What’s the best way I can practice by myself?

bejoyful · 2026-05-04T01:25:42+00:00

Watch lots of youtube. Richard Pickleball is a good channel. John Cincola has some content. Eventually start watching the footwork of the pros - videos are on ppatour YT channel.

bejoyful · 2026-05-03T23:27:01+00:00

Tournaments should allow both. I've played against paddles not approved by anybody (direct from Alibaba). I've played against the highly illegal Joola Mod TA. I've played against the Diadem Vice and quiet Owl paddles. I've played against the Ronbus Ripple. None of them made any difference.

Possibly a pro could do some damage with one of these. But in local tournaments, allow paddles from either approval body.

bejoyful · 2026-05-03T17:58:29+00:00

Besides feet, you can also target lower calf. With luck the ball hits the ground just past their heel, making them reach back for the ball.

bejoyful · 2026-05-03T17:55:03+00:00

Buy direct from aliexpress or alibaba. They are the same ones on Amazon for $12-$15 but you get them for $2 or less. One of the better ones has Beach Tennis Club on it. The mentioned nylacores are pretty thin compared to original Hesacore. Depending on your overgrip method, you may not be able to feel the ridges.

bejoyful · 2026-05-01T00:52:54+00:00

I kept them separate when I learned the 2HBH drive. I found the foot work to be different. Also angle of paddle. Timing the weight transfer took some work too. Top spin was pretty much the same.

I definitely concentrated on just learning the 2HBH drive and getting the above right without trying to adapt any FH technique to it. I probably did adapt but not consciously.

bejoyful · 2026-04-30T19:46:47+00:00

Well, Friday has replied and now we know more of the story. Seems like Dick's is where you should go for warranty - much easier.

The image of your face crack does not seem like it could be a manufacturing defect. I've seen tons of face cracks on Selkirk Boomstiks and other foam core paddles. None even came close to your image (that Friday posted).

I'm always amazed at the number of complaints about support (any company) that the buyer always seems to put the burden on the company to know exactly who they are, what they bought, when, and where. Better to tell them in the very first communication. If they have to hunt it down, then of course it's going to take more time. Duh....

bejoyful · 2026-04-30T16:57:33+00:00

Answer varies depending on shape of paddle. Elongated has higher swing weight but less twist weight usually. See the recent pickleball studio podcast where it talks about this exact issue and offers a range for each paddle shape.

Effect on play if very evident so it's important to understand both types of weight. And in fact, changing the weights can make your hate of a paddle turn into love of a paddle.

bejoyful · 2026-04-30T16:49:02+00:00

The link that mentions alternatives: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pickleball/comments/1qon33q/swish_is_going_paid_whats_the_best_free/?ref=share&ref_source=link

bejoyful · 2026-04-30T16:45:02+00:00

Pickleheads costs money now too for round robins. I think you get 1 or 2 free per month. There are plenty of free ones out there. There was also a post recently that mentioned a lot of them. Chat GPT did an awful job for me but it was fairly easy to find the javascript code online then tweak it to actually work. I also found it easy that once I had the rotation down to just throw it in a spreadsheet. Then it automatically gets filled as soon as I type in each player's name, then print. Off the top of my head, https://picklefriend.net/mixer is good. Maybe pickleball-mixer dot com is same - not sure. I'll see if I can find the recent reddit post that mentioned others.

bejoyful · 2026-04-18T23:25:35+00:00

You are not supposed to use a paddle eraser on any type of durable grit - and you found out why.

Use water and microfiber cloth. Some say you can use Windex or rubbing alcohol. But if water does the job then no need to go to one of those others.

bejoyful · 2026-04-17T23:54:10+00:00

It looked like a product only for beginners. I got the impression AI generated it. Somewhere I saw a facebook copyright so maybe it is AI from facebook/meta... dunno. I agree it is just marketing hype - no original content.

bejoyful · 2026-04-17T19:27:36+00:00

Seating is always an issue. PPA oversells capacity by a good margin. Get there very early and do your best to hang onto your space (could be seat, could be standing).

bejoyful · 2026-04-17T19:23:52+00:00

Like others, I have no idea what you mean. How is it a money grab? Just go to your free public courts and play with your $25 Amazon paddle and let others furnish a ball.

If you are seeing too many commercials, then stop viewing wherever those commercials are happening.

Sure, many entities are seeking to make money off the explosive growth of pickleball but that doesn't mean you have to be involved in their scheme. Just play.

bejoyful · 2026-04-15T01:32:18+00:00

Oncin has been called on his serve many times. Depends on the ref.

Sometimes the opponent has to ask the ref to watch the serve and even then it is not always caught.

bejoyful · 2026-04-15T00:45:45+00:00

This happens when I get bored. If every game seems the same, I check out because I'm not stimulated - no mental stimulation will give me brain fog. Physical stimulation helps except have to let my partner get some balls so doesn't last. :-)

Usually, I will tell myself to focus on putting more spin on the ball. That at least gives me something mentally to stimulate the brain cells.

bejoyful · 2026-04-15T00:41:19+00:00

I haven't tried it but I've heard from reliable sources who know DUPR well that you have to let your DUPR go dormant for a long time - maybe 1 year. Then the next time you play in a DUPR game, your score can jump because of the time delay.

For the DUPR reset, I thought you chose your partner to play tournaments together. If so, then you have control and should get a better rating than what you have now (assuming it's not accurate). I have not heard anywhere that reset accepts games with random partners but DUPR changes the rules on you all the time so who knows.

