4.5 Level Pickleball Player What Paddle Should I Use

Pickleball is fun, but situations do come up in our beloved game that can cause frustration, annoyance and even anger. Poor sportsmanship can ruin a great day on the courts. You don't want to inadvertently become "that person" no one wants to play with. And when you do encounter bad apples, how can you deal with them?

Here are some common scenarios and tips for dealing with them in social play:

• "Out!": A familiar call in pickleball that can cause so much frustration.  The old tennis adage is: "When in doubt, call it in."  Not out.  The same goes for pickleball. In social play, you can always play the point over, but it seems lately that social play has gotten very competitive.  Remember, lines are in.
• Lobbing into the sun versus your opponent in social play:  Do not do this.  You can solve the problem by switching sides at six points.  Also, intentionally lobbing over physically challenged players or older players is really inappropriate.
• Quick serving or not calling the score out loud prior to your service motion: Be sure your opponent is ready, and call the score out loud before you start to move.  If you are the receiver and need more time to get ready, raise your paddle up in the air.
• Earning a point on a slam that rolls over the net:  In tennis, players are taught to raise their hand with a "sorry" gesture, acknowledging when they got a break that they did not earn.  In pickleball, if it is a dink or a third shot, then a net roll is earned.  If it is a slam that just goes over, then it would be gracious to raise your hand to say "sorry."
• Partner response to a player error:  If your partner makes a mistake, remember, they already feel bad.  Do not roll your eyes, shrug, make any exaggerated physical gestures.  The best response would be to say, "next time," or "almost," and when in doubt, just go over and bump your partner's paddle.
• Sharing court space: "Sorry, this is a closed group."  "You belong on that court over there with the 3.0 players."  "This is the higher group." Have you heard such things, or said them yourself?  In social play, we all have to get along and share facilities.  If the venue does not have an effective rotation system with courts labeled by skill level (3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, challenge court), then we need to work on sharing court space in a fair manner.  When crowded, there should be a system where everyone knows it is "four on, four off" in doubles play.  You play one game, and all four players rotate off and put their paddles in the queue.  As the crowd lightens, it can go to "winners stay on, losers rotate off."  If the same team wins again, they would have to rotate off.  So, a maximum of two sets in a row.  If the crowd gets lighter still, then you could stay on if no one is waiting.  Regardless, if people are waiting to rotate on, and they put their paddle in the saddle or in the queue for that court, you must let them rotate on.  During COVID-19, we became protective and formed cliques, and did not use rotation systems effectively.  That can now start to change.

USA Pickleball has a sportsmanship guide at usapickleball.org/member-news/usa-pickleball-sportsmanship-guide/ — please take the time to read it.  There are also some great videos from various websites such as PikNinja and Third Shot Sports that show scenarios of funny but true pickleball poor sportsmanship.  In addition to what we have covered here, there is also "the banger," "poor excuses," "ball hog," "illegal server," "the coach," and a few more great tidbits.

The bottom line: Everyone who plays with you should look forward to it, feel good, have fun, and be able to win or lose graciously.  Compliment your partner, but do not forget to compliment the other team on a great shot, or a great rally, no matter who won the point.

Coach Mary's tip of the week: Use your voice!

Call the score out loud and with confidence prior to starting your service motion.  Other players like this, and it shows you are confident and paying attention.

Make your "out" line calls quickly and with a confident, loud voice, not just a hand signal, and not just assuming the other team saw it out too.

With partner communication, call the ball early: "Mine!" "Yours!"  "Take it!"

Other verbal cues:  For defending lobs:  "Switch!" "Stay!" And if the ball is coming short, "Up, up, up."

Help your partner on "out" calls by calling it at the same time if you see it.

Verbally encourage your partner with phrases — "nice get" works when the shot is a success, but you can use phrases like "good hustle,"  "next time" and  "no worries" when things don't go your way. Paddle bumps are always encouraging between points or after a good shot or a good effort.

Lastly, recognize your opponents' good shots, hustle and effort.  Say "great point" after a long rally, whether you won the point or not.

4.5 Level Pickleball Player What Paddle Should I Use

Source: https://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/2021/10/28/pickleball-points-sportsmanship-and-court-etiquette-dont-jerk/6180371001/

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