Play with Sai

About me

For over three decades, I've immersed myself in the worlds of Badminton and Ping Pong, blending these passions into the dynamic sport of Pickleball. My dedication and skill recently earned me a thrilling first-place victory at the City of Irving Rec Center doubles tournament. As a player and a coach, I thrive in indoor settings, preferring the controlled environment over outdoor courts, where I occasionally step onto the court to test my abilities.

Pickleball and Me

At some point in life, even if not early, you need to decide to keep your body and mind sound and fit and need a course of action to get it working. Pickleball is a great option. It is a low-impact but highly efficient game demanding the best from your body and mind with minimal risk of sports-related injury, irrespective of age. I saw people from age 12 to  85 playing pickleball passionately, and once you are into this game, you will never regret it.

I aim to make this game so popular by sharing the skills needed with them so that everybody around me can be part of this game, adding value to their time, enjoying life, and keeping their health tuned for a long time. I do not live on Pickleball, but I cannot leave without it now. I hope you will experience or are already experiencing the same as me!!!

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Coaching

I believe that the way of coaching in sports is do-as-I-do, followed by a discussion on the scope of improvements. The coach should play with you as a partner or a team member and show you exactly how to deliver a shot so that you can pick it up and fit it into your style. Never give your style of playing. You can learn new things and adopt them as you feel comfortable.

We will play three games in total in a one-hour session and spend 5 minutes after each to discuss the game's technicalities. 

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Steps to be better player

1) Service
If you deliver a strong and consistent service,  you have already reached Level 3 in Pickleball. Service is the most essential thing in this game.  From your service, the opponent will first be able to judge which level you play at. A good service ensures you understand the ball's behavior based on the point of contact, the motion of your paddle, and the force applied to the ball. The best part is you can practice it without a partner. You can pick up a few balls and service continuously until you perfect a style. You are expected to serve more than one way so the opponents cannot guess how the next service will look. A good service will even win you a point without playing a single return.

2) Return
Please return and reach the kitchen line right away. This is the point even the Level 3 players fail to follow sometimes. Could you just return and follow your ball? Once you reach the kitchen line, hold your ground for as long as possible or until you smash a return or block the drives effectively. DO NOT STAY BACK! By staying back once a while, you may get an opportunity to deliver a perfect shot but will miss the rest of the opportunities to deliver the winning shot. In Pickleball, 90% of the winning shots are taken from the kitchen line, not the back. 

3) Third Short Drop
This need practice a lot but very useful when performed with accuracy but thired shot drop is not an absolute necessity. Many pros sugest fifth shot srop using the third shot as a powerful drive and use the blocked-return in your favor deciding whether you want a fifth shot srop or air-kill or attack.

4) Dink
You want it or not at some point you will be engaged into a dink battle where patience is a majot factor. Dink only when your partner is equally efficient in dinking and defense, otherwise the dinking will be easily directed to the weaker partner who cannopt handle it properly. Cross court dinking can be seen but in general you will try to target the weaker side of the opponent while dinking. Be alert and take the first opportunity to an elivated dink to smash it out. Be prepared to dink 10-15 times in a row if the opponent is really good at that. Speed up (impact top spin) when safely possible towards the weaker side of the opponent.

How: Lose your grip (as if you afre holding a bird losely) and make a gentle Cornhole Bag movement. This will create a soft join between give your hand and racket to create a comntrolled spring action so that minor errors (speed and force) will be adjusted automatically.

5) Drive
Drive only when you are at mid-court, and the opponent is not at the kitchen line (to block). You can flick drive at the net (short top spin) directly toward the weak side of the body of the opponent. Drive with full force but be careful not to send the ball outside the court. The best way to a controlled drive a bounce ball is using your body for the motion and keep the hand steady as much as possible. 

6) Speed Up
During dinking you need to find opportunuty to speed up at right moment and to to the right direction. Be prepared for the immediate return of the ball as the speed up may be blocked effectively by the opponent but crerating a chance for you to smash it harder.

