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How to Rate Your Skill Level
If you've recently picked up the game of pickleball and are starting to think about where your skills sit in comparison to your friends or maybe the top professional players, there are ways to rate how good you are!
In pickleball there are currently three ways to rate your skills:
- Self-rating
- Tournament rating
- Club rating
A player’s rating is a reflection of one’s skills. The scale starts at 1 and used to go up to 5, but it’s been adapted so that now there’s no limit (currently the top professional players have a rating of 6.0+). The scale goes up in 0.5 increments with 1.0 being a beginner or someone who's never played before, and 5.0+...
Are You Popping Up Shots At the Net?
Don't think I’ve spoken about my coaching qualifications yet in #keepitPG. My certification comes from the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR) coaching program. I was lucky because Sarah Ansboury was the lead clinician and she brought with her an awesome team to co-facilitate. This year, I’ve only just begun teaching, due to the pandemic. One area that I’ve worked on with students is the soft drop shots at the net - or more commonly known as the “dink shot”. Are your shots at the net popping up too high for your liking? Here are a few reasons why that might be happening.
Your grip pressure might be too hard. How I like to explain this to students is: squeeze your...
Post-Pickleball Recovery Methods
Hands up if you’ve been playing non-stop pickleball since the restrictions have begun to lift in certain areas of the province?! Playing singles for 2+ hours was never possible pre COVID-19 - due to the demand of courts - but it has now become my reality. So now, I am finding that my physical recovery has become similar to tournament recovery. Particularly in the last 2 weeks, Toronto has been under a heat warning, so I’ve been extremely attentive to ensure my body stays well hydrated and ready to go again the next day. Here’s what I have found to be effective for me:
- Hydration - I bring an 8 cup jug of water during play and also keep...
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The Serve
Whether you are new to pickleball or a seasoned player, what is one golden rule that we hear time and time again? "Just get the ball in". So true! That said though, did you know that in pickleball there are clear rules about what constitutes a legal serve? "Just getting the ball in" on your serve requires a few extra considerations.
1. You must serve the ball using an underhand motion, so the paddle must make the trajectory of an up-to-down motion. A sideswipe motion (to add spin) is not allowed.
2. The ball must be struck with the paddle below your waistline. The purpose of this is to neutralize the serve and it makes it difficult to add spin....
Do You Warm Up Before Rec Play?
This week, the city I live in reopened its parks and sport courts. We are limited to individual play which, as a singles player means good singles games are to be had and without being squished off the court by doubles play. After over two months of no pickleball (hitting against the wall barely counts?) I’m not only excited to be playing once again but my body is ready for a reprieve from biking and jogging on concrete!
One thing I’ve noticed in the past which leads me to this week’s topic is the act of warming up before recreational play. Prior to COVID-19 I was attending a weekly drop-in play and if our drop-ins are anything like...
Get Involved Off the Pickleball Court
It’s pretty common for people who have become captivated by pickleball to have the desire to become further involved with the sport off the court. In my “Welcome Readers” article I describe a bit of my own journey I’ve had with pickleball thus far, which I believe is similar to others who have discovered their love for the game. After gaining experience in recreation play and testing out my skills in tournaments, my horizons expanded even further to a wide variety of volunteer-based roles and responsibilities. Maybe you’ve yet to consider becoming involved in pickleball aside from playing and the best part about this is that it’s all up to you as to when and how far you’d...
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