Tips from a Pro...
Court Positioning...
By Mark Friedenberg
I once played in a major Pro-Am racquetball tournament in Seattle, Wash., where I asked one of the big professionals, “What is the most important thing that I can learn and practice in racquetball?” He thought about it and said, “Court positioning.” Then he walked away! What did he mean? After a while I finally realized what he was talking about! My definition of court positioning is, “Your position on the court in relationship to your partner, your opponents and the ball. Where you position yourself on the court will prevent or limit errors. The fewer errors you make, the more points you win. The more points you win, the more games you will win. And whether you are solely recreational or a tournament player, we all want to win.
The highest chance for errors and lost points is the return of serve. In my clinics and lessons I have always preached, “Forehand, forehand, forehand!” For most players your forehand is your strongest and most reliable stroke. Use it! I know, I hear this all the time, “But my backhand is my best stroke.” If you observe players in your area, you will see that most of their errors are made on backhand strokes. Also, most backhand strokes are defensive shots, whereas forehand strokes are offensive shots.
You must position yourself for a forehand return. Therefore, right-handers stay to the left and left-handers stay to the right. Position yourself so that you can use a forehand on the return of serve. I also position myself for a forehand return when I am the server. I serve and return in the same spot.
Editors' Note: Mark Friedenberg is the author of The Official Pickleball Handbook.
Ways To Get a USAPA Skill Rating…
By Chris Thomas, USAPA Ratings Chair
I've recently received emails from players asking how they get an official USAPA skill rating. There are basically two methods. One is to receive a recommendation from a Tournament Director (TD), usually of a sanctioned USAPA tournament at which the TD and others have viewed the player. Based on the TD’s observations and the player’s results in the tournament, the TD sends an e-mail to me at ratingschair@usapa.org. If there is no further research to be conducted the player will be informed via e-mail of either his or her initial rating or a rating change. The rating will then be entered as a “T” fortournament rating, in the USAPA.org player rating file.
The second method is for the player to review the skill level definitions at USAPA.org to determine what his skill level may be. The player then e-mails the ratings chair (ratingschair@usapa.org) with a request to be self-rated, and includes any supporting data such as recent tournament results, etc. The ratings chair reviews the request and informs the player of the decision. Such a rating would be an “S” type for self-rated in the USAPA ratings file.
Both “S” and “T” are official USAPA skill ratings. Unrated players, those that have no official USAPA rating, will often rate themselves to enter a tournament. It’s important to understand that this is the player’s self-assessment for a particular tournament, not an official USAPA rating. In fact, TDs of sanctioned USAPA tournaments have the authority and flexibility to assign a tournament rating to any unrated player for that tournament, based on the TD’s knowledge and observations of the player. It is only after the tournament is completed and the TD sends in a recommendation to the ratings chair that the player would subsequently be assigned an official USAPA rating.
There are a limited number of individuals and rating committees who have the authority to assign ratings. These rating committees have a more comprehensive knowledge of the individual player, and these committees efficiently distribute the ratings workload with regard to the explosive growth of this sport. In these situations, the individuals or rating committees who update the ratings file need to inform the player via e-mail of a rating change.
You can review more information on skill ratings at: http://www.usapa.org/ratings-usapa/.
Ways To Get a USAPA Skill Rating…
By Chris Thomas, USAPA Ratings Chair
I've recently received emails from players asking how they get an official USAPA skill rating. There are basically two methods. One is to receive a recommendation from a Tournament Director (TD), usually of a sanctioned USAPA tournament at which the TD and others have viewed the player. Based on the TD’s observations and the player’s results in the tournament, the TD sends an e-mail to me at ratingschair@usapa.org. If there is no further research to be conducted the player will be informed via e-mail of either his or her initial rating or a rating change. The rating will then be entered as a “T” fortournament rating, in the USAPA.org player rating file.
The second method is for the player to review the skill level definitions at USAPA.org to determine what his skill level may be. The player then e-mails the ratings chair (ratingschair@usapa.org) with a request to be self-rated, and includes any supporting data such as recent tournament results, etc. The ratings chair reviews the request and informs the player of the decision. Such a rating would be an “S” type for self-rated in the USAPA ratings file.
Both “S” and “T” are official USAPA skill ratings. Unrated players, those that have no official USAPA rating, will often rate themselves to enter a tournament. It’s important to understand that this is the player’s self-assessment for a particular tournament, not an official USAPA rating. In fact, TDs of sanctioned USAPA tournaments have the authority and flexibility to assign a tournament rating to any unrated player for that tournament, based on the TD’s knowledge and observations of the player. It is only after the tournament is completed and the TD sends in a recommendation to the ratings chair that the player would subsequently be assigned an official USAPA rating.
There are a limited number of individuals and rating committees who have the authority to assign ratings. These rating committees have a more comprehensive knowledge of the individual player, and these committees efficiently distribute the ratings workload with regard to the explosive growth of this sport. In these situations, the individuals or rating committees who update the ratings file need to inform the player via e-mail of a rating change.
You can review more information on skill ratings at: http://www.usapa.org/ratings-usapa/.
