Pickleball Tactics! Making The Right Move To Win A Tournament Game! Learn By Watching Others!

[@sgraywalker53]

This is by far the most useful pickleball channel there is. Thank you.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Really? I'm really glad you think that. Thanks for watching.

[@lukegarcia684]

Yes, I do use this strategy if my opponent is a banger/ power or weak player. 90% of pickleball playing is played at the NVZ with dinking. You will have a low DUPR rating if you're a banger because you can't dink. Rory, you're the best with these vids.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for the nice compliment. My experience is, for the most part, recreational players who are lower level, hardly ever dink.

[@ninalaw6721]

I don't mind being the targeted player because I get more practice. And I feel like I should rise to the occasion.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I played the other day with a lady and my opponents targeted her. I told her they were not going to hit the ball to me so she would have to step up her game. She did pretty well. However, we did lose. Thanks for watching.

[@ninalaw6721]

That's okay you lost, not a tournament.@@pickleballpick-apart9787

[@vicneo1]

1. You were complimenting the targeted womans skills-but she really waasnt very good and perhaps her partner knew something. 2. The only halfway decent counter strategy is for the better player to take over 75% of the court. 25% of the court for the weak player makes for a smaller target. The problem is the weaker player seldom aquieses.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

It looked like the male player was scared to move over. He faked it a number of times. Thanks for watching.

[@donaldlenardson6291]

Unfortunately, the blue shirt player is not quick enough to cover 75% of the court , even though that would have been their only hope of winning . So , what to do ? Female partner needs to somehow become more of an offensive threat . She has good skills getting the rally back to neutral, but after that , not so much . But who would I like to team up with ? HER , because she has a much better mental game , and therefore, much more potential to get better than the one dementional Banger in blue shirt .

[@jaimetarne9436]

Would you?

[@henry0712]

Another great pick-apart! Thanks.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@MrBrad777c]

The problem started when the male in blue was poaching to the extreme during the beginning of the match. The female player lost her confidence and the other team capitalized on this. This made the guy in blue leave open gaps and was too busy trying to figure out how to poach while eating balls.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Excellent observation. Thanks for watching.

[@MrBrad777c]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 Im learning a lot of strategy from your channel. Its by far my favorite instruction channel. Im very picky. I only watch Ben Johns and Hurricane Tyra Black games. If they are not involved I would rather learn from your vids.

[@jimh.4027]

There are some things a targeted player can do to help get their partner involved. Cross court dinking vs straight ahead dinking would be a classic example. In this case, the targeted player kept leaving balls up high to attack, so improving their dinking skills would help a lot.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That's exactly right. That's what the other team picked up on. If they continued to dink it to her, sooner or later, she was going to pop one up. Thanks for watching.

[@LeanneSchultz-x3y]

Saw a very persuasive argument for the targeted player dinking middle to get the other partner more involved. And the advice was for the iced out partner to dink cross court, as the opponents will then try to dink down the line to the targeted player, and that can cause a lot of popups or errors. Dinking middle does work. it slows down the aggressive topspin dinks, can make them fight over whose ball it is, and can cause popups the iced out partner can hammer

[@donaldlenardson6291]

I agree , see my previous comment.

[@ftbutler]

It was a fantastic example of targeting and the reasons to target. I also would agree that for the most part all parties were 3.5 players. Thanks for putting this out there and letting us all see it and learn from it.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@nchambers007]

Thanks Rory great stuff. At the 1:11 rally, the far team did 1 thing very smart but could get better results with any of 2 or 3 things at this skill level. ... Keep: Blue went cross court on the return, and it almost worked out. It is less likely to go long, and frankly even if it's short, your partner (if not unwinding the stack) would be right there to deal with the shallow mess you made. ... NEXT TIME Change 1: Return DEEPER and SLOWER (more loft ... what tennis players call a moon ball) to give your team more time to "unwind" the stack as both players get in position. Change 2: After a meh-shallow return like this (fast/low, no time to come up), it's ok to first unwind the stack THEN worry about moving up in stages instead of racing to the kitchen. And meanwhile, Blue's partner could just shift less drastically (barely going past the centerline at the moment) so as to still put some pressure on the ball side and help their partner. Change 3: Even better, if either of you notice the return's going to be meh-shallow, typically EITHER PLAYER should call off the stack (Partner Communication). "Stay! Stay!". Then depending on whether it's red (low, unattackable) or green (high, attackable), prepare accordingly.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Great advice! Thanks!

