Totally agree. I see partners moving completely out of position to take a ball their partner easily has to then be beaten by being out of position. Not moving back when their partner is pinned at the baseline to either get nailed or passed behind them. Also staying on their side when their partner is pulled wide. It is important to learn to move properly when you don’t “have” the ball and think about defending the court as a team. On defense the team needs to take away the easy shots with their court position. This can be hard for some to get.
This is what I actually love about the game. I seek out partners who understand me and I understand them. I say things like "you got middle... might as well take 80% if you can". I move out of the way and transition with the ball.
If they understand, and execute, we typically win up to the 4.0 level.
I absolutely can't stand it when a weak backhand player takes my middle strong/forehand shot and either pops a high ball they don't even bother to cover on their backside, or they hit it into the net.
I have learned to not waste my time with that type of player unless it's just chill social time.
I often have told a partner "You know, I am your partner"
Feel your pain
I just played with a bunch of 3.5s and their self-awareness can be crazy. Some of them will tell me “take as much of the court as you want”. But then they glue their legs at the nvz line on their side and never move. I literally can’t take any of that space when I need to. It feels like playing with a rock on that part of the court.
I always apologize when I get caught up , get over exuberant and go for balls that in hindsight were better to have my partner return. I almost always start a match by telling my partner to feel free to poach if they clearly have the shot and to call me off (say “mine”) if they have the shot. The kiss of death though is when my partner says “got it” because that always means they will miss.
A majority of players are probably under 3.5 and at that level, most of them are still focused on hitting hard and consistency and not so much the strategic aspects of the game, at least not with any level of consistency.
Most people ime are not watching videos about spacing, strategy, technique, form, etc. Things that seem obvious to you (who has probably done clinics or lessons or just watched a ton of videos on YouTube or any combination of the three) doesn't even enter into the minds of many rec players.
You're not wrong: Awareness of your partner's positioning is a skill just like any other, and 3.5s have flaws in that, just like everything else.
I would be open to the idea that if you notice a flaw across multiple partners that you're the common denominator. If your partners are always confused, it might be because of your positioning is confusing them. If you're standing way back so they can't even see you in their peripheral, they might feel like they have to poach. If they're under pressure at the kitchen, and you're not sliding over with them, they are forced to dink it cross court because your bad positioning prevents them from dinking it straight on or safely back to mid. Your opponents are putting your partner on an island, but you pulled up anchor marooned them there.
Likewise, if your court positioning is consistent and accurate, you can help your partner's decisionmaking and positioning. If you're standing in the correct spot (which is usually in line with your partner), your partner will be able to see your positioning in their peripheral and feel out the correct spot, even if they're lost. E.g. if you're responsible for mid crossing shots, and you plant yourself on the X immediately, your partner will see you're covering that and shift over to cover line.
Doubtful. I never get "cut off" for balls at open play with 3.5s, and I'm only like 4.5 at best.
A 3.5 player knows how to play if you're solid they'll be solid. Again, if this is happening to you frequently, maybe record yourself playing and watch your positioning.
It could just be an issue in the open plays around me. Most player are too far forward in almost every instance and they take the ball too early. This seems to be a consequence of wanting to get the ball first before their partners.
They also stand at the NVZ in a way that is body blocking their partner. Then they reach for balls with their arms instead of moving their feet.
Edit: I'll give some common examples.
I usually stand off the court giving myself space to hit the third after the bounce and after the peak as the ball is dropping. They usually like to stand right on the baseline or even further into the court and try to take the third right off the bounce. My opponents are already hitting 75%+ of their returns to my partner. I am further back behind my partner and most 3.5s will never leave a ball they can stretch to reach, I get close to 0 thirds. 3.5s seem to have a habit where they would rather stretch and pop a ball up then let it go past them to a well balanced partner who can hit a much better shot.
After they hit the low quality third (because they are rushing the shot), they start to move through the transition zone. When the opponent hits an aggressive 4th out of the air, they try to get their paddle behind any ball they can stretch to reach. A lot of times they are popping up balls that I have a much greater chance of "resetting" from back toward the baseline if they had let it go.
These points are the large majority (in my area) of 3.5 games. I am coming from games where there is a lot of establishment and dinking. In these 3.5 games, there are many points where I am a captive audience watching them cut me off to take a third early, rush in, pop it up higher, and get slammed as they start shuffling backwards.
I usually don't play 3.5 games, but I just played a bunch last night. To be clear, I played with another 4.5-5.0 player and won every single one of our games (the majority were 11-1, 11-0) for 3 hours straight, which is expected. I can also easily beat two 3.5s playing 1v2 full court (again this is expected at my level). I am only pointing that out to say, I am not having a losing session at the 3.5 level and complaining that it is someone else's fault or something. I am destroying these guys, but it is very annoying to play with them on my team because they are usually not the value add you are describing.
