The 3D Pickleball Game....Baseball Analogy

Our Paso Robles Pickleball Website:  www.pickleballpasorobles.shutterfly.com  Join us when you are visiting the Central Coast.  We have equipment.

We played the 3D game yesterday for some of our early arrivers (actually players who wanted some extra work).  The 3 D's game----Deep Serve, Deep Return of Serve, Dink (at the feet of your opponent's--who should be up near the net) is not easy (and I saw how frustrated the players were playing this game).  It is, however, a very integral part of learning.  To not execute one of those three shots (two by the server and one by the receiver) gives a little edge to your opponents.    

To play the game, use painter's tape and divide the service court in half (7.5 feet) horizontally.  In other words, lay a strip of tape parallel to the baseline/NVZ line and halfway between the NVZ line and the baseline.  This becomes the DEEP zone.  The serve must land in this back/DEEP zone.  The return of serve must be DEEP and land in the opposite back/DEEP zone.  The Dink (third shot), must bounce in front of the the non-serving team (at their feet).  Poor serve=fault; poor return of serve=point; poor dink=fault.  If all three shots are good, play the point out.  Play to seven instead of eleven if you wish (this game takes longer). 

Placement and patience.  Placement and Patience.  BTW, notice that these three shots are all about placement....not power.  Basically they are soft, controlled shots. Very soon players will realize the importance of these initial three shots.  They help to set up (usually) the flow of the point.  In baseball, you will strike out a hitter with one particular pitch, but the first two strikes helped to create the strikeout.  There is a strategy to throwing strikes, getting outs, getting strikeouts.  Same with Pickleball.

How many points (faults/side outs) will you lose because you tried power over placement?