Being a seasoned player and a renowned Pickleball guru, one of the most interesting things I have noticed about this sport is how the dynamics change once you learn the ropes.
It feels like every phase is different from the other, the “easy to pick up yet hard to master” nature truly displays the essence of the game, however, sometimes it feels like no matter how good you are at this sport, you will always require some form of tips and tricks to attain an edge in the court.
Taking that into account, I will be mentioning a handful of Pickleball Tips For Beginner, Intermediate, And Advanced Players, in other words, just like the sport itself, this article will be catering to everyone equally without discrimination.
Elevating Your Pickleball Game
Here are tips for every form of demographic that has a variable skill set on the spectrum. Here is how you could ramp up your skill levels.
For Beginners Or Freshies
The best part about beginner tips is that every other category mentioned below can follow them as they are the most basic form of tips, so if you are someone other than a beginner reading this section, I assure you that you would still attain a considerable amount of knowledge.
Work On Your Serve
This is by far one of the biggest tips I could possibly hand out to those freshies or rookie players who think they have already learned to serve and can effectively break in the session with peak consistency.
However, that’s the secret of becoming better in Pickleball staying committed to a move such as a service shot and consistently practicing no matter how confident you feel about it because under an underwhelming situation, you are going to lose control and make mistakes.
So it’s best that before moving to other techniques you at least learn how to hold pickleball properly by practicing multiple forms of grips and choosing whichever suits your playstyle the most.
In this way, you could perfect your service and implement your body language accordingly.
Footwork Is Everything
Don’t be afraid to move around the court even if you are playing in a doubles format, be aware of your surroundings and never stay in the same place as it could make you much more predictable.
The lack of footwork is also another sign of lack of confidence as it implies that a player is afraid to play offensive or defensive manners effectively. If you want your shots to make it deep across the court, moving around in irregular patterns could even throw off a proficient player as they would have a hard time knowing where you are landing your shot.
Find The Correct Paddle
The last thing you would want in pickleball is being left behind while using an incorrect Paddle. In Pickleball using the right equipment can speak volumes and if you want to make shots much more resounding and effective, then you need to pick a paddle that isn’t too lightweight as you will be losing momentum but isn’t too bulky as you may lose power that might be required to break in an aggressive form of playstyle.
There are various forms of Paddles out in the market, However, I wouldn’t advise you to pick the one that is way too expensive as you may have a hard time looking after it especially if you are still learning the basics in the court.
For The intermediate
These are the tips that may cater to both advanced and intermediate players, so make sure you don’t skip any.
Be Consistent
Once you have learned how to serve properly, it’s time for you to hit your shots by lining your arm perfectly so that you always hit the sweet spot no matter which angle the ball is coming from.
Every paddle has its own area for the sweet spot which maximizes the amount of power that you excel with your hand, moreover, it also ensures the trajectory of your shots is accurate and precise because the last thing you would want is to hit the ball out of boundaries and your teammates giving you the stink eye.
Master various Techniques
Perfecting your serve might feel like a huge milestone but once you understand the basics and move to a much more advanced form of gameplay, you would be astounded to know that there is more than just hitting the ball across the court.
In other words, you need to learn moves such as Ernie, Dink, lob, and other forms of drives. The most common amongst these is a “Dink” which you will be using most of your time wherever you are on the court. Dinks are known to introduce unpredictability especially if you are faking shots whenever you are performing groundstrokes.
Learn Gestures
Look, I understand that you may know your best buddy from childhood but whenever you are teaming up with them on the court, things might be different for you and they might not understand or read your synergy.
So make sure you use discrete sign language or gestures whenever teaming up, this will also help you prepare better on the court especially if you are planning to hit the big leagues. Gestures with random teammates can come quite in handy ( no pun intended ).
On the other hand, it will also help you reduce the downtime and confusion in the court and leave no room for ambiguity, to keep the game more simple and seamless.
Advanced Tier Players
This section is strictly for advanced players, so I would highly advise rookie and intermediate players to consult the tips mentioned above before proceeding here.
Work On Your Speed
Once you have felt like you have learned every technique and methodology, you shouldn’t hold back and be as speedy and agile on the court as possible. If you are lagging behind or have stamina issues, you may want to hit the gym to increase your stamina because at higher levels it’s all about fatiguing your opponent and being the last man standing.
So put your speed to the fire and don’t be afraid to go up and eventually you will be dominating the court in no time.
Be Unpredictable
When in doubt, be as unpredictable as possible and the best way to do that is to keep the ball low especially around the feet of your opponent, in that way they will always have a tough time repelling the ball in time.
Since, in order to win in this game, timing is everything, if your opponent finds themselves in a rough spot, they will never be able to dominate you on the court.
Exploit Your Opponent
Players in higher leagues certainly pose a massive challenge and you have to display brawn and brains in order to stay ahead of the league. But then again, that’s what everyone else is doing too as everyone wants to stay on top by displaying dominance, this is where things get tricky.
In that case, you need to neutralize your opponent by countering their aggressive shots with snappy defenses and utilizing brute force methods on the shots they display signs of weakness. Neutralizing your teammate might be the biggest differential in the sport and give you the necessary competitive edge you always needed.
Pickleball Tips for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Players – Final Word
Lastly, keep in mind that not everyone is perfect and you may make a million mistakes and lose plenty of important matches. What’s important is that you should never give up even if it means that you take small baby steps at a time. So make sure you contain your temperament and remain calm in the lowest times of your life.
On the other hand, never be overconfident in your abilities and look down upon anyone because you never know when the tables are turned around.
