Learn how to anticipate your opponent’s pickleball shot by...

READ

Reading the game is a lot like reading a book. When we first start reading as a child we get stuck on certain words, it can be broken, slow, difficult and sometimes frustrating. 

The more we practice the art of reading, our vocabulary increases and we become more eloquent. Stories and novels begin to flow and come to life. It becomes a more natural process and we become a confident reader.

The ability to read the ball and read a game is developed by a similar process to reading a book.

You cannot substitute time, practice and dedication when learning to read a book.

In the same way there are no shortcuts in learning to read the ball and read the game. 

These skills are developed through time, experience on court and learning to stay focused. When we are engaged in a game, undistracted, we start to read the game better and judge where the ball is landing or traveling.

Beginners who have no previous racket experience often struggle with reading the ball or judging where the ball is going to land. We have to firstly be focused on the ball, focused on our opponents paddle face. Then we look for several clues: the power of the stroke, direction, the height of the ball and the trajectory. 

WATCH

If the opponent hits the ball low and hard you instantly know you will have less time to prepare for your stroke. You must be alert, preparation has to be quick and your swing more compact. (A big back swing on a fast ball can mean arriving late or over hitting the ball).

If the ball is hit softer or higher your movement can be less explosive because you have more time to move to the ball and make a decision. 

ANTICIPATE

The best players not only read and watch the ball well, they anticipate where the opponent is most likely to go next and prepare to counter before they have even hit the ball. 

This ability to anticipate comes with time. We all see glimpses of great anticipation in our games. These will become more frequent as we continue to read, watch and enjoy playing this great game called pickleball.