tournament paddle.  That is fine with me.  I'm not going to play in any.  The paddle has some interesting features.  The one I like, is that it's very quiet.  There is a subdued thonk at impact.  It's pleasing to the ear, or at least less damaging.  

It's also supposed to be very poppy in that the coefficient of restitution is good.  So, more bang for the swing.

It's quiet as the vibrations are dampened due to construction and materials, and thus claimed to be gentle on elbow joints.  I've had some tennis elbow and I'm willing to do something to avoid a flare up.

Finally it's supposed to be pretty spinny.  Though, there are other, approved paddles that are spinnier.  (Dictionary time out...  Spinney is a small wood with undergrowth, dates from the 16th century.  Common roots with spine, from Latin.  There is no dictionary entry to describe something that spins a lot, e.g., spinny.  So, new word here, but an interesting sidebar for those who care about this kind of thing.)

In my game, I love me some spin.  It's due to a sordid background in table tennis and I like to bend the ball a bit.  

I've had the paddle for a week of play.  It's quiet, that's good.  But as to being faster or spinnier, I'm not sure.  It feels differently than the Warrior.  And I've not adjusted to it quite yet.  There are errors occurring that are unusual, I've hit a few service returns long, for example.  I've not had the opportunity to hit my backhand roller yet.  

On the plus side, I've managed to whack a few dead into a back corner.  I think maybe there is a bit more power there, but it's not world changing.

The Vice is also about an ounce lighter than the Warrior, but it seems to handle about the same.  I don't have a feeling about whether it needs some weighting or not.  

In conclusion, I think there is a lot of promise there.  But it is not wildly different than the Warrior.  I like the Warrior a lot and if you liked the Vice, and play tournaments, try the Warrior.  I'm carrying mine as a spare, if you'd like to try it, just ask.

PB Etiquette

Hey All,

Here is quick post.  The video linked below talks about doing right at the PB field.

I've written about most of these, but it's not wrong to hear it from a third party (or is that second party?).

I've dropped in the time stamps of the various chapters.  

I'm guilty of a bit of this.  I'll apologize now.   

Randy: 27:47

Bryan: 29:07

Rich: 7:23, 59:20 (And I dispute this!)

A Bunch: 25:11

Larry, Et al., 37:44

Video:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps5x85hd5yI

Timestamps:

3:11 - Don't walk behind courts with a game active 7:23 - Don't give unsolicited advice 11:01 - Don't force people to stack 15:19 - Always bring a ball 18:46 - Don't correct someone's illegal serve 25:11 - Say the score loudly 27:47 - wait until people are ready before your serve 29:07 - Stop poaching 32:53 - Don't be sarcastic (or have an attitude) 37:44 - Don't lob seniors 40:15 - Stop play when a ball comes onto your court 42:55 - Don't keep the ball away from the better player 50:41 - Give the benefit of the doubt for line calls 54:00 - Don't throw a tantrum 55:11 - Paddle reps, stop being a shill 59:20 - There is no "right" way to play Pickleball 1:01:01 - Be a pleasant person

Third Shot or Fifth Shot Target Selection

 Here is a situation that occurs often.  You are on the serving side and your partner likes to move up to the kitchen line aggressively.

What the early advance from partner does is split your side's defense and will created the dreaded middle diagonal gap.

For example, assume I'm on the left side of the court and I'm going to be hitting from deep transition area, could be third shot or fifth.  The ball is not too difficult to return, so targets are selectable.  Both opponents are at the kitchen and when their return comes back, your partner will be at the kitchen too.  You'll be coming up, if your shot is reasonable.

So, where to hit it?  If you hit the ball at the opponent in front of you, you provide access to a cross court shot through the gap.  This is very difficult to defend and it's likely the end of the point.

A much better shot for you to choose is to hit cross court to the opponent in front of your partner, or the middle right.  I like a drop shot here.  A too high shot will let them beat up on your partner.  So you need to make a reasonably good shot (unless you don't like your partner, and in that case, a nice high fat, soft one is called for). 

