Tournaments are competitive, no matter what sport you’re playing. It’s a place where athletes come together to test their abilities against others and sometimes emotions can run high.
Some people are built for highly intense situations and others work hard to prepare for them. Unlike tennis, pickleball is one of those sports that allows for timeouts, so if you’re not already making use of your timeouts, you really should be!
Let's dive in...
Being that Canadian Nationals are just around the corner, I’m in the tournament mindset. It’s been more than one month since the last tournament (US Open) and with just under two weeks to go for Nationals I’m feeling the craving for competition and it’s coming out in the form of random bursts of energy.
During a tournament when energy levels move from high to low, maybe back to high frequency, time can get away from you, and before you know it the match is done. A way of preventing the feeling that the match slipped away from you is by utilizing all of your timeouts. Remember, sanctioned tournaments (and the majority of non-sanctioned tournaments) allow two one-minute timeouts per team, per game.
Defensive Timeouts
If someone told you that you could avoid a loss by taking a timeout would you take it? Who wouldn’t, right? While there’s no science or algorithm that can tell you when to take a timeout, if the team you’re playing has a match point on their paddle and you have a timeout to spare, you’d use it, right?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen teams not take a timeout in a match point situation and that losing team does end up going on to lose the game, or match. But, why not use a timeout to stop their momentum? Even if the score is 10-1-1 for the other team, why make it easy for them to walk away with the ‘w’?
Not only does pickleball incorporate timeouts but you’re also allowed to receive coaching, so if you have a coach supporting you during a match, definitely use your timeouts to receive some tips!
Even if you don’t have a coach (or the coach isn’t at that particular match), take the timeout to review some of the areas you’ve worked on together. Self-guide yourself and your teammate in those sixty seconds. Or, just simply take time for yourselves.
Sometimes, when my teammate and I take a timeout we’re not spending much time strategizing, we’re using those seconds to hydrate, and recompose ourselves, and often for me I’m finding that balance of energy. So, if I, or we are playing at an energy that’s too high for the situation, I'm reminding myself to level out and play calmly - or vice versa, depending on what I feel is required.
It’s not just on the brink of losing a match that timeouts should be utilized. These breaks can shift the momentum from one team's favour to the other. Remember that schoolyard basketball game “21”?
I fully remember the strategy of throwing the shooter off their rhythm. Basically, if the shooter is on a run at the free-throw line, feed the ball just out of their reach, breaking their momentum. This totally sometimes worked.
Enough to keep trying. Timeouts can totally change the flow of a match. If one team is much stronger than the other then maybe a timeout won’t change much, but then I go back to the thought: never hand over a win. Slow things down and make them earn the match.
Offensive Timeouts
Typically, a timeout on your serve - despite the score - is considered an offensive timeout. Calling a timeout when you and your partner have the lead but the other team goes on a run and starts to close in on the lead is one of the most common uses of a timeout.
Another common example of an offensive timeout is when you’ve sat on the same point for a few rallies and serving exchanges but can’t gain another one. I’ve experienced it enough firsthand to know that taking a timeout in moments like these often results in removing the “block”.
With this scenario I’m not sure where the timeout lands, in the offensive or defensive category, but I’m thinking the latter. Scoreboard aside, if one team makes a call that causes inflammatory reactions from the other side, it’s often wise to take a timeout. For either team.
First of all, this happens quite a bit. Players disagree with a line call or a judges overrule. Whatever the scenario is that causes emotional reactions, it’s always wise to call a timeout to regather. I think in another article I share parts of my first tournament experience.
I served before the referee called in the semi-final match and my partner and I did not call a timeout. We had faced a more experienced and highly skilled team, maybe a timeout wouldn’t have changed the outcome but I do know that my teammate and I would have played far less distracted if we had stopped the play and told ourselves to stay in the moment and play in the present.
Timeout During Singles
When it’s just you and one other player on the court there are lots of moving parts: trying to self-motivate/self-coach, strategize, play loose, play calm and not to mention cover one half of the court all by yourself. Taking your timeouts is incredibly important when it comes to singles.
They give you the time to think about what you want to do and make some changes if necessary. Do you want to engage in cat and mouse at the kitchen or is it more effective to go for the passing drive?
I just watched a pro singles match on the APP tour. The third and fourth seeds went against one another in the opportunity bracket. The winner goes on to bronze.
The third seed player had the match on his paddle at 14-7 but the fourth seed fought to regain possession and served two quick points, so a timeout was called. After sixty seconds the referee calls the score and what happens?
The serve goes wide and the player in the lead takes back the serve for the match, without even having to fight for it. The person strategically used his timeout and it paid dividends. This player also won about three rallies later, to go on to play for bronze.
