Pickleball is NOT Tennis! Don't Make This Mistake! Learn from Watching Others!

In this video, highly skilled 4.0 players compete for a gold medal at the Atlantic South Diamond Regionals in Opelika, Alabama. It all comes down to a mistake one player made over and over again. It's a mistake you don't want to make. Improve your game by watching this video.

[@lemons513]

Love all your videos Rory. I learned so much... keep them coming.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks, will do!

[@izzy0323]

Rory, always great to watch your video analysis. As a new pickleball player I've been learning a lot from you!!! Thanks.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Awesome! I'm glad it's helping you. Thanks for watching.

[@johncraig7548]

Great job, Rory. You know your stuff. Players are the most dangerous at the net. By staying back even with power, eventually, you will have an unforced error or set the other team up for a winning shot.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Very true. Thanks for watching and thanks for the compliment.

[@vana2292]

Love your analysis! I just learned this game last fall and having a tennis background, I do see myself playing like Fairbanks. I was reluctant to move towards the NVZ. Now I really understand the strategy of the game. Thank you!!!

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

You're more than welcome. Best of luck. I'm sure once you get it, you'll do really well.

[@FPVenius]

Excellent analysis. You could see when David and Julie realized to keep pushing Fairbanks back. That became the turning point. Nicely done!

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for a nice compliment.

[@mrflorida55]

Hi Rory this video helped me allot. I am a old tennis player so you were talking to me. One thing I kept doing prob 20 times a nite is hit ball into the net (tape) . Issue was not setting feet on approach. Father of that problem is not moving soon enough and getting caught out of position. So thanks for the insight and getting me back on track!!

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That's awesome! I'm glad my video helped you. Thanks for watching.

[@MaeLeong]

Many recreational players in the pickleball club refer to themselves as advanced, but are not even at the 3.0 level. In reality, all they can do is play mini-tennis on pickleball courts. They don't try to execute drop shots and cannot play soft games.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching. Great point. I see it all the time. They will probably never advance unless they watch videos like mine to see how other players are playing incorrectly as well. LOL!

[@samuraistabber]

I play with a lot of those, former tennis/racquetball players who just whack the ball as hard as they can.

[@daveharter6469]

Great match. This is the perfect example of a comment I made about rating players on offense shots, defense shots, and mental games. Julie is a 6.0 player on the mental side. She called time out and adjusted David to hit the ball to the tennis girl ,short. At that moment, they started to win. Bangers love the baseline. Reset and bring them into the net. They get very uncomfortable . All four players are good. it was Julie's mind that won the game. coming up on 72, people 50 and younger have no idea what is going to happen to their bodies in the next 15-20 years.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Haha! Yeah, I'm starting to understand that.

[@beautifulgracesalon7963]

I like your videos a lot, thank you😊

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Awesome! Thanks for watching.

[@CWK090]

Rory, At 14:20 you ask why Fairbanks is at the center of the court leaving the court to her right open. She is exactly where she should be when her partner is on the left sideline. Her mistake was not maintaining the distance from her partner and moving right as he did. You want to maintain the lateral distance from your partner and force your opponent to take the more risky shot angled toward the sideline. Julie, on the other side, makes an amazing shot . If Fairbanks had moved to the center of the right side with her partner still on the left sideline, Julie would have had an easy shot down the middle.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching and thanks for pointing that out.

[@andrewli7015]

Hi Rory, does 4.0 60+ have a different skill meaning than 4.0 general? Sorry if you covered this and I missed it.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for asking. Well, it's 4.0 at the 60+ age group. Are 60+ players at the 4.0 level as good as 4.0 players in the 25-34 age group? It all depends on the player. I'm in the 60+ group. I play against players all the time who are half my age and at the same level. I can compete with them. Sometimes I win sometimes I lose. Most of the time, it depends on their knowledge of the game. They are quicker than me, have better hand eye coordination and quicker reflexes. But, if they're improperly positioned on the court, I can take advantage of it and I stand a chance of winning. It's a great feeling when someone have my age is expecting to crush me and I win.

[@kiuballchan]

You can definitely use tennis strategy on playing singles on pickleball

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Absolutely. Singles is almost a totally different game than doubles. Thanks for watching.

[@georgewu4854]

I notice that David's backhand is not as strong when trying to put the ball away. I also struggle with backhand put aways. Any suggestion to improve the backhand put aways?

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for asking. Run around to your forehand? No, just kidding. Have you tried a two-handed backhand?