But the point here is that the opponents will have to hit to the wall of your defense, and not at the gaps.  

If your partner doesn't move up early, then the return target is less critical.  With both of you basically back, you can assess the shot and move up or stay back together, which is classical pickleball.  If it's a good drop, for example, you will both be sprinting to the kitchen.

I really, really like a third shot drop since it protects partner and allows partner to be forward.  If partner knows a drop is coming, he can be at the kitchen and ready for any pop up, dink, or soft return.  

This whole early movement thing is important and talking it over with your partner is good idea.  If you do it in sync and well it's quite useful, but if done badly, you are at a huge disadvantage.

Interestingly, I've seen a lot of this early, aggressive net rush from players with not a lot of experience.  It's as if there is a rule out there that this is the standard play.  Someone is teaching it, as it doesn't seem organically obvious to me.  But I like it and it's effective with assuming caveats of fast enough hands and a partner with a good drop shot.

A Bit More on Being Ready

 It was sunny day at the Downs for about an hour.  Then it got cold.  But there was little wait time.  But as soon as you stopped playing, you got cold.

How cold?  My watch said my pulse got to 105, but I think the majority of time was spent below 90.  It was cold...

But, back to the things that we can control.  

I've been trying to make my feet more active and always moving, except when I am hitting a ball.  This is working out very well and it is making a difference in consistency and accuracy.  I'm happy with this and it's comfortable to be this active.

And the next thing I'm trying to do is to stop the feet and get ready for the next shot.  I was very aware of this today.  More of crouch, paddle up, and watch the ball like a hungry hawk near a bird feeder.

This also was successful and was able to return some very hard drives, and did well in fire fights.  I didn't get everything back, but I think it made some difficult shots easier to return and my return percentage was above average.

When I wasn't playing, I watched a game and was looking for body positions and readiness.  There was a lot of folks standing too tall and not stable enough for the points, particularly when all players were at the net.  That led to last second lunges for shots that probably could have been handled more easily if there was more early preparation.  These were not beginners, but it's easy to be too relaxed on the court, IMHO.  In net points, there were points when the player who hit a shot, never took that last step to get to the kitchen line.  

As I sit here and fish for the proper words, the phrase "early preparation" is appropriate and on point.   

There is about one second to react to a shot.  The more preparation you can do before that second starts, the better off you are.  Balance, paddle position, feet ready to do anything, are all the important parts.  Then the final bit is to think about where the ball is likely to go.  

The future shot is unknown, or is it?  Most people have a shot they like to hit.  It's the rare player who is random(ish).  

Let's talk cat and mouse a bit here.  We find ourselves across the net from Mr. X, and Mr. X likes to and can hit the ball down the sideline.  But you like to move to the middle of the court and Mr. X, who has been watching you, knows this.  

The ball goes to Mr. X, you slide to the center, when Mr. X's head goes down and it looks like he is winding up, i.e., it ain't a dink coming, you slide back out to cover the line.  It doesn't have to be much more than a step or so.  Have the paddle up and ready.  And finally, look out for the out ball from Mr. X.

And in our scenario, where would we like to hit this down the line shot?  Mr. X was kind enough to provide us with the knowledge of where the shot was coming, its speed (he wound up), and he has also provided us with the opportunity to hit a nice cross court shot that will go up the middle and cause havoc, hopefully.  And if Mr. X's partner has moved into the court a bit, you can usually put the ball away with this cross court shot.  

All of this is good and not uncommon.  You just need to be aware of what's happening and what your opponents like to do.  If they never hit down the line, then you can abuse the middle position.

A lot of down the line shots are hit too hard, and if you are ready, easy to let them go.  Easy points are nice.

This type of scenario applies to dinks too.  People have a favorite dink, be it cross court or right back at you.  At my level there are not a lot of dink points, but when they occur, I'm happy to anticipate my opponent's favorite shot and be there and ready.  Same stuff: paddle, feet, balance, and mind all ready.

