Helpful Pickleball Information - Lethbridge Pickleball Club

 12 Common Mistakes To Avoid As An Intermediate Pickleball Player

1. Poor Footwork
One of the most common mistakes that intermediate players make is poor footwork. Pickleball requires quick and precise movements, and if your footwork is not up to par, you will struggle to get to the ball in time. To avoid this mistake, it is important to focus on developing good footwork habits, such as keeping your feet shoulder-width apart and using small, quick steps to get to the ball.
2. Incorrect Grip
Another common mistake that intermediate players make is using an incorrect grip on their paddle. The grip you use can greatly impact your ability to control the ball and make shots. To avoid this mistake, it is important to find a grip that feels comfortable and secure, and to practice using it consistently.

3. Lack of Focus
Intermediate players also often struggle with maintaining focus during matches. Whether it's because of distractions from other players or simply getting caught up in the moment, lack of focus can be a major hindrance to your performance. To avoid this mistake, it is important to stay focused and mentally prepared throughout the entire game. This can be achieved by taking deep breaths, staying hydrated, and visualizing yourself playing your best.
4. Neglecting Strategy
As you become more experienced in pickleball, it can be tempting to rely solely on your physical skills to win matches. However, neglecting strategy can be a major mistake. To avoid this, it is important to continually work on developing and refining your strategic skills, such as court positioning, shot selection, and teamwork with your partner.
5. Ignoring the Rules
it is important to avoid ignoring the rules of the game. Pickleball has specific rules that govern things like serving, scoring, and court boundaries, and failure to follow these rules can result in penalties or even disqualification. To avoid this mistake, it is important to familiarize yourself with the rules and make sure you are following them consistently.
6. Failing to Warm Up Properly
Before starting a game, it is important to warm up properly to prevent injury and improve your performance. This includes stretching, light cardio, and hitting some balls to get a feel for your paddle and the court. Neglecting to warm up can lead to fatigue and decreased performance during the game.
7. Overhitting
Intermediate players may also fall into the trap of overhitting, or trying to hit the ball too hard every time. While power is important, it's also important to have control and precision in your shots. Overhitting can result in errors, and make it easier for your opponents to return the ball. To avoid this mistake, focus on hitting the ball with the right amount of power for the situation, and always aim for consistency and accuracy.
8. Not Moving Quickly Enough
Quick and agile movements are essential in pickleball, and intermediate players who don't move quickly enough can struggle to get to the ball in time. To avoid this mistake, work on improving your footwork and agility through drills and practice. Focus on moving quickly and efficiently, and always be ready to get to the ball as soon as possible.
9. Not Communicating with Your Partner
Teamwork is a big part of pickleball, and failing to communicate with your partner can result in missed opportunities and errors. Make sure to communicate with your partner about where you want the ball, who is covering what part of the court, and any other strategies you want to employ. Good communication can lead to better teamwork and more successful outcomes.
10. Neglecting to Vary Your Shots Selection
Intermediate players may fall into the habit of using the same shots repeatedly, making it easier for their opponents to predict their moves. To avoid this mistake, it's important to vary your shot selection and keep your opponents on their toes. This can include using different types of shots, such as dinks, drop shots, or lobs, or mixing up the speed and placement of your shots.
11. Not Anticipating Your Opponent's Shots
Anticipation is a critical aspect of pickleball, and intermediate players who don't anticipate their opponent's shots can struggle to react in time. To avoid this mistake, work on developing your anticipation skills by studying your opponent's play style, and paying attention to their body language and shot selection. By anticipating their shots, you'll be better prepared to react and make the right play.
12. Ignoring Court Awareness
Court awareness is another important aspect of pickleball, and intermediate players who ignore this can struggle to make effective shots and play good defense. To avoid this mistake, make sure to always be aware of your surroundings, including the court boundaries, the position of other players, and the trajectory of the ball. By staying alert and aware, you'll be better equipped to make smart shots and defend effectively.
Conclusion
By avoiding these common mistakes, you can continue to improve your pickleball skills and enjoy the game even more. Remember, the key to success in pickleball is practice, focus, and a commitment to continuous improvement. So grab your paddle, hit the court, and have fu
Who is your biggest opponent in 3.0 pickleball play? The data shows that You are.
The average number of unforced errors in one pickleball doubles game among 3.0 players is a whopping 29. This means that in a standard pickleball game to 11 points, there are roughly two unforced errors for every point scored by both teams. If this number doesn’t seem right, consider how many times in 3.0 play the servers keeps changing but the score remains roughly the same from side out to side out. What is happening is that the serving team is not scoring, instead they’re hitting unforced errors.
In fact, the average number of winners (a well-hit shot that the opponents can’t get) in a 3.0 game is 10.5, about one-third the number of unforced errors, 29.
I am always suggesting that players of all levels watch pickleball matches on YouTube. It’s a great resource for how-to tips as well as hosting a huge catalog of pickleball matches of all levels. By analyzing both recreational and tournament play posted on YouTube, I have compiled data for different levels of play by player level, for every type of shot, by forehand and backhand of those shots, male and female. The data doesn’t lie. A 3.0 player’s worst opponent is themselves.
Early in 2022 I had the great pleasure of attending a pickleball camp taught by the incredible Engage pros Kevin Beeson and Steve Kennedy. One of the exercises we did was to play matches with each team starting with six points instead of zero. If a team hit an unforced error to end a rally, the team lost a point. If a team hit a winner, the team gained a point. After half an hour of match play all the players were asked how many teams had games that won by 11 points. Nobody raised their hands. Every match that was played on six courts went to zero points before it went to 11 points. That was one of those Ah-Ha moments: games aren’t won, they’re lost.
Shots from the transition zone cause the most unforced errors for 3.0 players - 27.6% of all unforced errors. These are shots players are attempting to make while moving from the baseline to the kitchen, while players are still moving, and the shots go into the net, are hit wide or long. Errors volleying at the kitchen line are almost one quarter of all unforced errors – 24.1%. Serving errors account for 8.6% of all unforced errors in a 3.0 game. On average among 3.0 players there are 2.5 serving errors in a single game.
I’ll post more of this kind of data for different levels of play, but one of the striking differences between unforced errors for 4.0 vs. 3.0 level players is the much lower percentage of errors in the transition area and volleying for 4.0 players. Also, 4.0 players statistically have only about 1% of total unforced errors while serving, roughly 1/10th the unforced errors on serves for 3.0 players.
Most importantly, on average, 4.0-level players hit a much better ratio of winners to unforced errors than 3.0 players, 2.6X more.
After posting this originally, someone looking at this chart about 3.0 play asked me a great question: Since 28% of all unforced errors take place getting to the kitchen and 25% happen volleying at the kitchen line, and 12% happen dinking at the kitchen, a total of 65%, why not stay back on the baseline where only 19% of unforced errors occur?
Here's a statistic to consider that I will get into in future posts: In 3.0-level play, 72.2% of all winners (put away shots) are made by the team that gets both players to the kitchen line first. Hitting from the baseline, 3.0 players on average, have unforced errors on 26.2% of their baseline shots, more than one out of every four, and statistically, they hit almost 0% winners from the baseline. So, if you're not trying to get to the kitchen line, the team that is there is going to have a field day!