[@Momo_8k]

Wow, that was rough. Playing with my wife, I already feel it in rec play...

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Kind of surprised they do it to y'all in rec play. Rec play is supposed to be for fun. This was a tournament. Thanks for watching.

[@roman2011]

Targeting is a nasty feed back loop. The person at the receiving end only wants blood rec or no rec and especially if they’re in retirement with a knee or hip injury. It’s a dog eat dog world! 😂

[@tatianderson911]

Ohh yes! We all do this especially in a tournament. It is normal.😂

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

It happens. This was Nationals. Thanks for watching.

[@dmills7375]

As has been mentioned, the targeted female WAS the weak link. She had a good baseline game (as you noted), hitting a number of nice drops: but her dinking game was terrible. She was hitting under the ball, resulting in pop-ups. Was she using a two handed backhand? I couldn’t tell, but I have noticed that people who use it often aren’t very skilled at it and leave a LOT of balls high. Personally, I believe that is one of the more difficult shots to master and that most people should develop a one-handed backhand and only use the two handed situationally or when they have mastered it. My other observation is that the guy in blue began the game poaching, but backed off it as the game progressed. As others have said, he probably wasn’t athletic enough to pull it off anyway. It was a good idea, but he didn’t seem to have a good strategy of when/how to use the poach to his advantage. I enjoyed this video.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think the guy in blue backed off because the players on the other team got upset with him. But, I may be wrong.

[@CWK090]

At about 1:50 you say the male player in the far court is not quick enough. His speed is fine. The problem is, his return of serve was way too short. Especially when stacking, it is very important to return the serve deep enough to give you time to advance.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Good point. Thanks for watching.

[@jedidiahdriscoll4963]

3:46 that was definitely gonna be in, no question.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Thanks!

[@duanestclair]

This is why my wife won't play tournaments with me anymore. She got tired of being targeted. Two strategies for playing with a banger. First, don't hit the ball to them. Second, only give a banger a soft shot. The Bangers will try poaching and hit some awkward shots. The best channel to learn how to play better pickleball. P.S. At Nationals you generally see players playing down a level from where they should be playing. This match up did look like 3.5 play.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I thought it was 3.5. I saw other matches at Nationals where the players were obviously better than the skill level they were playing at. That's due to national rules. Players have to play according to their UTPR rating, not their duper rating. Thanks for the nice comment.

[@hconf]

Wait at 15:00, they are allowed to just switch sides??

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Usually in a game to 15, in a tournament, the teams switched sides when the score gets to eight. Thanks for watching.

[@hconf]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 thanks!!

[@CWK090]

One strategy I use in Rec play, when my partner is constantly being targeted (my partner is returning their serve), is to have him/her not advance to the NVZ line as quickly as he/she normally would. Our opponents will target my partner's feet, farther back on the court, which sets up the perfect poach. The targeted player in this video needs to learn the art of dinking. Dink with a purpose. After several slow, boring cross-court dinks, the player across from you isn't expecting a speed up to their non-dominant side. Watch the pros play. It's not uncommon to dink 30+ times before a speed up. Dink so as to move your opponents around to set up the next shot. For example, get one player running for a shot near the sideline (short of an ATP). Their partner will maintain the distance from their partner near the sideline which opens up the court in front of you. Don't try to win the rally with every shot.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That's a different approach. I'm glad it works for you. Thanks for watching.

[@CWK090]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 You obviously can't do it everytime. Never be predictable. Ideally, pickleball is played with all four players at the NVZ. With 2 targeting one in a dinking rally, the one is twice as likely to eventually pop it up.

[@iKumala]

I can feel the big guy's frustration!

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I've been there. Thanks for watching.

[@929mmr]

Lefty's flaws were that she had no speed up game and honestly, it looked more like she lost patience when she popped the balls up. The popups mostly seemed unforced. It looked early on anyway that she was pretty good at playing angles but when she was targeted she became very one dimensional. She could have tried an Ernie but maybe not athletic enough but she definitely could have hit some very sharp angle dinks.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Good points. I don't think I've ever seen a 3.5 woman hit an Ernie. Not that they can't. I just have never seen one try. Thanks for watching.

