Good Games?!

 "How were your games today?"

"Good, I had some challenges and some fun ones."

"Yes, the upper level games can be less than interesting.  Nice get a couple in, but beyond that, a bit boring." 

It was an old discussion, but still relevant.  A game of pickleball is a lot like a cross word puzzle, there is a fine line between too easy and too hard.

If you are in a game over your head, it's difficult to feel comfortable as you are probably going to make almost all of the mistakes.  The speed might be too fast for your abilities and shots that work in your normal game are sitters in this one.  I'm not saying "don't play up," but it might not be a lot of fun.

The other side is playing down a level or two.  If you play at 9/10, the other players are not going to be able to cope and it's probably not a lot of fun for anyone -- though your partner might not mind.  I'd suggest in that case to play a lot of balls back to your opponents, work for longer rallies, and practice things like esoteric spins and angles, which you might not be able to do at full speed.

I find the more enjoyable games are with happy people who play at a reasonable level for longer rallies, lots of dinking, and the game is tight.