r/Pickleball

At open play, I was playing with a partner who would run up to the kitchen line after every 3rd shot we made. If they hit it to me, I would do a drive and then we would be set up pretty hard if I didnt keep my drive toward my side of the baseline so the opposing player wouldnt slam it at my partner.

I wanted to ask him if he could more slowly move up to the kitchen but really dont how to instigate that kind of conversation with someone who has been playing a lot longer than I have.

Some of the other teams tended to pick on him and I actually didnt get that many 3rds, depending on which group we were playing against. Many times he would return his 3rd, rush up and then on his 5th it went long or into the net.

Are there ever strategy conversations in open play if you end up playing with a certain partner for multiple games

Basing my experience only on Tennis, Badminton, and Ping Pong, if a ball is clearly going to be out but someone plays it, that's a live ball. If I were playing ping pong and someone decided to jump to return a ball and ended up hitting it wide of the table, they couldn't call "that would have been out" and refuse to accept that they made a poor judgment and attempted a return that didn't pan out.

I played pickleball yesterday, and I was given feedback that if a ball was clearly going out, it is a courtesy to acknowledge it, whether a player tries to return it or not, and pass the serve. Is this real? To me, this seems hard to prove what would have gone out and what would not have. Even if it is obvious that someone should have let the ball go, if they hit it, isn't it a live ball?

I’m a 4.0 female and having a tough time finding mixed partners for tournaments when I travel. I’ve tried reaching out to players who signed up without partners (usually around my level, sometimes a little lower or higher and around my age), and I’ve also posted in local Facebook groups and clubs.

Still not getting much traction. I know tournaments can get expensive, so maybe people just don’t want to risk it with someone they haven’t played with. Is this just how it is at this level, or am I missing something? What actually gets people to say yes?

Any ideas on how to find partners when traveling?

I have no friends, my group doesn't want to drill, and the only time I have is 6am to 8am or in-between lunch/dinner breaks. 6am to 8am are usually devoted to open play (non DUPR gated) and I try to drill at least 3~4 times a week (an hour and a half session each) on wall drills.

I recently realized that all of my skills other than handspeed and drives are subpar at best and frequently lose to players who seem to play at 4.0+ and only winning points based on their misses. My dinks are pretty good, but drops, resets and forehand counters are dogshit.

My work hours are 9am to 8:30pm almost everyday, and I play rec pickleball with my group from 8:30pm to 10:30pm and go to gym afterwards. Weekends are packed with responsibilities, and I have a ball machine that I can bring to a local indoor facilities at least once a week and I am thinking of working on resets, drops and forehand counters.

What else can I focus on to become a consistent 4.0 player?

to let the ball bounce near the nvz line.

i think this concept was popularized by Briones in multiple of his videos.

this seems to make sense to me as by making the ball bounce you avoid the opponent volleying the ball which takes away your time or gets you sped up. So it makes your dink more aggressive.

Or is it better for using double hand drive?

I know one handed works in tennis, but does it works in pickleball?

What do you think of someone who is a newbie (played for 6 weeks) who is thinking of joining a singles tournament with no dupr rating?

https://preview.redd.it/dosag9rpi8wg1.jpg?width=1048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0720769a028979c288c08ea97a004dc8a44db84a

Hey Reddit, Santhosh here.

I'm the founder and CEO of Speedup Pickleball, a performance paddle brand I started while working a 9-5. I recently left to go all in on it! I'm also a professional pickleball player and coach based in the Bay Area, so I live this sport from every angle.

Really excited to be here today. I'm an open book. Paddle tech, the design process, what it actually takes to run a small paddle company, the pro game, coaching, how to level up your game. Nothing is off limits.

We just launched the Tide Series, our best reviewed paddle yet. Three shapes (14L, 14H, 14S), $169.99, and players who have gotten their hands on it have been really happy.

Giving away one Tide paddle to someone in this thread. Upvote and leave a comment, that's it. Question, opinion, hot take, doesn't matter.

The AMA will be open for 24 hours and I will be answering throughout the day! Looking forward to the questions!

Announcement Post

I'm seeking advice as I look to move somewhere in the US with my biggest priority being high-level outdoor pickleball year-round.

I'm in the 4.0-4.5 range and play 20+ hours a week, but I'm tired of cold weather and having to play indoors for half the year. I live on my own, make pretty good money, and work remotely so I'm fortunate to not have many restrictions in that regard.

I'd especially love to be close to a big park / facility where I can get consistent games at a decent level, and eventually make friends & find groups to play with. I'm not the competitive tournament type, I love having fun and slowly improving from hours of open play or private groups.

I'm also a single guy in my 20s so a younger presence would be ideal!