[@bertwagner8317]

Thanks again for your video, Rory. It seems that Julie in pink hits left handed occasionally and she hit a lot of those into the net. In my experience, if I play against somebody who changes hands, I assume they are uncomfortable with a backhand, so I try to exploit that as a weakness. It also seems that those who change hands are usually not as good as those who have learned a decent backhand.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I agree with you 100%. I hit backhands to players who switch hands and a lot of times they actually drop the paddle. LOL! Thanks for watching.

[@stevenfriedrich1468]

I disagree with that statement. I have played hand ball for many years and my left is as strong as my right. A good backhand supports the left when a banger hits a hard shot when i'm at the kitchen. But there are many times when a softer shot is hit and with an overpowering left you can take advantage of that opportunity.

[@bertwagner8317]

@@stevenfriedrich1468 A handball background like yours probably makes a player more ambidextrous. But I think you are an exception.

[@CWK090]

@bertwagner8317...If I hit a ball to my opponent's backhand and they switch hands, I generally see that as a weakness to exploit. The same is true if I serve to an opponent's backhand and they run around to make a forehand return. I say "generally" because I am married to a woman who is ambidextrous and her left hand is just as capable as her right. A university professor noticed the slant of her writing changed halfway through the lengthy paper she turned in and thought she was cheating. She had just changed hands. I will switch hands when my opponent hits a ball that I am running for to my left and physically can't get to it with my backhand. Switching hands extends my reach in that case and is not something I even think about.

[@Kalamabbfan]

One comment about the 'Lob' serve. Often the returner uses the speed or power of the serve to give their shot more speed, much like it is easier to hit a home run off of a fastball than a changeup. One player that will often (sometimes a often as three or four times a batch) use the lob serve is Anna Leigh Waters.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Good point. Thanks for watching. I do throw one in every once in a while.

[@mountaintop0616]

Another great video Rory. The guy on the winning team hit a good number of winners and thinks he was the reason for the win. We didn't see everything so just an opinion. All players are very good so an enjoyable match.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

It wasn't enjoyable mesh. Thanks for watching.

[@Largecanyondog]

The main issue with the ground strokes is no placement. They are too high and never at her opponents backhand or dipping down at their feet. Just nice easy flat ball machine feeds.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Machine feed. I like that description. Thanks.

[@Cacheola]

Nice. We have an older, ex tennis guy in our group. He's about a 2. So frustrating for everybody that plays with him. He has a serve, albeit illegal and some half decent drives, but that's about it. Constantly plays from the baseline has zero soft game and no interest to get up and defend a dink. To make matters worse, he's over-opinionated and chirps out free advice for everyone, vocal on and off court. It's always a great, productive session when he doesn't show up

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I know that guy! In open play, I avoid putting my paddle in his group, unless I know I can play against him! Thanks for watching.

[@LowDinksHijinxPickleball]

3rd shot drive strategy makes perfect sense, provided your drive is an actual weapon.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Good point. Third shot drives are designed, if effective, to set up a fifth shot put away.

[@markc2080]

If this is 4.0 I need to stop calling myself a 2.5! If back like Fairbanks is doing she does not understand strategy of game she is not a 4.0.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching. I know, I know. The rating system is flawed.

[@IlNathanlI]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like at 14:38, the girl in white's positioning could either be considered good or bad depending on the mobility of the player. In the video she missed it because of bad mobility; but someone with not necessarily a higher rating but better mobility/footwork could have gotten and attacked that cross court shot and gained an advantage on the play by keeping the opponents back. Since standing in the middle of the court would force the opponent to either return the ball straight or have to do a cross court shot through the middle player. Wouldn't you agree? Thanks for the video

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching and thanks for your analysis. You got a little more in-depth than I did. Nice job. And, good point.

[@nicoalabat6670]

Baseline tennis is also a disadvantage in doubles. Her style does work if she made it that far in the tournament. Maybe used more angles if she continues with baseline style.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Yes. It's pretty much impossible to win in doubles from the baseline. Thanks for watching.

[@robertw4196]

Agreed. Her tennis background would be singles. She seems uncomfortable at the net.

[@bennyc9265]

Fairbanks is playing like a tennis baseliner, not like a typical doubles tennis player that goes to the net. In general, staying on the baseline in tennis doubles is disadvantageous, too. Please understand the difference. To her credit, I’m guessing her topspin drives forced a lot of errors from their opponents in the earlier rounds. However, Julie and her partner are expert volleyers and could withstand the Fairbanks drives. IMHO

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Very nice observation. By your thumbnail picture, I'm sure you're a very high level tennis player. Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching.

