PICKLEBALL ON CLAY COURTS? WHAT'S NEXT "PICKLE-WATER-BALL?

SO YOU WANT TO PLAY PICKLEBALL ON CLAY COURTS....GOOD LUCK!

Playing pickleball on clay courts is a novel idea. In reality it could be a heck of a lot of fun and present players with a challenge to their abilities to adjust their game to the new surface. If I had the opportunity to play pickleball on a clay court, I would do it in a 'New York minute.' I would ellllxpect that there isn't a designate clay court strictly for pickleball. Clay courts are cooler, easier on the feet, and reward finesse and controlled shots versus power. The bounce is lower on the clay, so a hard-hit groundstroke is a lower percentage shot. These courts are considered the slowest surface in racquet sports including pickleball.
Here is what you need to know to play on clay.
1. slows down the speed of the ball;
2. reduces the skid of the ball on the surface of the court; and
3. causes a high bounce of the ball.
Due to the these characteristics, the Clay Courts reduces the speed of a ball which is hit by hard hitters as it slows down the speed of the ball, making it easier for an opponent to return the shot.
The ball selection mindset is if its outdoors use an outdoor ball. Indoor use an indoor ball. Outdoor court surface indoor use an outdoor ball,
USAPA RULES you can use any approved ball, indoor or outdoor to play indoors or outdoors.  The surface of the court does not have that much influence on making the right choice.  Its all about the WIND factor. 

The outdoor ball is designed and constructed specifically to resist being moving  off course, by the wind..  That is why the holes are smaller, the diameter is a fraction smaller and the weight is a fraction heavier.

The major consideration for using an outdoor ball outdoors is due to its "wind resistant" design and construction. An outdoor ball played on an indoor court provides hard hitting players an extra advantage of stored energy and speed.  When an hard hit outdoor ball hits a player's body it will cause more trauma than the softer indoor ball.

Tournament directors can choose which type of approved USAPA Ball to use in the tournament.  Some Tournaments directors are unschooled on ball design, construction and the intended purpose of an indoor ball and an outdoor ball.  Its not rocket science.  If its outdoors with any wind use the outdoor ball. If its outdoors with no wind and during cool weather use an indoor ball. The cooler the weather the stiffer the ball.  An outdoor ball will be less stiff in cool weather without any wind  .f its indoors,   regardless of court surface use an indoor ball,  unless you have a windy indoor court.

Comments

Post a Comment

name:

email:

comment:

Popular posts from this blog

UNFORCED ERRORS A PICKLEBALL PLAYERS WORST NIGHTMARES

     UNFORCED ERRORS A PICKLEBALL PLAYERS WORST NIGHTMARES (By Joe Palmere Jr. December 15, 2013)   ARE YOU ‘IN A PICKLE’ OVER YOUR PICKLEBALL GAME?  You cannot understand why after a couple years of serious court time, you have not advanced to a higher skill level.  Are you traumatized at game time with any of the following symptoms: feel intimidated by better players; embarrassed by mere thought of another poor performance; feelings of fatigue and a lack of energy; no self-confidence, high expectations to lose near every games; feel like walking of the court in mid-game; wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat or worst yet, quit the “fun friendly game” that you once loved.  If So, you are suffering from “unforced error syndrome.” With the ever-increasing numbers of new players in our sport, “unforced  error syndrome”  is reaching near epidemic proportions. Mr. Whites’ finding holds true even today! PLAYER AWARENESS  ...
Read more

POST C-19 VIRUS, NON-TRADITIONAL PICKLEBALL PLAYING OPTION WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING

POST "C-19 VIRUS" NON-TRADITIONAL OPTION FOR PLAYING PICKLEBALL & SOCIAL DISTANCING HOW:  Maybe it's time we added a little spice to our Open Play Pickleball Format.  "Variety is the Spice of Life." Foursome play has been the hear & soul of traditional pickleball.  Now it's time to think outside the "4 player game to 11 box," if social distancing become the norm.  This is a game I first saw played when I visited Sun City Retirement Community Pickleball Assn in Arizona. Since most of us are in dire need of improving our skills, why not have a skills improvement competition. The average traditional pickleball game lasts around 15 minutes and offers little social distancing.  The Arizona model is a "skills competition contest" to consume the same amount of time, and help players practice specific skill sets while they compete. POST "C-19 VIRUS" NON-TRADITIONAL PICKLEBALL P...
Read more

SO YOU WANT TO TEACH PICKLEBALL

‎SO YOU WANT TO TEACH PICKLEBALL TO NEW PLAYERS OR YOU HAVE DESIGNS ON BECOMING A PICKLEBALL COACH . . ;. READ THIS FIRST! For those players who are interested in becoming a IPATPA Certified Pickleball Level I Instructor you can do so just by attending one of the IPTPA Teach The Teacher Workshops.  You can find the schedule, dates, time and locations for these Workshops on IPTPA.com. The Level I IPTPA Certification is for teaching Beginners Classes only as a volunteer instructor.  This is a great pathway to becoming a IPTPA Certified Level II Professional Pickleball Coach, with Liability Insurance, to teach beginners and coach experienced players up to and including the 4.0 level.  This Certification also affords you the opportunity to charge a fee for any of your services.  In Maryland there are only 5 IPATP Level II Professional Pickleball Coaches in Maryland.  Level II Professional Pickleball Coaching Certification is structured as a col...
Read more