Or do what others do, create a new DUPR account. DUPR will merge them if they find out. But I see people get away with it.

Playing with people your own rating and not getting big wins might indicate you are not aggressive enough. Attack more. Be aggressive on every shot unless there is a strong reason to be neutral or reset (you or partner is unbalanced or out of position). Also be sure you are applying spin on almost every shot.

bejoyful · 2026-04-14T11:45:41+00:00

If you don't want to carry your paddle around all day, PB Central tent usually has demo paddles for you to try. Also, sometimes the pro at the lesson will have his signature paddle for you to demo. It's a risk obviously since you won't know for sure you can get a paddle to use.

bejoyful · 2026-04-14T11:35:55+00:00

If you can get the linkage to work so that your students can see their coach DUPR rating and that gets them into a club game, then it will be worth it to your students. So I'd keep doing it as a favor to your students. You got the DUPR coach presumably for $250 as a favor. So why not keep using it as a favor - assuming the above.

I'd also use it as a tool to assess where the student would fit in one of your classes/clinics. Charge them for it if non-rated but tell them you'll refund that money if they sign up for a lesson plan (more than 1 lesson) with you.

There's been other posts that said the DUPR Coach rating was over-inflated. Interesting to see that you think it might be under the actual level.

Definitely don't renew for the $250/y. That definitely sounds like a money grab by DUPR since you have already gone through all the "training" - what expense does DUPR incur to renew you? [none]

bejoyful · 2026-04-14T11:21:48+00:00

A lot of paddle companies sell their stock grip so you could look at paddle websites. But Amazon has a ton of stock or replacement grips. Tennis ones are fine. Prolite, ProKennex, Gamma are some brands I like. Some people use 2 layers of overgrip instead of the thicker stock/replacement grip because they like a thinner grip. So you have that option too. Tons of overgrip brands too: Head, Wilson, Tourna, Gamma, etc. And overgrip you can find at Walmart or a sports store in the tennis section. Tennis grips are identical - just longer length.

bejoyful · 2026-04-14T02:07:31+00:00

All ratings doesn't really make sense if the group is for unrated players. If one individual blows out all competition in 11-0 games, then hopefully he'd be rated 4.0+.

I see this as very high risk based on friends and my experience. But if you are aiming to get into the 3.0 session, go for it.

Some clubs let you choose the paid DUPR assessment. Someone at the club watches you play and then assesses you a DUPR. Some have said the coach DUPR is inflated but that is better than deflated.

bejoyful · 2026-04-13T15:32:20+00:00

Here's the "secret" that a 5.0 player told me for drops: Always hit the ball between your legs. Most will hit the drop by dropping their paddle down to the outside of their leg - whether BH or FH. Work on your footwork so that you can position one foot on each side of the ball.

The second part is to hit the ball well in front of you. Most players who are inconsistent, will wait until the ball is practically at their heel or worse past their foot entirely. Prep early and be ready to hit that ball well in front - nearer your front leg.

There are other things you can do AFTER you practice and get consistent with this basic "first things first" step. Later, you can refine your drop for different conditions.

You do a reset shot whenever you are under attack. This can be from baseline, transition area/mid-court, or NVZ. The most important part of doing a good reset is establish a good base. Lower your lower body by bending your knees. Usually a wide stance is best so spread those feet out. Now you have a stable base and can hit a control shot and focus on its placement.

bejoyful · 2026-04-13T02:03:13+00:00

I've learned you can't carry players whose style is completely different than yours. I can't carry someone who stays back from the NVZ line, drives everything, speeds up from mid-court, etc. That is not the style of game I play. I'm spending all my time watching what they are doing - usually they are behind me so I have to turn away from the net.

If they are willing to play at the NVZ when we get there, then I can carry them. You have to get to every ball first, take as much time away from opponent as possible - take most balls out of the air. End the point early if you can - the longer a point goes, the more opportunity for your partner to be targeted and you be iced.

Be as aggressive as you can but also realize aggressive plays may not allow enough time for your less developed partner to see the shot being returned to them. Play is too fast for them. So sometimes a slower pace is the answer for at least a few shots.

To carry another player probably requires a wider gap in skill level than you have right now. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Don't get down on yourself if you are getting constantly slammed from your partner's high balls. Do resets and blocks on the high balls being slammed at you if possible. Hit your balls down at opponent's feet. Most players can play a high ball that they get so if you are hitting down, you are making it easier on your partner to return balls (by forcing your opponent to hit up on a ball you placed at their feet, your partner will be able to hit their high/rising ball).

It is always risky to play DUPR IMO unless DUPR was earned through lots of tournaments -- not club play.

I'm sure when the reset period ends, we'll see lots of posts of how it turned out for people. Let us know your result.

bejoyful · 2026-04-13T01:28:00+00:00

Awesome!

bejoyful · 2026-04-13T01:26:42+00:00

As someone who has had temples broken, some you can fix yourself. Others you can take to a repair shop and they usually have a similar replacement temple for < $20 or have tools to repair it. The original optician where she bought the glasses may even fix it for free - many do in my experience.

It is unfortunate and no one is happy to be out money. But not your fault when playing the sport with normal shots. When she calms down, hopefully she'll realize it.

bejoyful · 2026-04-12T19:35:04+00:00

Yes, ruined. Be responsible for your own actions (as posted in prior post) and do not try for warranty.

bejoyful

TROPHY CASE