[@bennyc9265]

Ha ha- the thumbnail. Yes, I’m a big Roger Federer fan. I’m just beginner Pickleball player.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

@@bennyc9265 Didn't realize that was Roger.

[@theothermike247]

Editing suggestion: Is it possible to enlarge your cursor and/or change it's color when pointing things out? Would make it easier to follow. :D

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for the suggestion. In some videos the pointer is red and larger. And what happened? Viewers complained about it. LOL. I might try again and see what kind of response I get.

[@theothermike247]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 Wow. Really?! The interwebs is really hard to please.

[@jodi.lws5488]

White is fine but the dot needs to be larger!

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

@@jodi.lws5488 It's kind of weird. When I record the video it is larger. But, when I play it back, it is small.

[@godgunsandgoldens]

I hate when my teammate refuses to come to net in Rec. Play. My game is best at the line when my partner gets there also. Otherwise I get to watch ball after ball go deep to my partner and I can’t dink, speed up and counter which are my strong points. I have a love hate relationship with doubles Pickleball due to this major flaw so many players have. Can they really call themselves 4.0 players with no consistent third ball drop? I prefer to drill more then I play due to this flaw in so many players games.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Jim, that is an excellent point. I'm with you. When I put my paddle up and play with a player who does not move forward, it's no fun. I don't say anything because some people get offended if you make a suggestion. So, I just wait for the game to end and go on to the next one with a player who does move forward. Thanks for watching.

[@chesterw6161]

totally agree, ,, now I have a trick, just poach to finish it by yourself, ignoring the partner behind base line.😆

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

@@chesterw6161 Not a bad idea! Thanks for watching.

[@JeffLandauer]

If you're playing rec and your beginner partner doesn't know how to get to the NVZ, take the middle of the court at the kitchen and try to hit every ball. It's fun.

[@LowDinksHijinxPickleball]

@@JeffLandauer I'm sure at the 4.0 gold medal level, these players are familiar with the conventional strategy of using a 3rd shot drop as a means to get to the NVZ. With the younger pro players recently gravitating towards a 3rd shot drive, they probably had some super intentional gameplan discussion before this match that focused on adopting that kind of strategy, probably with the lady player on the other team in mind as target. The problem here is not the 3rd shot drive, it's just that the 3rd shot drives she ended up hitting were not very strong. Hardly qualify as drives, actually. If you want to adopt a hard hitting, aggressive driving strategy, you gotta have the firepower to back it up.

[@trothkin]

Sorry hate to be negative but these players are not "Highly skilled 4.0 players". In my region they are at best 3.5 if not 3.0. I like your analysis of the play though.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching. I'm assuming you live in California?

[@rfhbloomfield2]

….there seem to be a lot of tennis players moving over to PB. their stragety - play the baseline and use hard topspinn volleys. (just thinking out loud). lol

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

The question is, can pick up Obi-Wan from the baseline. I don't think it can. Thanks for watching.

[@sailorbluepr]

Why 15? Please explain, I though is 11

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

It depends on the tournament. In some tournaments, if there are a number of teams in a bracket, they play one game to 15. If not, best two out of three and the games go to 11. Thanks for watching.

[@Smokeybuhda]

10:20 the near court hits an overhead then walks into the kitchen. Stay out of the kitchen unless it is bouncing.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That's true. Thanks for watching.

[@billrector]

For 4.0s, there were very few 3rd shot drops or resets.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

It's kind of seems to becoming that way more and more. Thanks for watching.

[@duanestclair]

For a gold medal 4.0 match, both sides hit too many attackable shots and too few reset points or good soft shots which led to dinking contests. Too little dinking for a 4.0 level. For a good 4.0 level, you should expect 50-75% of points to have a dinking contest. Hard to get many former tennis players to understand that in pickleball the best shot is at your opponent's feet and not trying to out-bang your opponent.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That's exactly right. I wonder would expect more dinking.

[@jorgeferreiro9783]

I am amazed how many outballs both teams hit. Complete lack of court awareness

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Nice point. Thanks for watching.

[@elliottfletcher4830]

I'm not usually negative but I would hate to see the other "4.0" teams that didn't make the Gold Medal Final in that tournament, they aren't even that great at being bangers. But for their age, they would still be a reasonably fun game in rec play.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Yes, I agree. The rating system is kind of whacked out. Thanks for watching.

