Is Pickleball Camp Right for You?
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Hi Pickleballers -
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. I googled it to verify and, of course, that’s not really the definition of insanity. But, in any case, most pickleball players are guilty of playing the exact same way and expecting to get better.
I saw a lot of improvement on my way to becoming a 4.0, but I plateaued once I hit 4.2. I’d try to pick up tips watching the Pros or get a lesson here and there. But I felt stuck making the same mistakes over and over. That all changed when I went to pickleball camp!
The first step is choosing the right camp. They have camps for beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert/pro players. We picked the LevelUp advanced camp run by Wayne Dollard. It turned out to be the perfect choice!
What do you learn in pickleball camp?
The LevelUp Advanced Camp is usually a two-day camp, 7 hours each day. You start up at the net and work back to the baseline: dinking, drops, speedups, ernies, roll volleys, block volleys, drives, serves, and everything in between. Check out their site for a more comprehensive description.
What they teach and what you learn are two very different things. I forgot more than I learned and could easily get a lot out of taking the exact same camp again.
Here are a few things I learned that immediately improved my game. In certain cases, there are exceptions to these rules.
While serving, stand on the left side of your side of the court (opposite if you’re lefty). The idea is to have the forehand of either player cover the return of serve.
No need to put crazy spin or power on a serve. A consistent serve back near the baseline will do the trick.
While returning a serve, stand as far back from the baseline as possible and square to the server. For example, if they’re serving from the far right of the box, you should be far back and left on your side.
A consistent deep return of serve left of center is a good target.
A third-shot drive is just as effective as a third-shot drop. Some players will favor one of the other while some players will use both. The key is to give yourself a good opportunity to hit a clean drop shot out to the edge. It may take 3,5,7 or more shots to get it done.
Keep all dinks in between your feet. This will require exceptional footwork to get in position. And take every dink out of the air that you can.
Avoid fancy play. A consistent, predictable game while balanced and in position can easily get to you to the 5.0 level.
They also covered position, strategy, and some advanced shots. I’ve listed a few things that helped me, but I’d bet every camper’s list would be completely different. We covered a ton!
My game has improved significantly following camp. I feel more in control of my game and more often in the right place at the right time. I’m also starting to pick-up new tips from watching the pros since I understand what they’re doing.
Conclusion
If you get a chance to go to pickleball camp, go! You will get a deeper understanding of the game and figure out exactly what you need to work on.
Thank you for reading our newsletter and supporting Simply Pickleball. Do you have any topics you’d like me to cover, questions to answer, or maybe I didn’t get something right? Send me a note - I’d love to hear from you.
Happy Dinking!
Woody
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