CHARM CITY PICKLEBALL CLUB FIRST DAY LADDER LEAGUE COMPETITION

HAIL CESAR! WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO PLAY SALUTE YOU....

Imagine the first day of the Gladiator Games in Ancient Roman. Hordes of  tunic clad blood thirsty, drunken spectators, packed this amphitheater of death, knowing full well the gory carnage that was about to unfold before their eyes. They once again, longed to hear the swash buckling clashes of metal blades against armor clad behemoths, and the deafening merciful moans of their dying opponents. 

In the time “Before Christ” (BC), the “Coliseum” in the City of Rome, was know throughout the undeveloped regions of Europe, Asia and Africa, as a real life theatrical drama of the struggle of life over death.  This stage of annulation was  scripted to excite and entertain the crowd..  The "Coliseum" in Rome, was the only place in the ancient world, where a “captured slave” could gain his freedom and make his fortune by slaying any and all adversaries.  The more brutal the decapitations, and the more bloody the severing of limbs, the louder the Romans cheered for their beloved Emperor, “Gaius Julius Caesar. to render the sign of death, by a simple gesture of his thumb.

A little over exaggeration of what took place at the first day of the CCPB Club Ladder League at NERRC.  Sixteen (16) pickleball gladiators armed with a variety of fierce looking paddles, engaged in combative struggles to reach 15 points before their opponents. There was no crimson covered courts, but the battles were worth of all who participated.  There was no quarter requested, and none give.  It was competitive aggressive finesse pickleball at its best.  Those who attended came to play, and play they did.  Most everyone had their game face on, and played each point hard and long, often with extended rallies that made the game of 15 seem more like a game of 20 points. 

I had the privilege of playing with 3 highly skilled players.  one of my distaff partners from Playpickleball.org (Patterson Park & Druid Hill Park League0, whose name I respectfully won't mention, played a multiple return side to side, front to back rally that damn near cover the entire court on our side. I know the rally lasted at least 15 continuous hard to return shots but she became THE WONDER WOMAN of pickleball in the eyes of the onlookers.

Where was I you ask? Good question.  I was trying to stay out of her way as much as possible, watching this amazing performance of mobility, agility, shot execution and shot placement. I thought I was watching Sarah Ansboury or Simone Jardim in person.

I was extremely impressed with the finesse style of  play combined with hard put-away shots, against those of us who returned a ball just a little too high.  A lot of great crosscourt and down the line dinking, until someone decided to pull the trigger.  The starting foursome on each court played with and against each other until the 4 game cycle was  complete. 

So how did I do?  Another good questions with a not so good of a response. I am not going to cite scores, wins or loses .  Numbers do not improve skills or correct flaws in one's game. 

As a "Pickleball Coach" admitting to the following unforced errors is embarrassing.  I should know better, and I should have long since eliminated these flaws from my game.  However, as a "Pickleball Coach," I am always seeking to improve my game and correct my weaknesses. But more importantly I want to help other players improve their game and rid themselves of those pesky unforced errors.  So here

are a list of my mistakes during today's Ladder League Competition:

1. Attempting way too many back court drop shots that dropped just a hair short.

2. ROS were too high and too short.

3. Too many "wheel house returns" for opponent put-away.

4. Not always covering middle when partner is near sideline.

5. Overhead lob attempts too long out of bounds.

6. Some Block Punch Return Shots not open face, into net.

7. Playing to much defense and not enough on offensive.

8.Poorly executed put-away shots during dinking sessions.

9. Sometimes too slow getting to NVZ line.

10. WORST UNFORCED ERROR OF ALL - TAKING MY EYE OFF INCOMING BALLS when making line drive forehand returns or attempting hard overhead returns.

I make no excuse for my unsatisfactory performance.  No one forced me to make these errors.  I made these errors by my own negligence and failing to following the basics shot development and shot selection techniques. 

So not what do I do?  Well I don't need a clinic with another coach.  I know exactly what I did wrong and I know how to correct these problems.  This coming week I will spend a lot of time practicing with the ball machine, or a practice partner who is willing to spend a few evenings at one of the local outdoor courts.

Unfortunately, many players do not understand the role of a practice partner.  It is not always a two-way reciprocal practice session. At times player "A" will ask player "B" to be his or her practice partner, informing player "B", that the practice will focus on player "A". 

In the past,  I have helped many players one-on-one with their problems during an informal evening practice session.  When I asked one of these players for a reciprocal turn at bat, they were always preoccupied with other commitments?  Or it was always about "well what's in it for me?"   Those kind of relationship are expendable. 

When someone is willing to step up as a practice partner under these conditions, you best take them for a cold beer and/or dinner.

I will say that my  first day of ladder league play was t disappointing to myself.  I am not talking about winning games.  I am basing my analysis on my performance, knowing full well what I can do.  I gauge the success and failure of my play on the number of unforced errors I commit during that play.  I can loose a game by 50% of the total score, and be content, if I know that I played to the best of my ability. If I win a game with multiple unforced errors I take no pride in my performance.

I was once told by a long time pickleball player and mentor that winning pickleball is not about medals.  Winning pickleball is knowing that you played to the very best of your ability, regardless of your skill level.  You can be a great player with a skill level of 1.5 or 2.0, providing you correctly and consistently performed the required shot sequences of that skill level, in game play. 

The first day of the CCPB Ladder League was a great success.  KUDOS TO LADDER LEAGUE CAPTAIN JOSH SAYLOR,  who unselfishly opted out of playing  to ensure things went well and all the participants had a great picklebalI experience and a lot of fun. 

I also want to compliment the 15 other members who participated in this Ladder League. There were no line call disputes, difference of rule interpretations, or score keeping  variances.  Court etiquette was on full display.  Payer civility and mutual respect was the best I have ever seen. 

Usually you have one or two rude, ill-mannered, players who persist in loudly proclaiming  their game playing expertise with enough volume so all players at that facility can hear. NOT SO WITH CHARM CITY PICKLEBALL MEMNBERS!

In closing, today I witnessed some extremely well played 'text book" grade finesse pickleball games.  Several participants played at the 4 to 4.5 skill levels.  One game I watched was at Pro- Championship Play level.  A back and forth one point came that lasted nearly twice as long as the average game of 15 points. This game should have been video graphed for YouTube. For those who would question my skill assessment, it was unofficial and uncertified, and it was more of my personal interpretation of those skill sets.  However, I was using an unofficial modified version of the skill performance requirements listed on the IPTPA 4.0 and a 4.5 Assessment Sheets, and those listed on the USAPA Sheets. Again this was not any recognized or certified assessment, It was based solely on my personal interpretation and Judgement.  Only a IPTPA Certified Professional Rating Specialist can render an official player skill rating.  I do not hold that certification. Those interested should visit the IPTPA Official Website and pull down Player Rating Certification.

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