Net Play

 I'm playing with one of the Loris.  The game is a fun one, not too fast, not too slow.  There is some dinking going on and we're winning.  Can't get much better than that.

Lori gets involved in a hand battle and dumps the third or fourth shot in the net.  We get to talking about that error.

In the discussion and in my mind there are a bunch of things that might be going on with this kind of error.

• You admire your shot and think it's the end of the point and relax
• You admire your shot and drop your paddle and now you can't be ready for the next shot
• You've been taking really long swings and now you can't get the paddle back to ready
• Concentration - not fully engaged in the point
• Your paddle gets to the forehand or backhand position and stays there
• You stop / don't start moving your feet
• If partner is hitting the ball, you don't think about the return shot
• You hit the shot too hard
• You try to win the point

Lori and I were not actually discussing the last two items, but I think they belong on the list.  We decided that concentration and lack of expectation of the next shot were the problems.  

Let me expound a bit more...

Paddle Reset:

I was watching Anna Bright play women's doubles and while she hits most shots with one hand, she always gets the paddle back to the ready position, in a neutral location with her non-dominate hand on the throat of the paddle.  Every time.  Fire fight or not, she reset her paddle.  It was neutral; not favoring a back nor forehand.  The head of the paddle was up in the air a bit.  The paddle was not vertical, but leaning forward some.  Hit, reset, hit, reset...  She had time to do this, but not much extra time, this was a firefight.  

Feet:

I made a real effort to keep my feet moving between hits and it made a huge difference in my reaction time.  The earlier you can move your feet, the earlier you can stop when the ball comes to you.  Hitting from a solid, stable foundation is night and day easier than  from on the run.  Is the definition of balance, that your weight is between your feet at all times?  Don't lean outside of your feet, you can't get back...

Concentration:

It's easy to fall asleep when partner is hitting multiple shots in a row, but it's no time to think the next one might not be yours.  Move as if each shot was coming to you.  

A Generalized Plan:

Let's lay out reasonable play when at the net.  I'll exclude baseline stuff as there is a lot more time to get ready.  At the net, you need to do a lot of this stuff automatically every time.

A better plan:

• Hit a good, but not a great shot -- don't worry about it being out, don't try to win the point, don't over swing
• Reset the paddle 
• If you've hit a low shot, expect a high one back, paddle up
• If your shot was high, paddle should be a bit lower
• Start moving your feet
• You want to face the ball that you just hit
• You might want to step up, back, or sideways
• Where is the next shot going to be?  Left, right, high, or low, you probably have a good idea particularly if your opponent is familiar one.  There are a lot of habits out there, worth looking for them.

And this can be distilled down to: hit a conservative shot, get ready for the return!

Playing on Wet Courts

 Well, it's another day of rain.  There is pickleball on YouTube.  Maybe the Wii ought to create a PB game...  Would we be able to play across a network and with each other?  Hmm, future product I guess.

On Friday I played three times.  The first stopped when a very, very mild sprinkle caused the players to scatter.  I went over to Las Positas golf course and did some pitching.  That was wet, but fine and the rain was soon gone. 

Then Randy coaxed some players back to the courts and we played for another two games and then the sprinkles started up and once again, the players scattered.

But, now for the rest of the story...

There were three beginners playing and they seemed ok with the rain.  I wandered over and asked if they wanted a fourth.  I remember the pre-Covid days when it was just two friends and I trying to make it happen.

And we played, I think, three games.  It was raining the whole time and the courts were fully wet.

I know you are asking about footing and wondering how we could be so flippant in the face of impending slipping disaster.  Let me say that I don't recall that the courts were slippery at all.  My current premise is that a wet court might be better footing than a damp one.

As I said the players were beginners, so there wasn't a lot of high speed stuff, but we got in some dinking and bashing and it was a lot of fun.

The players had gone through the Livermore Park District and Tri-Valley Pickleball Club lessons.  They knew who I was, and while they were somewhat familiar, I didn't know them.  So we exchanged names and such.  They had gone to one of the classes I had taught.  They didn't seem remorseful about the experience, nor did they ask about why didn't we teach them x or y or z!

