Pickleball in Canada

Watching new pickleball players advance through the levels from 2.0 to 4.0 is fun. I enjoy giving them tips and pointers. I enjoy watching them learn and progress and gradually become the best players in their group.

Unfortunately, 4.0 is where most players stop progressing and begin stagnating. In fact, I am willing to predict that 99 out of 100 pickleball players who achieve the 4.0 level on their own without coaching will stay at that level for the rest of their lives. The reason for this is built into the nature of the recreational game.

Widespread in the sport of pickleball is an inherent bias against formal coaching. Some players will even go so far as to say that formal coaching has no place in our sport. As a result, many players would never considering consulting a coach to help them progress beyond the 4.0 level.

The end result of this attitude plays out on the court in the form of legions of 4.0 pickleball players who are unable progress to the next level. Without coaching, only a tiny number of special athletes in this group will advance to 4.5 and beyond.

So what makes a 4.5 level pickleball player better than a 4.0 player? Generally, it’s a perception issue. Most 4.0 players see pickleball as a game of powerful winners. They crave the big shots that end rallies in dramatic form. As a result, they blast balls from the baseline. They pound every overhead and they aim every angle for the sidelines. They seem to crave applause even more than winning the game.

Players at the 4.5 level and beyond are after points, not applause. They have figured out — either on their own or with the help of a coach — that pickleball is a game of errors.

The best players in the game do not step on the court expecting to hit winners. They understand that players at the 3.5 level and beyond are capable of returning most shots and that blasting winners and painting lines is a sure way to give up free points.

Players at the 4.5 level are masters of every shot. They can hit hard, they can hit soft and they can hit everything in between. They can hit groundstrokes, volleys, drives, dinks, slices and drops. They can hit top spin, bottom spin, side spin and no spin. Most importantly, though, they know how to keep nearly every shot in the court.

Players at the 4.5 level and beyond do not try to blast balls through their opponents. They place the ball and make their opponents move to get it. The best among them will do this over and over and over again and simply wait for their opponent to make a mistake. At that point they will let the ball sail out of bounds or die into the netting.

Sustained pressure causes errors. Errors win points. Points win games. Every 4.5 level player I have ever met understands this — in pickleball and in every other racquet sport as well.

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