[@peterfaga1582]

lefty was a someone I would like to play rec with! I wonder why the losers didn’t stack?

[@ar15tac]

There’s so many things you can do if you’re targeted. Play less of the court try to challenge them to go down the line to your partner. You can do called poaches. Hit the ball to the middle Backhand if there is one. But it’s the right strategy why would you ever want to hit to the stronger player? Only if they’re in a bad position

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

When playing for fun in recreational play, it's probably better not to do this. But, this is a tournament. Thanks for watching.

[@donaldlenardson6291]

The guy in blue & his lady in black shorts partner were gonna loose whether he was able to take over or not . He is not nearly quick enough afoot , often becoming out of position after he was able to poach a ball . Other than being able to Bang the ball , he has otherwise little skill . And she most often only just wanted to get the ball over the net , but never really did anything to make it difficult for the other team to continually target her or to be able to keep it away from her partner in blue . I mean , at one point , 40 to 1 to her vs. him . Really ??? She needs to dink in a way that causes the other team to become off balanced and/or out of position . Then maybe the other team will pop the ball up before she does . Also , the guy in blue needs to better return serves , as he often returns them short giving himself even less time to advance up to the NVZ line . ( Rememb 5:28 er, he is not particularly quick on his feet . ) He does hit other shots well , but only when he does not have to go far to reach them . Hard to identify what overall strategy of play that would result in better success for this team ?

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I think the other team was just better. I think they had better pickleball skill, were more athletic and quicker. As you saw, after the team's first attempt to switch and failing, they never tried it again. Thanks for your comments and thanks for watching.

[@donaldlenardson6291]

Yes , the other team was better as well .

[@Largecanyondog]

And of course they’re targeting. That is the only strategy that exists in pickleball.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Well, it is a tournament. I understand the strategy. In recreational play, not so much.

[@rifedives318]

Agreed. That is the only pickleball strategy in rec and tournament play at most levels. One thing about pickleball players, that like a win at any cost, not concerned how they earned it.

[@Largecanyondog]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 I always take the weakest player in rec play. Someone that gets targeted every game and try to get them a win. Make a lot of nice friends that way 😍

[@Largecanyondog]

@@rifedives318 yes sir. There’s an etiquette passed down in tennis that is sadly not learned in PB. My son, 14, started in June. The PB players targeted him mercilessly. I just told him take the extra reps and get good and we will crush them some day. Well that day has come and now they won’t play with us unless we split up. So we play somewhere else now.

[@dondigutierrez379]

Although an excellent play to target the weaker player, picking on the weaker link IMHO eliminates the spectator element, and makes for a very boring game with little value. As to the winning team, I believe the woman was the less talented player. What say You ?

[@Tiberian64]

These teams weren't on national tv...they were playing in the 3.5 over 50 division...so no concern about making it spectator worthy.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I think at times, it is inappropriate to target the weaker player in recreational play. This was pickleball Nationals and they wanted to win. So I understand what they did. I'd have to go back and watch it again to see who the better player is. Thanks for watching.

[@Tiberian64]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 Agreed! I like the concept (for recreational play) of hitting the best shot for the situation, regardless if it's "to" the weaker or stronger player. If you target one player over another you will make one of them feel left out (either because they are weak or because they are strong). When I play recreationally (the only time I don't is when I play in a local ladder league), I try to balance the distribution and work on my game. In the ladder league I try to still be balanced, but if my opponents target one of us, then I don't mind returning the favor.

[@carolzanoff5628]

The last big tournament that I was in I was targeted as part of a mixed team. Fortunately, I held my own and managed to gain a lot of points for our team and shut down theirs. In our case I was actually the stronger player. I find it interesting that in mixed play, it is often just assumed that the weaker player is the female. Mixed play wears me out!!

[@robin212212]

@@Tiberian64 i agree 100%; for recreational play, i emphasize the social aspects and make sure everyone is having fun but just like you said i will reciprocate.

[@jeffdarcy6786]

The woman they were targeting might well have been the best defensive player on the court. Key word: defensive. Lots of great gets, nice drops, etc. but relatively few straight kills. Her partner was the opposite: the *most* unforced errors of anyone, but those he hit well rarely came back. Classic kind of imbalance at 3.5 AFAICT.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Nice observations. Thanks for watching.

[@roman2011]

All is fair in love and pickleball 😂

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I like that. Thanks!

