Pickleball is a great way to meet people. Is it the new dating game?
Every morning I read the online version of The Desert Sun, the local Palm Springs newspaper. The headlines, the Opinion page, the comics, and of course, Dear Abby. Last week her column had a letter about Pickleball.
This means Pickleball has really hit the mainstream. I decided to dedicate this week’s Pickleball Points to various ways to meet players, partners, and possibly, dates!
Please check out the attached websites at the bottom of this column, depending on your own interests.
Picklevine and Pickleplay are apps used to join playing groups. Use these to invite players to a meetup at specific courts at a specific time. Get everyone’s contact and create a list to invite each week. Remember, this will not work if you meet at public courts during primetime.
Are you an organizer? Good with people? Every group needs one of these. Most people are shy or have not developed good communication skills since we started living with our phones. Some people need to be invited. . . they are empowered by being invited, and they will love you! Consider starting one of these groups, and your peeps will appreciate you.
If you are more interested in a Match.com type experience for Pickleball players, check out Pickleball-dating, and Pickleball Singles Mingle.
Yes, they are sites where you can plug in whether you are looking for a man or a woman, and you can add your skill level, your location, your time availability, etc. How fun!
Be sure to go back and read the Dear Abby column – some Pickleball relationships should remain as just that: Partnerships for playing, not for dating!
Just an observation:
It is sometimes challenging for a married or exclusive couple to play together. One player may be more experienced, and they might constantly try to coach you so you will improve. This can result in resentment, frustration, and tension on and off the court. I experienced this with several partners in the past, and it did not turn out well. If you find that it is impacting your relationship, consider playing doubles with others of the same skill level in competitive situations, and only play together in social venues.
Having difficulty finding a doubles or mixed doubles partner? One great way to meet players is to enter a Round Robin event. You can meet players in the rotating event, and then partner for fixed doubles afterwards.
Another way to meet players of similar skill levels – join a group drill class! I have many students that met in my classes, and they found a doubles partner for social play in the group. Some of them are still playing tournaments together!
Tournaments:
Talk about stress! As an ambassador, I offered to help numerous players move from 4.0 to the 4.5 level when I was asked to partner with them. I warned them that we would not do well, but that it would be a gateway event. Usually when a more experienced player matches up with a newer player, the opponent picks on the rookie, and the more experienced player is not able to help you be successful ... they do not get enough balls. Set reasonable expectations.
You do not need to win to have a successful tournament! If you are competitive, have long rallies and make your opponents’ play hard, you are in the right division. If you are winning a medal, move up! Sandbagging does not help you improve. It should be fun, not hard. Remember that Pickleball is a game, not your career.
Time to Move On:
Lastly, sometimes a Pickleball partnership is great for a while, but then it is time to move on. Whether you are finding it stressful rather than fun, or you are not successful together, or one of you is getting picked on while the other does not get any balls hit to them, the bottom line is that it is time to make a change.
Find a time away from the court to talk about it and be kind to one another. Continue to play together occasionally in social situations. It is not a good idea in today’s world, with so much conflict, division, judgment, and ignorance to give up a good friendship. If you find yourself in this situation but are hesitant to bring it up, copy this article to open the dialogue.
Good luck, love and appreciate your Pickleball peeps, and paddle up!
The Dear Abby column: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/7/24/23805030/dear-abby-heres-my-pickle-i-have-a-crush-on-married-pickleball-partner
PickleVine: https://picklevine.com/pickleball-apps-you-need-to-know/
PicklePlay: https://pickleplay.com/
Pickleball Dating: https://pickleball-dating.com/ and also https://www.facebook.com/groups/746142469880953/
Tip of the week
Return strategies: How to set the point up for success
Going back to the Pickleball Journey boys this week. Elijah and Justin offer a great lesson on return of serve. Check out this video and watch it several times. -- https: youtube.com/kDZlXsRlZUc
Would you like to become a return master, keeping your opponents on defense? Follow these steps:
Stance and Positioning
Generally, you should be 4-5 feet behind the baseline, with a wide stance, and on the balls of your feet. However, notice your opponent’s tendencies, and try to anticipate their serve. If they serve short, you might want to start closer in.
Next, you want to be moving forward as you contact your return. Momentum forward! For those of you just learning, this means you need to speed up your footwork and body position before the ball gets to you!
When your opponent contacts the ball, you turn to that side (FH or BH) When the ball bounces towards you, you should be moving your paddle to contact the ball in front of you, as the ball comes up. Do not wait until the ball has already reached you!
Time margin. . . hit a slower, deeper return, so you can get to the NVZ line quickly.
Placement:
Deep – 3 feet inside the baseline.
Hit to the weaker player, who does not have a strong third ball drop.
If the opponents are equal in skill, go cross-court on your return. This gives you more time, and the ball is traveling over the lower part of the net.
Extra Tip for Advanced Players:
Hit your return to the more aggressive player! You want to keep them off the net, so they cannot attack you or execute a “Shake and Bake.” Allow the weaker player to come to the net. When playing mixed doubles at the 4.5 level, I often returned to the guy, because he would often just drive it, so we could reset and get them in the dink game. The gal often had a better third-ball drop, and then the guy would already be at the net to attack. Returning to him kept him back and off the net.
Spin – slice on your return
Do not cut the ball too much, avoid a chopping motion. Use slice, but shorter backswing, pushing through with the paddle forward. Spins in Pickleball are executed in front of your body!
The slice will allow you more time to get to the net, and the ball will drop on your opponent.
If they hit a shorter return, you can attack with topspin and power, coming in.
With Rally scoring on the uprise, the return will be a critical part of your arsenal. Keep it deep!
Hope to see you at my RR this weekend, Sunday, July 30th, at Desert Sports Center. Sign up on MyDesertRecreationDistrict.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pickleball is a great way to meet people. Is it the new dating game?