It seems that Adriana (did I spell that correctly?) is the sister of our beloved Paul, AKA, Paulie!  

"Why is your name so complex and Paul's name is, well, Paul," I asked.

"The name came from an opera."

"Ah, perhaps Die Tote Stadt?"

"What?"

"Or perhaps, Paul Bunyun?"

"No, no, not Paul's name mine!"

"Oh.  I get it, short for Adriana Lecouvreur, a very familiar work.  Well it might actually be both names.  You might want to check with your parents!"

Alas, feet got soaked and the rain continued and then that group broke up too.  I wandered home, but with a new appreciation of wet pickleball courts. 

Happiness

"Happiness is the summation of a lot of little things."  Blondihacks.

Not only do I watch some PB on YouTube, there are other interests as well.  Blondihacks does hobby machining and while her videos can easily put me to sleep in the afternoon post PB, (nothing wrong with that, a good nap is a wonderful thing!) they are interesting.

Her quote resonated with me.  And I think it's got some application to PB and probably everything else in life.  

The Master was telling Po that one of the joys of the game is the noise and feel of the perfect hit.  When the path of the paddle and the ball align and the ball is properly located on the paddle and all is right with heaven and earth.  The Master would suggest that you should pay attention to this small details, enjoy and cherish them.  We might call that seeking happiness!  

Not all hits are of the quality, I've been told.  :-)  All you golfers know about this, though hitting a golf ball on the "screws" is a much rarer event.  

Speaking of happiness, as I was compiling all the blog posts from last year, I was struck by how much repetition there was.  It seems that I've been repeating a lot of the stuff over and over.  Repetition is not a great interest in life.  I recognized that early in my professional career and was glad to never work in a production environment.  Repetition is, for me, deadly boring.  I understand that others revel in it, and that is a useful skill, but I don't have it.

There is a lot about PB that can be fairly repetitive and on occasion I find myself unengaged until the end of the game when the points become more valuable.  Until the end of the game, I should turn my attention to enjoying all the good hits along the way.  The dink that went well, paddle ball contact, moving to where Sammy is going to hit it, well before he does.  All the small parts that make up a point.

Well, let's call that a New Year's Resolution.

Paddle discounts!  I've bought a couple of paddles from Kit Chen, he is out of Benicia.  He reps a whole bunch of the major paddles and some of the minor ones.  His number is 1 707 344 8824, text him!  He is quite responsive and get a quote.  He is also on facebook: Facebook/Solano Pickleball

Save a couple of bucks and buy some balls!

Shoes Discounts!  I've bought shoes from Tennis-Point.com, they have good prices and good selection.  I've got a big foot and they usually can accommodate me.

 

Christian Alshon - tennis player who is playing PB

 I stumbled across Christian Alshon in a match he played against Ben Johns.  It was highly entertaining.  He didn't win, but it went three and the points were incredible.  

He has a YouTube channel, seems a personable guy and he's documenting his trip in pro PB.

I watched the one match and then a video he made about the differences between tennis an PB.  His remark that I bring to our attention is that shot selection is a critical skill.  And just because you can make a crazy good shot doesn't mean you should try to hit it in a match.

Here are a couple of links:

https://www.youtube.com/@christian.alshon

The match I watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nPCT2o9dkU

The last link is to a channel called Henry Pickleball - it's very nice as he edits a lot of the delays between points and timeouts, etc.

Ready Position Theory Change

 I'm currently proofreading all of the posts from last year.  They will be coming out as a pdf format book pretty soon.  Stay tuned.

There were a couple of posts referring to the ready position.  The "science" of the ready position (RP), is that it was dynamic based on the elevation of the ball to be hit.  If you hit a good dink, you would expect that the ball would more likely to be hit high to you and you would in anticipation of that shot, raise your paddle.  If you hit it too high, expect a low ball, so drop your paddle.

