Pickleball! Lots to Learn from Watching this 3.0 Gold Medal Match!

[@kathleenm7261]

I learn a lot from your Pick-Aparts. I'm at the 3.0 level and these videos are very helpful. Thanks!

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That's awesome! Glad they are helping you on your pickleball journey. Thanks for watching.

[@JunglejitsuINC.]

Extremely helpful video, Thank you very much 🙏

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching.

[@JohnRoberts-i7g]

Excellent break down Thank you,.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@Bergarita]

Rory can be brutal sometimes. :)

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I try not to be!!!

[@Bergarita]

I wonder if the kid in red is the son of the lady in blue top. If so, so nice to see mom and son playing together.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I have no idea. There names were not mentioned.

[@CWK090]

Rory, At 10:40, you say the guy in blue shouldn't be standing at the sideline when the serve is going to his partner and that he should be at the NVZ line, in the ready position. That is what most players do but I don't see the disadvantage as long as you are in the ready position when the ball comes to you.. By the time the third ball is hit, he is at the NVZ line, in the ready position. Some players do that for better situational awareness. You want to watch where your partner's return of serve is going as early as possible. Some players stand as you suggest, looking back. Some initially stand sideways to facilitate looking back. Some, including some pros stand off to the side.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for your point. This is one of my earlier videos, I believe. I sometimes now watch my partner return the serve, only because, sometimes, the ball is hit out of the court and it's sometimes easier for me to tell than my partner.

[@wanderingaloudwithmark3057]

As to the guy standing off court during the serve. I do the same and still have plenty of time to get set at the kitchen line. I usually step in as the ball connects with the servers paddle. Hey maybe he is afraid of a nasty nelson 😂

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Maybe so!

[@eddiethomas7948]

Rory - where did your latest video go? I went back to watch it and it seems to have disappeared. Did you take it down?

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Yep, yep.

[@carolzanoff5628]

At 6:43 in the video, the guy in blue attempts a 3rd shot drive from the baseline which resulted in going into the net. You mentioned that he should have hit a 3rd shot drop. However, you also mentioned that 3rd shots at the 3.0 level are missed 60% of the time. SO, if a 3.0 player is not confident on hitting a 3rd shot from the baseline, and you also suggest to avoid a lob, isn’t a drive all that is left??

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching and thanks for asking. It is difficult to execute a third shot drop into the kitchen from the baseline. Hitting a drive that far back ends up losing velocity by the time it gets to the net and it's generally not that difficult to get back. If I am way back and falling back when I hit a deep return I will attempt a lob. In order to have it work successfully, I have to put a tremendous amount of topspin. I start my paddle at the 6:00 position and rotate it counter-clockwise back to the 6:00 position. It's a tough shot to execute but I've gotten pretty good at it. Try it sometime. I did learn it way after posting this video.

[@carolzanoff5628]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 Hmmm….wish i could see that executed…sounds tough! My thinking was a drive, and yes they would send it back, but then I could work myself up to the NVZ on the 5th shot….

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

@@carolzanoff5628Yes. You absolutely could. I put up a video this morning. It is titled, try try try again. Check it out.

[@CWK090]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 Why would you be "falling back?"

[@donaldlenardson6291]

Maybe the reason the team in the far court stays back on all their 3rd shots is that they already know that they are going to pop up all their 3rd shots , and pretty much all their shots . And , on balance , recognizing your own pop- ups, and then staying back to defend is actually a better strategy than running toward the NVZ ( otherwise known as running into a " Firing Squad " )after popping the ball up . Ofcourse , either way , they are unnecessarily imposing a desperate situation upon themselves & I also have no idea how they got to the Gold Metal Match .

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I agree. It's hard to believe these were the best players in the tournament. Maybe they only had like four teams.

[@mrg7821]

Part of the problem the lady in the far court was having is due to the "fryingpan grip" on her paddle. it would be impossible to hit backhand shots with that grip. A continental grip would be preferred.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I pointed out in some of the other videos players who play with the frying pan grip. I've never called it that. I called it the ping pong grip. I think I like frying pan better! Thanks for commenting.

[@jaketnelson]

8:38 ouch!

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Yep! Thanks for watching.

[@user-jc6pr5el5g]

It's hard for me to see how either team, but especially the team in blue is even 3.0...my mixed doubles partner and I (over 50) would beat them 11-0, I'm sure, and yet we're getting creamed by 4.0+ players...is the gulf really that wide between say 3.0 and 3.5??

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

This is an older video. I recently saw the young player in the red shirt playing in a tournament recently at the 4.0 level. So, either he's improved tremendously or the play at the 4.0 level where he plays is really not that good. Remember with a d u p r rating, you're only good as the people you are playing.

[@paulogden7417]

Yes the gulf between 3.0 and 3.5 is large. As is 3.5 to 4.0. A 3.5 team can easily beat a 3.0 team and so forth. Scores would be quite lopsided. But probably not 11-0🤣 I play folks from 2.5 to 4.5 and I’m confident these teams are both 3.0+.

[@daciawolter5810]

It looks like the reason for the age range might be it is parents playing with their kids. On each side of the court is a young person and an older person.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Not sure. Thanks for watching.

[@ninalaw6721]

Seems like the weird age grouping is for parent/child pairs.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

So, you think the women are the moms of the men?

[@ninalaw6721]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 No, I think the near side is mom / son and the far side is father / daughter!

[@iKumala]

If this is the gold medal matcb, I dont feel so bad 😂

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I have to assume there were maybe only 4 or 5 teams in the bracket.

[@iKumala]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 yes,, I've noticed in ladder league the 3.0 pool is shrinking rapidly.

[@StewartInvest1]

They are playing in the 3.0 level and that is what the video says. I don't know why you are so critical when they are playing at their level. I understand correcting to assist in making them better players, but I don't understand continuing to talk down to them when they are playing at the proper level.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for your opinion. I appreciate you watching.

[@user-de8vy9wq2h]

Rory, I find it disheartening to hear you say “return it to the lady in blue” saying she is the weaker player, yet if you count unforced errors, it is the man on near court who has more. Quit dissing the ladies, bro!

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching. It's kind of interesting, sometimes, no matter what I say, someone is going to get their feelings hurt. Sorry if I offended you.

[@iKumala]

I've watched enough of these to know the guys get "dissed" just as much, when warranted.

[@Vanessa-pe2xs]

Roy is right...the lady in blue pops up every return...it would be silly NOT to return every ball to her for a guaranteed slammer. It's not always about who makes the most overall errors. For example, Ben Johns often makes twice as many errors than his brother when they're partners...but Ben is far, far more lethal because he also causes the opponents to make errors and he hits more winners. Sorry, Rory is right on this one, the lady in blue can't place 3rd shots. But that's why it's 3.0.