NEWDAY PICKLEBALL HAS ARRIVED

THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS FROM HILTON HEAD SC,  a worn, torn and depleted man after 11 hours of oncourt advanced skills instruction from a kick-ass, no mercy Coach.  Each of the 12 advanced skill sets were evaluated and graded while demonstrating them in a mock doubles game format outdoors in the hot humid SC heat.  No shade, no place to sit and no fun.  Each skill set had to be executed according to 4.0+ standards.  No I am not kidding, Nor am I a 4.0 skill level player, and after 6 hours I began to wonder why I was even here.  There were 14 qualified participants who entered the pickleball thunder dome, and at the end of a torturous day only 4 left the thunder dome victorious.  However, I became well schooled in the art of the 5 stroke net game.  I also learned about the effects of humidity on indoor and outdoor balls.  I also learned that the drop shot should not be taught unless a player is at least a 3.0 skill level. Another eye opener was a good player should be able to place his shot any where on the opponents court, from any where on his side of the court. the new pickleball stresses court awareness and player positioning to minimize any lateral movement and not to move backwards.  I have a ton more of these pickleball skills gems.  But I am still experiencing jet lag so I need to pull the plug.  More with be forthcoming as I accumulate to the good old bawlmer weather. Hi guys, it's good to be back home among friends.  I did learn a lot about "newday" pickleball straight from the Pros. No more of your father's pickleball. Those days are gone.  The style of play has really change. Here in MD we must live several decades behind the rest of the US.  The net game especially has evolved into a "who strikes first and hardest wins the point.."  The new net game is 5 preplanned strokes, and resetting the point.  Especially at the net its a soft and hard variation of shots mostly volleys with a dink or 2 thrown in.  The "Pros" new theory is not to teach the drop shot until a player is a minimum of 3.0.  The one that set me back on my heels, was that intermediate level players should be able to hit any spot on the opponents side of the net while standing at any position on their side of the net. Short volleys, half volleys and full volleys are part of "newday" pickleball game. A players most important asset is there "balance," and one's ability to shift their weight without moving their feet. Court awareness was another hot topic. You don't necessarily watch only the ball.  You want to use your peripheral vision to see everything out in front of you. The head of your paddle should always be pointing at the ball, and your upper torso should be in line with where your paddle points. Hop stepping and shuffling are being replace by balanced foot steps always forwards and not backwards. Last but not least, "pickleball is a core sport." The one thing that Drill Sergeant Ansboury said that really shivered my timbers was, to play good pickleball you need to be able to hit any "spot" on your opponents side of the net, from any spot on your side of the net. Sarah totally brain washed me about the importance of precise ball placement, whether you use a forehand, back hand, underhand, overhead, dink, volley, lob and drop shot. Most important of all is to be able to place your serve and return of serve anywhere on your opponents side of the net no larger than a basket ball.  I asked her what she thought I should work on the most?   Her response was precise ball placement, precise serve and return of serve placement.  She said that a normal practice session for improving these shot place ment skills is hitting 500 balls for each shot.