Also, and it's the point of interest, the RP was always biased towards a backhand position.  There is more frontal coverage with the backhand as you can slide the paddle almost fully across your body and out to the backhand side, up and down is also not a problem.  The model suggested that you would only shift to the forehand side when needed.

I think the backhand model is a good one when everyone is close together at the net.  It takes time to shift to the other hand and the extra body coverage is a good thing.  If you will not be able to move your body, then you have to move your hand.

But if the next ball is going to come from the baseline and you are at the net, then you have more time to change hands.  It's generally easier to put away a shot with the forehand for most people.  If you have the time to shift to the backhand when needed, then staying on the forehand will make you readier to hit a put away shot.

Also as long as the ball is off on your forehand side, then you are more likely to get a shot to your forehand, so again, setup to hit a forehand.

I was watching one of the best players at the Downs Saturday and he was setup for a forehand shot most of the time.  When absolutely required at the net, he would shift to a more backhand position, but it was rare.  If he was at the net and the ball deep, he was always setup to hit a forehand.

Keeping to a backhand or neutral setup, (where the paddle is between the forehand and backhand positions), as a ready position is probably a good rule of thumb.  But the better you know that thumb, the more the rule is nuanced.  Maybe a better philosophy for the ready position is to setup as a function of what shot you expect and how much time you'll have if you guess wrong.

There are a few players at the Downs that don't like to hit backhands and they run around a lot of shots to hit forehands.  When they do get a forehand shot they can be quite effective.  We can steal their readiness if we are more willing to setup for forehands on a conditional basis.  

The Master Quizzes the Acolytes

 Dear Readers, we have a new report from the monastery, where the Master gives a lecture to the seventh year students.  New readers will not be familiar with the teachings of Monastery, but acolytes are taught the fine arts of pickleball.  The very good players will stay on as masters and perpetuate the theory and practice of Pickleball.  The players who are not destined to become monks, often move to the professional tour.  Let's listen in while the Master questions the acolytes.

-- The Editor

----

"Our friends to the East say, 'It's good to have a wall'," said the Master.

The lecture a review of the "Basic Movement Theory."  The acolytes had gathered court side to hear it.  

"Grasshoppers, it is imperative to see the future clearly.  All action requires equal and opposite reaction.  That comes to us from an obscure player from England named Newton, back in the days when play was just starting.  We now have the basic theory as fully defined by Master Ran Di, where we can extend the reaction model of play to one of great value.

"As the wind blows the willow branches, the ebb and flow of play must be recognized and used to tell the future.  Master Ran proposed that all good players should predict at least three shots into the future.

"As you have progressed as students, you have observed that the game slows as your abilities develop.  This allows more time for contemplation and selection of shots.  Always a treat and the basis of why we play...

"But," the Master's voice rose to clap, "You must be in the proper position to perform as desired.  Being fast or seeing slow, or knowing what is going to happen are trifles to being in the proper place.  If you lack position, you will lack grace and honor and most of all, time.  

"So we begin.  To conserve time, you must strive to be efficient and move when required and where.  

"Acolyte Po, if you are at the net to defend the second shot, where will the ball come?"

"Master, I do not know.  It could come anywhere," answered Po.

"Po, this is mushy thinking, list the possible targets promptly or you will be doing meditation exercises for a week!" stormed the Master.

"Sorry Master, I err.   Right at me, to my left or right, and if I am playing against certain players, a lob might be a possibility and that might be over either shoulder," said Po.

"Good, Po.  Haha, lobs, but we are serious here...  There is a major condition that you should expect and, here is a hint, hope for.  What is that?"

"Oh, yes Master, I am slow this morning, the shot that is going out," said Po brightly.

"Very good Po.   Now Acolyte Do, what are the important elements of the Position of Anticipation?"

"Master," replied Do, "the Position of Anticipation, or PoA, or "ready position" as it is more commonly called in the village, is the balance from which the next movement will come.  As Po has said, shots are coming left, right, at one, over one, or going long.  The PoA allows a player to move in all directions, including up or down, easily and quickly."