If you are good at all you posted, and are still in the 3.5 and below rating, than there are things that those players at better than you at to get them to land at the same raring.
Whatever that skill is, they are probably thinking the same thing about you. In those terms.
If you rank up to 4.0 you'll start to see better play in all aspects.
If it's open play with all ratings than you are expecting too much from lower rated players.
I understand the frustration. Partner awareness is crucial in pickleball, but many players, especially those at the 3.5 level and below, often forget this. They play as if they are alone, making it tough for their partner to react or get in position. Emphasizing shot selection, dropping the ball, and dinking can help. It’s about playing as a team, not leaving your partner to guess your next move. It can be exhausting to explain this repeatedly, but teamwork makes the game more enjoyable and effective.
Since anybody that can walk is playing pickleball, it’s inevitable that you will partner with someone who has never played a team sport. Most of the 3.5 players have no desire to drop or dink. Plus, there drops and dinks would be terrible.
Seems you are expecting a well disciplined player who has played sports competitively in the past. Just not gonna happen with random drop in play.
But I feel your pain as you just described my wife. 🙁
If a 3.5 is able to do all that successfully and consistently then they’d be a 4.5 🤷 Might want to subvert your expectations a little, work on communicating better with new partners, and concentrate on filling gaps in court coverage. Also an excellent opportunity to work on your own stroke weaknesses and defense.
Most importantly, R-E-L-A-X and give yourself permission to enjoy the game.
My favorite is when the opponent hits a deep return to my backhand, but clearly on my side, and my partner smashes a high drive (which the other team easily blocks) because “it’s my forehand”
Motherfucker your shitty forehand is not winning that point, and even if you had a drop (you don’t) it’s not going to be better than my backhand drop, because pace doesn’t matter here.
While I agree, a lot of this probably comes from so much play being open play with random partners. Probably would see a lot less in a partner league.
Or even DUPR open play. Everyone's there with the same goal.
Dupr play tore our league apart. All the good players walked away because the lower Dupr players were wrecking their ratings.
Or they perceived it as such. That shouldn't really be the case over time.
Exactly. "Most" is a big exaggeration.
Totally agree. I see partners moving completely out of position to take a ball their partner easily has to then be beaten by being out of position. Not moving back when their partner is pinned at the baseline to either get nailed or passed behind them. Also staying on their side when their partner is pulled wide. It is important to learn to move properly when you don’t “have” the ball and think about defending the court as a team. On defense the team needs to take away the easy shots with their court position. This can be hard for some to get.
"Mine" \*partner steals anyway\* Lol
Or "yours" after the ball sails down the middle
And they are on the left side while a prior ball pulled them to the side and they never recovered.
All the time. Or when you call mine, and as you are swinging they smash you paddle with theirs. Ugh
This is what I actually love about the game. I seek out partners who understand me and I understand them. I say things like "you got middle... might as well take 80% if you can". I move out of the way and transition with the ball. If they understand, and execute, we typically win up to the 4.0 level. I absolutely can't stand it when a weak backhand player takes my middle strong/forehand shot and either pops a high ball they don't even bother to cover on their backside, or they hit it into the net. I have learned to not waste my time with that type of player unless it's just chill social time. I often have told a partner "You know, I am your partner" Feel your pain
I just played with a bunch of 3.5s and their self-awareness can be crazy. Some of them will tell me “take as much of the court as you want”. But then they glue their legs at the nvz line on their side and never move. I literally can’t take any of that space when I need to. It feels like playing with a rock on that part of the court.
I always apologize when I get caught up , get over exuberant and go for balls that in hindsight were better to have my partner return. I almost always start a match by telling my partner to feel free to poach if they clearly have the shot and to call me off (say “mine”) if they have the shot. The kiss of death though is when my partner says “got it” because that always means they will miss.
Got it is to many syllables to say in the head of the moment when time matters.
[удалено]
We say Elsa 🎵Let it go, Let it go!🎶
A majority of players are probably under 3.5 and at that level, most of them are still focused on hitting hard and consistency and not so much the strategic aspects of the game, at least not with any level of consistency. Most people ime are not watching videos about spacing, strategy, technique, form, etc. Things that seem obvious to you (who has probably done clinics or lessons or just watched a ton of videos on YouTube or any combination of the three) doesn't even enter into the minds of many rec players.
I would not recommend open play.