So far my research has led me to the following candidates:

Location	Pickleball Hub(s)
Los Angeles, CA	Memorial Park
Orange Country, CA	The Tennis & Pickleball Club at Newport Beach, Los Cab Sports Club
San Diego, CA	Barnes, Bobby Riggs, The Hub, maybe more?
Fort Lauderdale, FL	The Fort, Holiday Park, lots more to the north
Daytona Beach, FL	Pictona
Naples, FL	USOP Pickleball Center (older crowd?)
Scottsdale / Phoenix, AZ	Haven't researched this

I know cost of living & summer weather differ pretty wildly between CA, FL, and AZ, but I think these would check my most important boxes.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, especially if you've played at these locations. Let me know if there's another good option I missed!

Is there or can someone make an app for no-partner folks needing a partner to get into local doubles tournaments? So hard to enter doubles tournaments if you are not very social, have a busy schedule, do not want to pay for every open play, etc.

My DUPR is ~3.9. Problem is my buddies say i play like 4.5 during rec but 3.5 during tournament and rated. Basically the nerves and the inconsistencies due to pressure.

Anything you guys do to take this away ? I have tried embracing the pressure but doesn't always work.

Please use this weekly thread for all paddle questions and recommendations

Please be helpful and do not spam this post so that others can use it for future reference.

Remember all community rules apply. We have REDDIT promo codes available in the other pinned post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pickleball/s/zpx1wUALzL

Join the official r/Pickleball Discord here: https://discord.gg/NxQGYvBVHV

Too many 3.0 to 4.0 players are using the Boomstick

For context, I’m a 5.24 DUPR, so I can adjust and make most paddles work. I just picked up a Q2, which is basically a Boomstick clone, and yeah the thing is crazy on offense. Drives feel effortless, drive come off hot, drips are nasty, you can generate pace/spin without doing much.

But on defense it is rough. Resets are way less forgiving, touch shots are harder to control, and if your mechanics are not clean you are popping balls up or sending them long.

It still took me a good 10 to 15 hours to feel comfortable controlling it in the soft game, especially resets. So when I see a lot of mid level players using it, I really think it is doing more harm than good.

If it feels like it is helping you win, it is probably because you are ending points faster with power, not because your overall game is improving. Long term that can build some bad habits. You are not really developing touch, you rely on pace, and your resets never get consistent.

For most players, especially below 4.5, a more forgiving paddle just makes more sense. Something that lets you reset cleanly and actually develop feel at the kitchen.

I spent some time going through the full 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook so you don't have to. Here are the changes that will actually affect your game:

1. Rally scoring game point — The 'freeze' is dead. Either team can win on match point now, serving or receiving. No more agonizing back-and-forth at 10-10.
2. Volley serve clarity — Your serve must CLEARLY be below the waist, paddle head CLEARLY below wrist, CLEARLY upward arc. If the ref has to think about it, it's a fault.
3. No crowd-sourcing line calls — Changed from 'should not' to 'must not' ask spectators. Your buddy on the sideline yelling 'THAT WAS IN!' is no longer your lifeline.
4. Second ball on court = fault — If a loose ball falls out of your pocket mid-rally, the point is over. Empty your pockets before you play.
5. Out calls must be immediate — No more waiting to see if your partner returns it and then calling it out. If you hesitate, it's in.
6. Refs can penalize during warm-ups — Trash-talking before the match even starts? The ref is watching.
7. Adaptive Standing Division — Officially recognized for players with permanent mobility or balance challenges. Two-bounce rule applies. This is the best change on the list.

I put together a more detailed breakdown with more rules in simple terms on my site if anyone wants the full rundown: pickleballfordummies.com

What do you all think about the freeze being eliminated? Curious if people think that's a good change or not?

I’ve been thinking about this after playing more Pickleball lately — do you ever lose track of the score mid-game?

With the way scoring works (especially in doubles), I feel like it’s surprisingly easy to get confused. Between calling out three numbers, keeping track of server order, and only scoring on serve, there are definitely moments where everyone pauses and tries to figure out where we’re at.

I know some people are really good at tracking it, but in more casual games it feels like not everyone is paying attention, and it ends up falling on one person to remember everything.

So I started wondering: what if this could be automated?

The idea would be to set up a small camera by the court and have it track the game in real time, figure out when a rally ends, and update the score automatically. Ideally it could even call out the score between points so no one has to think about it.

I’m curious how people here feel about something like this. Would you actually use it, or is keeping track of the score just part of the game for you?

Hi! I'm headed to a conference at the La Quinta in a few weeks would love to find some competitive play but not opposed to just playing some fun open play. Is there an early crowd at courts in Palm Springs? I don't mind playing at 6 am.

The shot I hit to them was an unattackable dink in every sense of the word. It did not stand up for them and it bounced really low.

Yet this guy hits a hard speed up right at my head and clocks me with it.

He did this twice this game, so it's obvious that was his strategy.

This is sort of disrespectful but I don't know how to counter. It's too fast to dodge and he doesn't aim for my head every time. He will sometimes just dink like normal before hitting this unhinged shot.