Freedom From the Norm

Hit some new shots this 4th

Ready for some fireworks? 

Well, to celebrate the 4th in pickleball style, you’re going to want to add a few of these shots to your game today. You know, celebrate freedom from the boring and the mundane. It’s pickleball and it’s time to assert your independence from the norm.

Let’s serve it up.

Poach and pickle

So much of recreational play is just that – recreational. It’s you on one side of the court and your partner on the other. It doesn’t have to be so territorial. Think bigger. Think freely. You have the ability to move wherever you like on the court, so do it. Don’t be confined to only hitting the shots that are drawn up out of the textbook. Be creative. 

The great thing about trying new things is your opponent might not be expecting it either, so the next time your teammate drives the ball, crash the net, smash a winner, see how the game opens up on a particularly, perfectly positioned poach.

You’ll be happy you did it. Now, your partner might not if you happen to miss the shot, so you may want to be careful about who you’re playing and what the stakes are, but be willing to explore the court, move out of your comfort zone and break down the barriers that may be restraining you. 

It’s OK to cross the imaginary border of the centerline. There’s no penalty for that. Take a trip across the court and step in front of your partner for a well-placed dink or drive. Poach and see what happens. 

Erne and often

If you haven’t tried one, why not? If not now, when? That team across the net from you is certainly going to do it, so you better be ready.

You’ve seen the videos and the highlights and everyone else doing it, so now’s your time to create a highlight. It’s the closest thing to a home run pickleball has to offer. It’s an alley-oop and a dunk all in one and is the shot every aspiring 5.0 player wants to pull off.

Drop that perfect dink to the back corner of the Kitchen and when your opponent puts his or her head down, be ready to pounce.

Jump that corner and watch the ball come right to your paddle. Smash. It’ll be like fireworks going off on the court.  

Ayyyy-TP

How often have you heard a new or beginner player say, “I didn’t know you didn’t have to hit the ball over the net?” Yeah, you hear it a lot. It’s part of the regular conversation of novice pickleball.

Only the very static brain thinks you always have to hit the ball at least 34 inches high. Tell the next person who asks this very common question to expand their mind and not be limited by the confines and conventions that surround us. Be vulnerable. Think abstractly. 

Yeah, kinda deep. Or you could tell them as long as you hit it in, it doesn’t matter where or how it gets there. That’s probably the easiest way to explain it. 

Alas, the ATP. The Around the Post. One of the bucket list shots everyone has on their pickleball bingo card. If you haven’t hit one, you’re gonna want to. If you have, you’re always hunting for the next one, and the great thing is, they appear in the wild more and more once you spot one for the first time.

Just wait for that extra-wide dink and wait a bit longer. Longer. A bit longer. Now. The longer you wait, the wider the ball goes and the easier it is for you to hit the ball Around the Post. 

And no, you don’t have to hit it 34 inches high. Celebrate freedom from height and knock that ball just off the ground for an easier-than-you think winner. And yes, you’ll want to celebrate after you do it. 

Love the Lob

You may want to wear some sunglasses and you may need to make sure your skin is extra-thick, because you’re not going to want to make eye contact or absorb any of the insults, the whining and the stares you’re going to get when you lob someone to pickleball death.

It’s not considered the most-impressive shot in the game, but if it works then it works and if it works and you win, it’s kind of hard to argue against. Right? Right?

So that ball comes back to you after you serve and instead of that standard drive or dink you’ve been using, try that lob. Sure, you’ve been coached to not try it and that it’s the last resort of all pickleball shots, but you can be dangerous and unpredictable. 

So when the ball comes over to you for that third shot, hit it higher than a firework and get your paddle up in case it comes back faster than a rocket. 

No, you shouldn’t do it all the time and yes it’s a high-risk, low-reward shot, but it sure is fun to be a bit different. And when it works and you get that inevitable response of, “Nice lob. That’s not the right way to play,” just tell them, “Happy 4th of July. I’m celebrating my freedom by choosing to play any shot I want.”