In pickleball, rec or drop-in play often refers to “open skill” play. It is currently still the most common way to engage in pickleball and has proven to grow communities across Canada. It’s also common simply because there’s a lack of accessibility with this sport.
A good example of this would be the recreation centers within the city I live in. They only offer basic drop-in pickleball with little interest in growing the game so that dedicated pickleball can happen based on skill level. Hopefully, one day that will be a different story.
All too often, a certain dynamic naturally transpires within rec play. Players will only hit to the presumably weaker player in order to win the game. I’ve seen it happen time and time again and I’m here to call it like it is.
Winning can be the main goal for tournament play - or an intentionally competitive match - and player isolation does tend to occur. This is more of an appropriate scenario to target one person over another because when you register for a tournament you are knowingly and willingly signing up for a specific skill level to compete in.
It’s up to you and your teammate to overcome the pressure that the other team has placed on you.
But, when players target a weaker player during rec play, it gets me twisted up and I find myself biting my tongue from saying something. That said, we’re finally getting back into the life where drop-in pickleball can once again resume and, after a two-year hiatus, maybe now is the time to put out the friendly reminder that it’s actually okay for everyone to participate in a rally!
Going back to my point about pickleball starting off slow where I am. About 30 minutes away from me, a large sports facility offers drop-in pickleball once a week. Before the pandemic, the sport grew so fast that half of the gym was dedicated for skill levels 3.5 and under and the other half was designated for 3.5 and over.
Once pickleball grew enough for them they were able to provide a more dedicated space, giving newbies the chance to feel more comfortable as they learn the basics of the game and the opportunity for those who prefer to play with similar skill levels or higher.
Rec play is fun and let’s keep it that way. When you choose to participate in a drop-in session, one that is not dedicated to a specific skill or range of skill, you’ve agreed to play anyone and everyone regardless of how far along they are in their own game.
I have actually attended plenty of drop-ins where my experience exceeds my partner’s and I've witnessed firsthand this non-inclusive attitude. This type of playing can negatively impact the “weaker” player and is not an encouraging way to keep the sport growing.
Ultimately, be brave and choose to play the stronger player during all rec games. By doing so, you’re giving yourself a real challenge, one that can help you grow your game. In order to be a stronger player, you have to focus harder, play smarter, faster, and see the game from a different lens.
A team that targets someone’s weaknesses, clearly wants an easy win for themselves but, what effective skills could they be developing in a situation like this?
For anyone looking to get better on their own, why not use rec games as a chance to learn, work on something specific or to present themselves as an ambassador of the sport and teach the “weaker” player a thing or two?
With courts being a hot commodity, the choice is yours: champion the sport rather than taking the easy win over and over again.
On the other hand, during competitive play and in tournaments there are many scenarios when one is targeted. In mixed matches, you will often see the female on the right-hand side of the court and the two women hitting forehand cross-court dinks to one another.
This occurs because one main objective is to keep the ball away from the opposing male player, whose forehand is covering the middle area of the court.
When I think about player isolation in pickleball, I’ll always think of this popular video on YouTube featuring four very familiar professional players. The cross-court dinks between the two women happen so frequently and repeatedly that one male player stands with both hands on his hips, paddle pointing down to the ground.
I think he even goes as far as to walk in a circle, which appears to be out of “boredom”. This example is not meant to highlight top-notch sportsmanship, rather, I want to make it clear that regardless of this one player’s feelings about the girl vs girl rally, there’s no reason why anyone needed to play the ball to him. It was clearly a strategy to not play him and in tournament play, this is acceptable.
For those of you interested in finding this YouTube video, it was a gold medal match and the team who didn’t display the obvious dissatisfaction ended up winning. If you dig around you’ll be able to find it, I’m sure of it, but, I will say that I first noticed this behavior around 8:06 minutes of the match.
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