While spending some time at home in Austin, I attended a local tournament to watch my sister test her pickleball skills against local competition. Putting the alarming amount of paddle hurling aside, 😉 spending time at a local event reminded me it is easy to forget what a typical tournament environment looks like.

Top professionals now have the luxury of playing matches with things like instant replay, two referees, permanent courts with plenty of space, plenty of available balls to rotate in should one not be to the players liking, provided water and shade, the list goes on… However, for the typical amateur tournament entry, the landscape of a pickleball tournament is very different. Temporary nets, taped lines, poor quality court surfaces, bad line calls with no ref to overrule, sandbagging, long and variable wait times in between matches, a constant hunt for shade, all while attempting to stay hydrated during potential 10 hour days. These are all things that amateur tournament players contend with that are generally the norm at every single tournament they play. But it is still considered an enjoyable experience that is rewarding enough to keep them coming back.

As I observed the good, the bad, the ugly, and my sister losing her lid at times, 🙂 I arrived at 15 short observations that I believe would help competitive minded weekend warriors win more matches at the amateur level… not that my sister implemented any of my suggestions…

This is, of course, not an exhaustive list of possible improvements… good instruction, technically sound mechanics, and consistent drilling are all vitally important for winning more matches as well. But next time you’re drenched in sweat at your local amateur tournament playing your 7th match of the day on taped lines and a temp net, you’ll be glad you remembered that extra pair of socks. You’ll have a more enjoyable tournament experience and probably win more cheap plastic medals that are worn as a well-fought badge of honor at the end of a very long day.

Maximize your preparation by bringing these critical items: towel, LOTS of water, cooler with ice, something that provides you shade like an umbrella, sunscreen, electrolytes, change of clothes, multiple wristbands, light snacks like protein bars, bananas, nuts, hat with a brim, extra socks and a therapist. You’ll thank yourself later.

Dinking is a great way to warm up but it is not a shot that is hit with high frequency in a typical amateur match. Spend more time warming up: serves, returns, drives, counterpunches, drive counters, and transition shots. You’ll be hitting more of those than dinks.

The shots that are overhit are almost always telegraphed with a big backswing from a low contact point. When you see this from an opponent, side-step out of the way and watch your opponent grimace as the ball goes out 90% of the time.

Because ball control is somewhat limited, it makes it difficult to consistently win points to the outer areas of the court. The majority of the time, shots cross near the middle of the net. So if you’re not sure where your opponent is about to hit to—guess middle. You’ll guess right a huge portion of the time.

Many points are given up easily to the returners simply because the serving team hits their drop to the middle. It is quickly discovered by aggressive left-side players that leaning forward with an outstretched forehand, results in lots of floating juicy drops for them to crush. Don’t put the ball on their paddle right where they’re waiting. Instead drop cross-court, preferably to the backhand, to give yourself a ticket forward more consistently.

Many points are lost by driving cross-court, which gives your opponents more reaction time and a beautiful angle to roast your partner. There’s nothing wrong with a good drive but hit it middle or line.

Amateur players often defend better than they cover and smash overheads. Lobbing offensively or defensively can pay huge dividends. Don’t forget to throw in some lobs to see if they have a high success rate. Yes, you will be hated. But I promise you’ll win more points.

A pro level reset is often lofty and short rather than low and deep but that’s because professional topspin rolls are so deadly. Amateurs are much better at attacking floaters or off the bounce than they are reaching forward at waist level or below. Hit more resets as conservative line drives at the kitchen line rather than trying to puff a perfect reset shallow in the kitchen. You’ll hit less floaters and the point will continue more often than not.

If you have a confident and aggressive serve, see if you can get a few easy return errors or setups by hitting your serve aggressively. BUT if you are NOT winning a substantial amount of points with your serve, do NOT continue to throw away lots of points with missed serves. It is a cardinal sin to miss serves without basis, especially because of a lack of focus. Second only to missing returns of serve for the same reason.

Thee who angles a volley down first will win the point an enormous percentage of the time. Firefights are frequent and often prolonged far longer than necessary, since players choose power over downward angle. Prioritize taking a little speed off your counterpunches in order to angle them down rather than straight with power. Although it doesn’t feel as good, you’ll watch your opponent overhit their counter much more frequently.

Who you choose to drop and return to are critical strategic decisions that are easy to implement. Leverage them.

The returning team frequently hangs their 4th shot reply through the middle when receiving a quality 3rd. Accept the offensive poaching opportunity as the partner of the player nailing a good 3rd. You’ll wreak havoc on unsuspecting kitchen line victims. (Alternatively if you’re getting roasted on 5th shot poaches, keep your team safe by conceding the kitchen line with a dink into the kitchen.)

Use your timeouts to break momentum or simply to catch your breath when needed. You have two timeouts per game. You can’t take them home with you. Use them when it’s called for.

You don’t need to be the world’s best strategist, but at least determine who their better attacker and better defender is. That way you can target the weaker player, depending on the situation. The answer to this isn’t always the same player and it can often be surprising to find that their better attacker is their worse defender.

Amateur players miss a substantial number of put-aways that are gimmes. Scrap out one more ugly ball and don’t be proud about not giving your opponents the satisfaction of hitting a clean winner. You’ll sometimes receive screams of dismay from your opponents for your efforts.

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