Pickleball and Tennis Tips

AUTHOR:
DATE: February 22, 2017

How do your skills on the court match up? Our pros are here to help! Follow these tips to improve your game:

Pickleball Tips – The Basics

Though pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in America, it’s new to many people. We’re looking forward to making pickleball more accessible on Sanibel Island next month when we open our state-of-the-art courts. Master these basics and we’ll see you on the court in just a few weeks!

  • Always get to the net as fast as you can – if you can control the net more than your opponent you will have a better chance of winning the match.
  • Alternate your serves to get your opponent off balance:
    • High soft serve: high, slow and deep serve.
    • Power serve: low and deep serve.
    • Soft angled serve: low, soft directed near to the Non-Volley Zone.
  • To avoid service faults, aim to the middle of the service box.
  • When receiving the serve, avoid hitting a short ball, which gives your opponent a chance to come to the net, keep them as far from the net as possible.
  • The third shot is usually a drop shot.
  • The key strategy objective in pickleball is to get your team to the net while keeping your opponents away from it.

Ernesto Enriquez-Socas is a USTA member and in the process of securing certification in both his U.S. Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certification in tennis and International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (ITPTA) certification in pickleball.

Tennis Tips – You vs. The Wind

The Florida breeze on Sanibel Island is perfect for hot beach days and can become an advantage in tennis if you know how to use it properly. Here are a few ways that you can play more effectively in the wind:

  • Focus on your footwork. Proper footwork is often the biggest challenge in wind. Keep your steps small so you can change your position quickly to hit the ball cleanly.
  • Playing in the wind will force you to make changes in your groundstrokes as well. Give yourself a larger margin of error when aiming for those corners and passing shots. Instead of aiming for the lines, aim at least 2 or 3 feet inside the lines and let the wind do the rest.
  • Using a drop shot is always very effective when you are hitting into the wind. It will keep the ball from going too deep in the court and will make your opponent run further to get to the ball.
  • Serving in the wind can be the toughest challenge physically and mentally. When you are serving, you must adjust your toss when it’s windy. If you have a very high toss, try to lower it a bit so that you have better command of your serve.

Christian Clark is Sundial’s resident tennis pro. He has been a tennis professional for over 20 years.

For more information about the tennis and pickleball programs at Sundial Beach Resort & Spa, click here.

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