"Tell the class about the up and down movements, Do."

"If the ball is judged to have been hit with too much spice and too little spin, then we lower ourselves to let it pass.  If it will not go long, then we may have to rise up for the downward facing backhand block, also known as the Happy Swan."

"Very good Do."

"Now let us talk of movement to the kitchen line.  Do we ever defend from the middle kingdom, Acolyte Ro?" asked the Master.

Ro, who is a talented, but slow of foot player, answered, "We must be ready to defend from all positions, Master.  Where we are does not matter.  We, stop, get into position, calm the mind, ready the paddle and prepare to return a shot.  It matters not if we are at the kitchen line or moving to it."

"Yes, Ro.  One can defend from the so called transition area just as well.  A point where the ball is being hit too hard, may not give you time to get to the kitchen line.  Players who drive the ball or enter the court too early will be faced with this many times.  Never give up on defense.  All balls can be returned when the will overcomes fear.  Do not backup, get ready and be fierce!

"When grasses are parted, the tiger can pounce.  So was it written many years ago by, Master Shana Na.  What is meant by that, Acolyte Ho?"

"Master it means that when a team cannot stay together on the court, they may hand the keys to Heaven to the opponents."

"Very good Ho.  And while being split from your partner is not uncommon, what is meant by handing over the keys?  Ko, what is that?"

"Master, that is hitting the ball to the opponent who faces the open lane between the players.  He will have an easy cross court shot, where no one has time to defend."

"Yes, exactly.  You must strive to place the ball where it must be hit through your wall, not around it.  But if that happens, Ka, what is the counter to that attack?"

"Master, when the ball seeks the lane, the defender shifts to fill the lane," answered Ka.

"Which defender, Ka?"

"The one furthest from the net as he will have more time to move and being further away, more time to return the ball.  But Master, it seems that this will not a happy point most of the time?"

"Exactly.  Note that a shot that exposes the lane is very poorly placed.  Imagine the lane runs cross court left to right.  You partner is at the kitchen on the right and you are back left.  The ball comes to you.  The best return is middle right.  A good return is further right as long as it drops, or even a small amount left of center.  The poorest shot is down the left side, which is a poor choice unless you can hit a good drop and advance.  Any drive down the left lane is like a bald cart tire, often a problem.  As your opponents become more skilled, the fewer shots you can hit.  Learn these patterns!

"And yes, good question Ka, the chances of winning this point dwindle when the cross lane is open and the "wrong" opponent has been handed the ball.  One must try to cover the lane, but the wily opponent may counter this with the inside out shot.  However, covering the lane is better than giving it up.

"The other open lane to discuss, is, of course, the middle.  You've all been studying this from year one.  Acolyte Po, what are the two dangerous situations that create the dreaded open middle lane?"

"Master, most often at the net.  When a player neglects the center when his partner is in a cross court battle.  Lazy footwork leaves the middle unguarded.  Any marginal dink will allow an opponent to drive to the middle and score easily.  

"Also when striving to get to the net after serving.  If players are split, then one must place the shot that will force play through your partner or where you will be after the approach shot.  Examples are to drop the shot in front of your partner, or at least attack their middle."

"Excellent, Po.  There is much play at the net and the middle is often the neglected coverage.  The wary partnership keeps at least one foot near the center stripe.   Partners must change roles as the ball moves from one cross court to the opposite.  

"Approaching the kitchen with a partner who is already at the net, is a delicate operation and requires finesse and placement.  We will discuss this another time.

"That is enough for this lecture.  Return to your drilling.  Do not forget about the special dinner tonight, it's baked fish with brown rice and perhaps a slice of bread, it is, of course, the New Year's feast."

With a swirl of his robes the Master took his leave.  Soon the sound of well struck pickleballs filled the court room.  The people in the village below the monastery noted the noise of the play and were content that all was well on the top of the hill.

