This weekly column exists to entertain, inform and hopefully inspire pickleball players by reading about others who face real life obstacles. It exists for you, the pickleball lover. We like hearing from readers about everything related to their pickleball experiences and periodically turn the column over to them.
While most of us love 99.9% of everything about pickleball, we do occasionally see something at the courts that bothers us. A player who irks us in some way. Something about a game, shot or a call that ticks us off. With that in mind, this week I asked pickleball players to tell me what their biggest gripes are and why.
Mike Schenk, 65, St. George, Utah
“Biggest pet peeve(s) would be:
1. “People who make line calls by either asking a question or knowing they didn't even get a chance to turn around to see the ball and still call it out. Three people on the court see the ball hitting a line, center line, or anywhere, and that one other player insists it was out. By rule a partner sees it in, and you see it out, it is in. But that person goes on and on.
2. Playing rec, and not tournament, usually mixed, and the woman gets targeted by both opposing players.”
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Lynn Pellerito, 58, Detroit
“I feel pretty cliche saying this but it's unbelievably frustrating for me to play competitively in tournaments constantly striving to achieve greater success only to have much higher level DUPR players playing down in a bracket.
“They often will use the excuse that their partner has a lower DUPR which I think is a weak excuse.
“I’m not sure if there's a way to solve this beyond the DUPR rating system. Maybe it's the new rating system under UTR I think. But it's hard because I always strive to play up against better players.
“The parity can't be so far apart that the more honest players look foolish just because their opponents want to win a medal.
“I love this sport. I do have other pet peeves but I don't care because my love for the sport outweighs all of it lol.”
Lynn, I couldn’t agree more. And by the way, knowledgeable instructors will tell you that the best way to improve is to play against those a half point better than you.
Ernie Ortiz, 63, Conroe, TX:
“While there are a lot of issues that I see day to day I just wanted to highlight some of them.
“Some players, especially in rec play, want to win at all costs. The issue is usually when they serve you into a wall or players who are too close to your court.
“Another issue is when they seem to call all your shots out, but balls on your side, in. I always tell them, thanks for the input, but thats my call. Actually, I just say that in my head. I don’t want to be a jerk and tell my students to win because you earned the point, not because it was close. When I play against players like that, I just grin and bear it and try to keep balls from being too close to the lines.
“Some players just don’t recognize that this is a team sport and take way too many balls in your court. Sometimes, if you miss a backhand 3rd from the right side, they will say, ‘I can get that one next time.’ That’s great, but this is only rec play and I really want to work on my backhand 3rd.
“Asked to play, but…they don’t hit me the ball. But yet brag at beating me, when I was playing with grandma. Way to go, champ!
“Ha, I feel like I’m venting and thanks for letting me do so. I feel better now.”
Ernie, I always feel better after I vent. Holding your feelings in can be bad for your heatlh.
Karen Butera, 67, Orlando, FL
“People who walk onto a court while a game is in progress ...to socialize. I don't mean a quick hello. I mean discussing plans for the weekend and next week's vacation schedule. Like 10 minutes of interrupting the game. Beyond rude!!!”
Karen, that’s a rare occurrence in my experience. The delay I see that’s annoying is players adjusting the steps feature or whatever on their Apple Watch or Fitbit.
Daniel Dalbowitz, 51, Durango, CO:
“When I’m playing with 3.5 players and they invite me to play and hit away from me. Don’t invite me to play if you’re going to avoid me. We get better by playing with better players. Hit it to the better player at least half the time. Hit me half the returns.”
Maria Piodena, 41, Quebec, Canada:
“For me, it’s having a bad partner, someone who isn’t friendly, complains, and gives unsolicited advice. It’s embarrassing and can really affect how you play for the rest of the rally. I don’t mind advice if it’s given nicely and in a supportive way. Since I usually play in open play and can’t choose my partner, sometimes I end up with someone who makes faces, blames me for mistakes, etc. That kind of partner just takes the fun out of the game.”
Cheryl Kennedy,71, Lubbock, TX
“The one thing that bothers me most is a partner who blames me for everything that goes wrong in the game. I promise it’s usually NOT all my fault! That sucks all the fun out of the game and makes me play worse, not better.”
Quentin Walls, 62, Pickerington, OH
“The thing that bothers me the most is people who take the joy out of playing pickleball during rec play. That could probably be summed up by poor attitude. Making bad line calls, arguing when line calls go against them, fussing at their partner when they make a mistake, etc. It bothers me because it’s a game and we’re there to have fun…or at least 99.9% of us are.”
Kathey Blea, 47, Chattanooga, TN
“In rec play I would say the one thing that bugs me is when people target the weaker player and the other player is just stuck watching. I mean let everyone play and test your skills with the more advanced player.
“Tournament play I would say being grouped with younger people and it being a group with a higher level. I mean I paid money for a specific group and it stinks when you’re stuck playing younger and more advanced players.”
Michele Chandler, 66, Lookout Mountain, GA
“While I am a very competitive player (solid 4.0 level), I do get very frustrated with players who constantly bang every shot. I have worked hard to develop a variety of skills in my game which allows me many strategic options when I play. With bangers, especially those who are not able to control their shots (hitting them too high when I am at the net, resulting in me being hit in the face or neck), make me feel too vulnerable, and cause me to cease playing with them.”
I agree with you, Michele. Thanks to all for taking the time to contribute.
If anyone has an idea for a future column (not about more gripes but maybe about an inspirational player or one with an interesting back story) please email me at mhs7386@gmail.com.
Thoughts of the week, not all Pickleball
· RIP, Diane Keaton. The actress, who died of pneumonia on October 11th at 79, played a broad range of characters and played them all brilliantly. From her Academy Award-winning turn as Annie Hall to Kay, the anguished and rebellious wife of mob boss Al Pacino in The Godfather, Keaton showed her versatility and likability.
· Pickleball players who don’t wear protective eyeglasses be warned once again: A new study shows the rate of eye injuries has increased dramatically in the US. The study published this week by JAMA Opthamology estimates that eye injuries from pickleball increased by 405 cases each year from 2021 to 2024. Of course there are more players but I think not wearing safety glasses is just not smart.
· I know a few pickleball players who play two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening almost every day. Hey, if your body and your significant other can take it, more power to you! I often played twice a day when I started five years ago but can only go five days a week now.
· I’d be surprised if the Dodgers don’t dispatch the Blue Jays in five games in the World Series. LA is loaded and Shohei Ohtani is a freak. As I wrote last week, MLB needs a salary cap or the big market, big payroll teams will continue to dominate. I hope Toronto proves me wrong and beats LA.
· Do you ever notice that on the Fox baseball studio show, Derek Jeter sometimes looks uncomfortable when David Ortiz is clowning around? I don’t blame Jeter. And Alex “A-Roid” Rodriguez has an innate ability to often state the obvious.
· Memo to pickleball players who can only bang everything and can’t dink: That might work when you’re beating up on 3.5 rec players, but against high level players you will get destroyed without a soft game. They will dink and drop you to death.
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