7) Block
You must be blocking all incoming hard hits without popping up or sending the ball to net. When you block a ball the return is expected a speed up that you should be prepared to black again until you get a chance to hit the ball in your favor.

8) Net kill
When you get a ball at the net that bounced just at or above the et height, make a Windshield Wiping movement with the arm and wrist and kill the ball. Ernie (jumping over the kitchen corner whill killing the ball) is another way to net kill. Short top-spin is the easiest way to net-kill but need additional wrist flicking.

9) Spin
This is directly related to tennis or ping pong moves. All sorts of spins are possible but you need to practice to aim the delivery to a particular point. Spin is a weapon if used in a controlled and forceful way.It is better to spin-drive rather than a weak drive when the oponents are ready to block at the net.

10) Lob
Do not hesitate to lob when you feel that other returns will be inferior. Targe the weak side of the opponent and it is best time to lob when the opponents are rushing toward the net or they are waiting at the net for a weak or lifted return from your side. While lob has many advantages like send your opponents toward their back, reset the rally to buy time for yourself and expect a mistake when the opponents try to attack the lobs from a awakard position we need to remember to lob the ball when you are good at return and if smashed (over a bad lob) you will be able to defend it with another counter lob or drive. 

11) ATP (Around The Post)
When you a shot moves you out of the side line of the court that is an opportunity to deliver the ATP. See if you can find the side line of the opposite court reachable by the ball if hit straight and if so try to do that maintaining a lower trajectory.

Bottom Line: Pickleball is a game of patience. It is better to engage in a long rally rather than try to hit the ball to get a point and miss. Look for opportunity. Plan in advance befor each service based on the weakness of your partner and the opponent. Try to drive the ball in an angle where you will expect the return along your favorite path. Do not run to win the point until the proper time arrives. Keep the opponents back and try to hold you ground near the kitchen line as soon as possible safely. If you do not get to the kitchen line you may be 100% better player than your opponents in returng the shots but you cannot take many effective winning shots. Do not do mistake (or do it at the minimal level). Let the opponents do that for you!

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Which level are you in?

You are at Level 1 if you:
Struggle keeping the score.

Serve high.
Hot the return before it drops.
Too many shots going to te net.

 : You sometimes hit the return before it drops. You shot at the net or lift the ball too many times.

Dink: You are scared to dink more than couple of times.

Cover: You'd like to stay back rather than reach the kitchen line as soon as possible.

Volley: No; you always wait for the ball to drop before you take your shot.

You are at Level 2 if:
Service: You can keep the service and return to the court consistently.
Return: You can effectively return all service with ease.

Dink: You can dink from the kitchen line a few times.
Drive: You hardly drive. You are more comfortable simple returns.
Cover: You proceed to the kitchen line as soon as possible.
Kitchen: You sometimes go inside the kitchen to take a volley.
Backhand: You need to be more comfortable with your backhand.
Volley: You generally wait for the lobbed return to drop before you take your shot.
Block: You can block most of the drives.

You are at Level 3 if:
Service: All your services are deep and robust.
Return: All your returns are deep and robust.
Dink: you can dink accurately at least 10 times without lifting the ball to the opponents.
Drive: You drive but the direction is not yet perfect. You are more comfortable with a forehand drive.
Spin: You spin whenever necessary.
Volley: You hit the ball mostly when it is in the air.
Block: You can block all the drives consistently.

You are at Level 4 if:
Service: All your services are deep, intense, and delivered with a swing.
Drive: You drive/smash equally well by forehand and backhand. You can hit specific targets at the opponent's court while driving.
Dink: You can initiate a dink rally from any corner of the court.
Spin: You spin with force and accuracy.
Volley: You do not leave a single chance to volley when appropriate.
ATP: You do at most of the chances.

You are at Level 5+ if:
Tricks: You take trick shots mixed with deception.
Cover: You cover the entire court with ease.
ATP: You take all opportunities.
Erne: You mastered the Erne.

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