[@vana2292]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 Yes, it would be great to see the rating adjustment by age group.

[@Bergarita]

Lol, hardly saw any Carlo highlights. You really need a drop shot to be competitive. You can be a banger but darn it you better have a drop shot in your arsenal.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Some players just want to bang and get the point over as quickly as possible. Thanks for watching.

[@929mmr]

Not entirely true. Kind of depends on how good of a banger you are. Drives are not all created equal. The woman on the far side does not have a strong enough drive to cause big problems. Some players have such pace and top spin on their drives that blocking is about all you can do with it. Opposing team blocks allow bangers to get to the net just like third shot drops do. Its nice to have all the shots but bangers are definitely not created equal. Rory was commenting on a couple of serves. I know some really good lob servers that put the ball high and deep which is a pretty good strategy against bangers because it makes them bang from farther away and makes it so all the power that is generated has to come from themselves. I have seen Ben Johns use the third shot drive a lot which often makes the 5the shot drop a lot easier.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

@@929mmr Thanks for the advice on the lob serve. I'm going to have to try it and a similar return against bangers and see what happens.

[@gabrielgracenathanana1713]

I have an idea, should the rule be changed ? The kitchen should be half of the court. That would make match much more interesting. Currently, it is too tight: not good for viewers; and, not good for players- the singles and doubles are too different.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching and thanks for your comment.

[@lasonhenry3012]

I’m hungry for a pickle now

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Dill or Bread and Butter?

[@mra2424]

These are not 4.0 players

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

They claim to be.

[@OutdrGirl]

Hardly any dinking ?

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching.

[@scottreich1420]

These are not 4.0 players. If you can't execute a drop that's a clear sign.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for your comment. Well, they're playing in a tournament for the gold medal at the 4.0 level.

[@scottreich1420]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 4.0 in some parts of the country are weaker than others.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

@@scottreich1420 That is exactly right! I do think the rating system is flawed.

[@MaximumLagGolf]

You can win at 4.0 without drops.

[@jkaraska]

I agree, 3.5 at best...not one 3rd or 5th shot drop

[@sentinel80]

That lady Fairbanks lost that game for her side. I’m only a beginner at PB but I know to attack you have to be up to the line. After 6 months playing I think I could beat either of those pairs 😳😃.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Awesome. Glad to see you're working at it and are improving. Thanks for watching. Tell a friend.

[@mrflorida55]

There is no way Carlos is 60

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Right

[@mrflorida55]

Do they check IDs at these things?@@pickleballpick-apart9787

[@seannolan3927]

Most people are playing it like tennis because playing at the kitchen is very boring, you might as well go play table tennis.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

If a player is playing pickleball like tennis and staying back and not moving forward, they have little chance of winning. They should stick to tennis. Thanks for watching.

[@LowDinksHijinxPickleball]

6:40 (or 4our:17 in the source video) is a case when the man isn't hogging the court enough. My guy should have body checked his partner off the damn court and smashed that stupid ball into an ephemeral cloud of vaporized plastic shrouded in carbon fiber dust. I guess they'd lose the actual point, but at least he would make a far more important point of principle. Psssh....instead he gives her room to shine....just enough room to muster a weak little hop and thunk into the net cord. Nope.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Vaporized plastic shrouded in carbon fiber dust. Love it! Can I use that? Thanks for watching.

[@LowDinksHijinxPickleball]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 I trademarked, copywrote, and patented the vaporized plastic shrouded in carbon fiber dust ™ ® © the first time I hit a Dura overhead for match point of a frigid February night game in Minnesota with my Legacy Pro after it got into a fight with a lacrosse ball for half an hour.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

@@LowDinksHijinxPickleball Cool! So, I guess I'd have to pay to use it!

[@ASouthernBoyCanSurvive]

What is the deal with leaving the racket on the court? That's almost enough to make me NOT want to play this game.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Not sure. Players do it.

[@ASouthernBoyCanSurvive]

@pickleballpick-apart9787 I see they do it.. but why? I need answers!!! You know all!!!

[@trothkin]

@@ASouthernBoyCanSurvive When you call a timeout you place your paddle on the court so you remember where you should be on the court when play resumes. It's standard practice at tournaments and you will see Pro's do it all the time. This way you don't waste a lot of time trying to figure out if you are receiving, at the net, or serving.

[@ASouthernBoyCanSurvive]

@trothkin I accept your explanation..however, that is SILLY