Day 19: Rest and Recovery

Learning to Drive the Return in Pickleball | My Pickleball Diary

Are you someone who loves the game of pickleball? Do you enjoy the thrill of playing on the court and the satisfaction of improving your game? Then you’ll understand the frustration of being unable to play due to injury. In this 19th entry of my pickleball diary, I share my experience of a day of rest and recovery, and how I spent my time learning more about the game even when I couldn’t play.

A Day of Rest and Recovery

Yesterday, I woke up to a little discomfort in my Achilles but thankfully, no real pain. I went through my normal morning routine, but it took a bit longer than usual due to the tenderness of my leg. I headed to work around 4:30 am and spent most of the day at my desk instead of moving around the warehouse. By 5 PM, it had started raining, and my son AJ texted to let me know that he was riding out the weather in the gym at Pontiff. By the time I arrived, the rain had subsided. I decided to pick him up and head back home since I didn’t feel it wise to put too much strain on my leg by walking to the pickleball courts. He was in the middle of a game when I arrived. We chatted about his play on the way home. It seemed like I missed watching some great games today.

Learning to Drive the Return in Pickleball

After dinner, I decided to spend some time watching pickleball videos on YouTube. Although I couldn’t play, I could still learn and improve my game. One of the biggest takeaways from the videos I watched was the importance of driving the return as deep and low as possible. This tactic helps your team climb the mountain and make it to the net. It’s crucial to pay close attention to how well the return is hit since it plays a significant role in how the point will play out.

In the past, I used to attempt to send back a deep lob, thinking that it would be easy to get to the net. While this is true, it also gives the opposing team an opportunity to hit the ball when it’s at its apex. This calls for quick reflexes to volley the smash that is coming back while standing at the net. Keeping the return low and deep can drive the opponents back or keep them back, allowing for a much easier volley, dink, or speed up.

A Passion for Pickleball

Pickleball is an exciting sport that requires skill, strategy, and teamwork. As someone who loves the game, being unable to play due to an injury has been challenging. However, I’ve learned that there are still ways to improve my game even when I can’t play. Watching pickleball videos has been an excellent way to learn new tactics and strategies that I can incorporate into my game when I’m back on the court.

I look forward to getting back on the court and putting what I’ve learned into practice. Until then, I’ll continue to study, learn, and hopefully have much more knowledge the next time I am able to take the court.