A new ‘flex’ league is here. And how to play at Indian Wells
A few months ago we told you about DUPR, a skill rating system for pickleball players. Maybe you’ve already tried it, or maybe you’re still hesitant to jump into the pool. Well the folks behind DUPR are arranging some league games in the Coachella Valley this fall and it seems like a cheap and easy way to get your rating and meet new people to play with at your level.
As a reminder, DUPR rates players on a scale of 2 to 8. If you’ve played in any type of tournament before, chances are you already have a DUPR rating. If you’ve never played in a tournament, don’t worry, you can still get a rating.
All you have to do is download the DUPR app or visit the website at mydupr.com. Either claim your profile or create one from scratch. Then click Events and search for Palm Desert.
There you will see information about “Palm Desert: DUPR Flex Leagues November 1st – December 6th”.
The leagues are for doubles only – men, women and mixed. If you sign up for a men’s or women’s match for $30, you’ll also get mixed doubles for free.
After you sign up, you will be paired with local opponents. You can register with a partner or simply register on your own and coordinator Jesse Talamantez will match you with a partner.
Then you and your partner are put into a pool with four other teams. You will be asked to play four games between November 1st and December 6th and enter the results into the app. All games must be best 3 out of 5 games.
These results feed into your assessment, and that assessment will become more accurate over time.
The cool thing about this system, says Talamantez, is that teams can choose where and when to play as they please. The full rules are available online at bit.ly/3em7m0V and you can email [email protected] for more details.
Interested in playing pickleball at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden? You can throughout October
If you’re looking to upgrade your next game, how about a game at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden? This world-class facility is open for recreational pickleball ahead of the Margaritaville 2022 Championships.
Daily access and monthly memberships are available for the month of October. Daily access is $10 and a monthly membership is $100. There are also $90 classes and $15 clinics.
The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is a cashless venue that only accepts debit and credit cards.
Each competitor must stop by the Pro Shop to receive a wristband for daily access and present valid proof of vaccination. To enter the facility, you must show a valid vaccination certificate on your mobile phone each time and present your digital vaccination card from the CLEAR app.
Winter is coming and with it the LED lights!
It’ll be dark soon before 5 p.m. Boo. However, the city of La Quinta makes it easier for people to gamble after the sun goes down. The city is adding new LED lights to the pickleball and tennis courts on the north side of Fritz Burns Park. Installation is scheduled to begin on Monday and could take five days, with occasional game disruptions as workers access the light poles.
Coach Mary’s tip for the week: Strategies for keeping the ball low
Here are some pickleball scenarios. See if any sounds sound familiar.
You’re in a great dink rally, and you’re patient and trying not to be the first to pull the hammer. Oops you hung it too high, and wham! Your opponent smashes a Put-A-Way right at your feet.
You’re in the kitchen trying to get the other team off the grid. You decide to throw an offensive lob, but you’re too far back on your heels and you make him jump up. phew! Your partner is pinned down with an overhead.
Instead of a controlled third shot that is unassailable, you choose to hit a third ball drive at the person across from you. It’s shoulder-high on her forehand, and with a big smile, she promptly drives a winner in the middle.
What can you do besides saying “sorry” to your partner?
Along with drilling your offensive lobs, practicing your unassailable third-shot drops, and working on putting your dinks at your opponents’ feet, here are some tips:
- Avoid hitting hard shots from low to high. Keep them soft regardless of your backswing or whether it’s a dink, third shot, or groundstroke. Three types of low to high soft hits: dinks, drops, resets. Keep them soft and low.
- Keep the ball at your opponent’s feet. One of the goals of Pickleball is not to get attacked! It doesn’t matter if the ball goes high. The key is whether your opponent touches it high. Aim for her shoelaces.
- Contact the ball at its highest point as often as possible. You will have a much better chance to attack!
- Touch the ball when it’s in front of you! This is my favorite mantra. If it’s low, keep an open angle of the paddle face. Be sure to check it out in the video below.
- Grip – keep it soft, especially when you’re in a fight at the net. Spread your fingers a little, breathe and release the death grip! Especially with soft shots and resets.
- Avoid wrist movements and leading with the elbow. On soft shots, use your shoulders as your primary hinge. My students regularly hear, “Hips and shoulders!!
- Develop topspin and slice. We’ve already covered these, so watch the video mentioned below for a refresher. Topspin creates low to high spin on the ball, and Slice creates backspin or underspin on the ball.
If they go high, we go low!
For more tips, check out this video, youtu.be/wW-rv9bvxK4, by Prime Time Pickleball’s Nicole Havlicek. (Sorry Jordan Briones but I use you quite a bit so it’s Nicole’s turn!)
Memory: My first outdoor round robin of the season is October 23rd at Freedom Park. Visit pickleballtournaments.com for more information.