[@robin212212]

what is strange is why the targeted woman hit to the male opponent instead of just hitting the female opponent

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Yes. You're not the only one to point that out. Thanks for watching.

[@Tiberian64]

Interesting that although the losing team realized (knew) the strategy being used against them, they didn't try the same? They didn't in turn target the female on the other side...of course the winning team probably decided that their female was better than their counterparts, while they would lose the male vs. male matchup. Interesting also that no one tried any lobs. SO...one way to beat a banger is not to hit any balls to him...

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That's pretty much what happened. Thanks for watching.

[@daveharter6469]

Think the girls were better than the guys. I was watching at the beginning of the game the lady in the for court, she was great, only missing two dinks. I think and making most all her third shot drops. I saw her as the best skill player of the four. Also, she put the ball away two to one over the other three.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I agree. The women were really good.

[@CareyFan]

I get the strategy and it makes a ton of sense for competitive play! I feel for the female player. But that's competitive play, and you gotta do what you gotta do to win. In rec play, this is definitely not recommended and is in most cases, poor etiquette. As the team with the female getting targeted, it was probably best to try and shrink the court even further by having the male player creep even more into her space to ensure that he can get a few balls. That would have made it a bit harder for the opposing team to hit to such a narrow section of the court. And as the targeted female, instead of hitting cross court, she could try and hit (and even speed up) more balls down the line. Speeding up more balls down the line would make it more likely that opposing team would hit cross court into the male player's area.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That's a very good point. Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching.

[@elliottfletcher4830]

Good explanation of the "squeeze" but I don't think at their level either one of them was really capable of executing it. 😅

[@Tiberian64]

@@elliottfletcher4830 Agreed. The male player didn't seem athletic enough to do it effectively and consistently

[@AMurderOfLobs]

I've often done this exercise (tallying shots received) to see if people were targeting my partner egregiously or it was just in my head. It always bugs the living shit out of me when this happens during rec play. It speaks volumes (not in a good way) about people's character if they value winning in rec over all else. I actually have to remind myself to hit to the weaker player during rec play, because my inclination is to target the stronger player, as it is more challenging and thus more fun and also helps me improve. But that can end up being kind of rude and offending the weaker player if it's super obvious. The guy in blue shirt black shorts was making me cringe. Some of his poaches were just criminal. No reason you should be stepping in front of your partner to take away their forehand so that you can reach to hit an off balance backhand. Gross. Also FYI, while It doesn't really make much a difference, you were often tallying the females received shots when she was receiving serve, but not doing so for the male.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

I didn't think I was counting the return. Oh well. I know exactly how you feel. In rec play, it's usually a good idea not to target a particular player. But, in tournaments, it's a different story. Thanks for your comments and thanks for watching.

[@guyrestivo]

the targeted player should just hit lobs when possible..especially at this 3.5 level with less mobile players..problem solved

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Maybe so. Thanks for watching.

[@LeanneSchultz-x3y]

As a woman, I love playing with a leftie guy, EXCEPT if they want to come take ALL of my forehands.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

Yeah! I get it. Thanks for watching.

[@dmills7375]

Except that those are his forehands too. As a left handed player I will tell you that many right handers don’t adapt their games when they play with with us, so they are often take shots that “might” make more sense if they were playing with a right handed player but leave one side (usually the left) wide open.

[@LeanneSchultz-x3y]

Agree. Both players need to know what the pecking order is.

[@Largecanyondog]

These people are not 3.5 50+. I’ve seen several videos from this tournament and there are 4.5-5.5 players at every single skill level sandbagging like absolute cowards. THIS is what is going to kill pickleball. No legit 3.5 can compete.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

They may be better than 3.5, but they are not sandbagging. They were required to play at this level because of the rules at USA Pickleball Nationals. Their skill level is according to their UTPR rating, not their DUPR rating. Thanks for watching.

[@Largecanyondog]

@@pickleballpick-apart9787 so basically these tournaments are using sandbagging to draw out people to get trophies in divisions they don’t belong. Either way a legit 3.5, as described by USA pickleball cannot go play a tournament.

[@LetsDinkaboutit]

Great for tournament play. You got to try and win anyway possible. Female player kept popping it up.

[@pickleballpick-apart9787]

That was a strategy. Thanks, dink, dink, pop- up, put-away. Thanks for watching.