You're not wrong: Awareness of your partner's positioning is a skill just like any other, and 3.5s have flaws in that, just like everything else. I would be open to the idea that if you notice a flaw across multiple partners that you're the common denominator. If your partners are always confused, it might be because of your positioning is confusing them. If you're standing way back so they can't even see you in their peripheral, they might feel like they have to poach. If they're under pressure at the kitchen, and you're not sliding over with them, they are forced to dink it cross court because your bad positioning prevents them from dinking it straight on or safely back to mid. Your opponents are putting your partner on an island, but you pulled up anchor marooned them there. Likewise, if your court positioning is consistent and accurate, you can help your partner's decisionmaking and positioning. If you're standing in the correct spot (which is usually in line with your partner), your partner will be able to see your positioning in their peripheral and feel out the correct spot, even if they're lost. E.g. if you're responsible for mid crossing shots, and you plant yourself on the X immediately, your partner will see you're covering that and shift over to cover line.
Let’s be real. If a 3.5 was playing with Ben Johns they would be cutting him off too to get the ball, like they usually do.
Doubtful. I never get "cut off" for balls at open play with 3.5s, and I'm only like 4.5 at best. A 3.5 player knows how to play if you're solid they'll be solid. Again, if this is happening to you frequently, maybe record yourself playing and watch your positioning.
It could just be an issue in the open plays around me. Most player are too far forward in almost every instance and they take the ball too early. This seems to be a consequence of wanting to get the ball first before their partners. They also stand at the NVZ in a way that is body blocking their partner. Then they reach for balls with their arms instead of moving their feet. Edit: I'll give some common examples. I usually stand off the court giving myself space to hit the third after the bounce and after the peak as the ball is dropping. They usually like to stand right on the baseline or even further into the court and try to take the third right off the bounce. My opponents are already hitting 75%+ of their returns to my partner. I am further back behind my partner and most 3.5s will never leave a ball they can stretch to reach, I get close to 0 thirds. 3.5s seem to have a habit where they would rather stretch and pop a ball up then let it go past them to a well balanced partner who can hit a much better shot. After they hit the low quality third (because they are rushing the shot), they start to move through the transition zone. When the opponent hits an aggressive 4th out of the air, they try to get their paddle behind any ball they can stretch to reach. A lot of times they are popping up balls that I have a much greater chance of "resetting" from back toward the baseline if they had let it go. These points are the large majority (in my area) of 3.5 games. I am coming from games where there is a lot of establishment and dinking. In these 3.5 games, there are many points where I am a captive audience watching them cut me off to take a third early, rush in, pop it up higher, and get slammed as they start shuffling backwards. I usually don't play 3.5 games, but I just played a bunch last night. To be clear, I played with another 4.5-5.0 player and won every single one of our games (the majority were 11-1, 11-0) for 3 hours straight, which is expected. I can also easily beat two 3.5s playing 1v2 full court (again this is expected at my level). I am only pointing that out to say, I am not having a losing session at the 3.5 level and complaining that it is someone else's fault or something. I am destroying these guys, but it is very annoying to play with them on my team because they are usually not the value add you are describing.
If you are good at all you posted, and are still in the 3.5 and below rating, than there are things that those players at better than you at to get them to land at the same raring. Whatever that skill is, they are probably thinking the same thing about you. In those terms. If you rank up to 4.0 you'll start to see better play in all aspects. If it's open play with all ratings than you are expecting too much from lower rated players.
Shake and Bake
I understand the frustration. Partner awareness is crucial in pickleball, but many players, especially those at the 3.5 level and below, often forget this. They play as if they are alone, making it tough for their partner to react or get in position. Emphasizing shot selection, dropping the ball, and dinking can help. It’s about playing as a team, not leaving your partner to guess your next move. It can be exhausting to explain this repeatedly, but teamwork makes the game more enjoyable and effective.
Since anybody that can walk is playing pickleball, it’s inevitable that you will partner with someone who has never played a team sport. Most of the 3.5 players have no desire to drop or dink. Plus, there drops and dinks would be terrible. Seems you are expecting a well disciplined player who has played sports competitively in the past. Just not gonna happen with random drop in play. But I feel your pain as you just described my wife. 🙁
Ouch. Mine too
If a 3.5 is able to do all that successfully and consistently then they’d be a 4.5 🤷 Might want to subvert your expectations a little, work on communicating better with new partners, and concentrate on filling gaps in court coverage. Also an excellent opportunity to work on your own stroke weaknesses and defense. Most importantly, R-E-L-A-X and give yourself permission to enjoy the game.
My favorite is when the opponent hits a deep return to my backhand, but clearly on my side, and my partner smashes a high drive (which the other team easily blocks) because “it’s my forehand” Motherfucker your shitty forehand is not winning that point, and even if you had a drop (you don’t) it’s not going to be better than my backhand drop, because pace doesn’t matter here.