Bob is Back on the Couch - Part II Last Post Included in the 2022 Book

We return to Dr. Fixemup for another session with Bob.  Bob as you will remember was a banger and his partners had sent him in for treatment.  His initial problem was excessive aggression, now we delve more into other topics...

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"Bob, are you ready to begin?  Please lie on the couch and we'll get started.  What I wanted to explore today for the next several sessions is the phrase you used in our first session.  You said that you 'liked to lob.'  Do you remember that?"

Bob is on the couch, but not relaxed as yet.  Sessions are draining as some needed medical procedures must necessarily be.

"No, I don't remember saying that, but I do like to lob."

The doctor makes a note that Bob didn't remember the lob-love statement.  

"Why do you like to lob, Bob?  Let me remind you that there are no wrong answers here and I'm here to help."

"I've never really thought about it.  I don't think it's any different than any other shot, is it?  Do I really need help with this?"

"Opinions differ on the lob shot view, Bob.  We are here to explore your feelings."   The definitive authority, a book, A Pickleball Player's Mental Health, eighth edition, contains several chapters on the psychosis of excessive lobbing.

"Ok, I guess... "

"Bob, let's start out more simply.  When do you lob?"

"Uh, ok, let me see.  I guess if I am in a highly defensive position, then a lob seems like the best way to reset the point."

"What defensive positions are those?"

"If I get a service return that is really hard and deep, then I might lob."

"Does this happen often?"

"It varies.  The better players hit better service returns.  I guess that's where it happens the most..."

"Do you have trouble with ground strokes as a rule?"

"No, I'm ok there.  It's just some of them are really deep in the court."

"Does your partner lob from that situation?"

"Hmm, I guess not.  They would tend to drop the ball or drive it back, rather than lob."

"Are your partners better at ground strokes than you are?"

"No, probably about the same."

"Yet you are lobbing and they are not.  How does that make you feel?"

"I know there are people that don't like lobs.  So when I do it, I think that I'm no doing as well as I could..."

"Tell me about your court positions for serving."

"I am probably closer to the center line than a side line.  My aim is pretty much the center of the service area."

"And of course behind the baseline.  After you serve, where are you?"

"Yeah, behind the baseline, of course!  I'll usually hit and let my momentum move me into the court a step or so."

"Do you always step in?"

"Hmm, usually, I guess.   It seems to be the better play,"  Bob shrugs a bit.

"What else could you do besides moving into the court?"

"Oh, hit and stay back, or even move back a step.  And for sure, get into a ready position."

"If you moved back a step or two, would you better placed to hit a drive or drop shot, or even a lob?"

"Yes, I guess so.  But if I get a short return, it could be a problem."

"Who returns short returns?"

"Beginners and intermediate players tend to return short.  Also mis-hits are usually short."

"Do good players hit a lot of short balls?"

"They are less likely to, but everyone does it."

"Suppose after serving, you step back.  If the shot is short, you move up and drive or drop.  If it's deep, you are well placed to return it.  Would that work?"

"Yes, that's probably a better strategy."

"When you watch a service return, what clues tell you the ball might be short?  It seems the short ball is the only problem if you stay back."

"I'll watch the wind up and shoulder turn of the player.  Big windups will go deep.  If the ball comes off the paddle at a crazy angle, that is probably a mishit, and those are short too and a lot of spin.  Finally, I like to listen to the contact of the ball on the paddle.  If it's muted, then the ball is short.  Loud and crisp and the ball is coming deep."

"Excellent analysis on the short shot detection, Bob.  I think we made some progress today.  If you stay back more when on the serving side you can drive and drop more and will not be a position where you have to lob.  While we've not gotten into the lobbing as much as needed, we've identified a plan to move forward.  How do you feel about that?"

"Yes, doctor, I see your point.  While moving in on serves works against some players, staying back a bit will work against all of them.  I'll see if I can get better at that.  I feel pretty good about this and I'm excited to try this.  I can see that I'll be able to play more sedately as I'll never be moving backwards for the third shot."

"Bob, pickleball is like life, we want to be on a forward path at all times.  I'll see you next week."