Deep return of serve is so powerful, it's worth a rare mistake, compared to consistent short returns. There are better examples of shots to avoid at all cost.
@@pickleballpick-apart9787 I'd be surprised if any of these players think they are going to hit a winner on their return of serve. They do understand the advantage a deep return of serve provides. People trying to hit winners on their return of serve never make it to the NVZ line.
Watched this match the other day. Hadn't seen someone play with 2 hands on a paddle like that before (female in black top). Super solid play from both teams.
That drip is insane. I need to go practice that. The third shot drive gave the black team three points in a row which ultimately brought them back into the game. Because these GB pro are so powerful, it can cause the opposition to lose the point of they don’t focus just placing the ball back. Really fantastic game
this is open level play, the guy in black plays in the Australia mlp. he's over 6. his partner hasn't been playing that long but got rated 5 after their first tournament together
Commentary at 3:57 is hilarious, 'she misses because she has backed up about 2 feet away from the non-volley zone', as she is clearly in mid court about 6 feet away from the line!
@@pickleballpick-apart9787 Hehe, great match to watch though, clearly way better than 4.5-5.0 it looks to me. I'd say they aren't hitting much that I can't hit at 4.5-4.6 level, but they are just doing it much more consistently (without many errors).
I also play pickleball in California which I believe many players have been playing the aggressive style all year to the point where I also have started to attack from the transition zone then drop counter attacks which seems to be their style play in the video. I would say they are probably 4.5+ DUPR players because there are so many talent pro players in California.
I do think some of the best players are from California. I assume a 4.5 dupr player in California is better than a 4.5 player in New Hampshire. Thanks for watching.
Regarding the way they hold their paddles: yes, text book tennis. It's a great grip for leverage and power. Moving one's grip up the handle moves the pivot point, which then reduces the swing weight, and that tends to result in faster hands at the kitchen. ALW puts her finger on the head, albeit her two-handed backhand. We won't get into Callan Dawson's grip. I do grip the butt-cap when I'm closer to the baseline, but will move my hand up to about mid-handle for dinking, firefights, and blocking. A grip closer to the paddle head definitely produces a more stable paddle. A quick slide down to the end of the handle (importance of butt-cap size) for overheads.
The deep serves and returns were quite good and the challenge with those are always about trying to keep them in. It requires a lot of discipline, athleticism and feel/touch. What impressed me most in this match was the instinctive switching between left and right hands to defend or attack. This seems to be happening more at the 4.0 and higher levels. I also thought that the 2 handed backhand drives were really quite well executed. The are very difficult to get. The first hurdle is just getting into the mindset to respond with the technique. The next is getting into position to execute and the next is angling the body (shoulders and arms included) to aim at the target and then the swing. This was a very entertaining match. I'd hazzard a guess that they are at or about the 4.5 level.
@pickleballpick-apart9787 ... Yes ... 4.5 is on the high side ... if I'm being honest, I play very much like these players and I'm certainly NOT 4.5 (yet). However, one game/match only provides a guess/indicator of the level of play and it also depends on the level of the other players. Rory, your channel has been a good find for me. I stumbled across it in the later part of this year. Happy new year to you!
@@pickleballpick-apart9787 It does show how speed-youth is a major advanatage. Some of these folks may not have the hand skills of 50 plus 5.0 players, but I suspect they would be tough to beat by players in this demographic!
In mixed doubles competitive play women get targeted. If men didn't poach balls they can reach they would be frozen out. Men typically (not always) put more pressure on opponents. The point is to put pressure on the other team and force them to hit smaller areas of the court to actually reach the women (who by the way, because they are targeted will have plenty of shots throughout the game). This pressure will cause them to either change their strategy and force them to direct the ball to the men or cause more errors or out balls going for lower percentage shots.
Hey, nice commentary addition to this awesome match. And thanks for the shoutout in the intro as well! 💪
You're welcome! I hope it gets you some more subscribers.
Deep return of serve is so powerful, it's worth a rare mistake, compared to consistent short returns. There are better examples of shots to avoid at all cost.
I get your point, but, I see a lot of players who think they can hit a winner on their return of serve. It very rarely happens. Thanks for watching.
@@pickleballpick-apart9787 I'd be surprised if any of these players think they are going to hit a winner on their return of serve. They do understand the advantage a deep return of serve provides. People trying to hit winners on their return of serve never make it to the NVZ line.
What a awesome example of great consistent play! 👏
I think so. Thanks for watching.
Watched this match the other day. Hadn't seen someone play with 2 hands on a paddle like that before (female in black top). Super solid play from both teams.
It really was. Thanks for watching.
That drip is insane. I need to go practice that. The third shot drive gave the black team three points in a row which ultimately brought them back into the game. Because these GB pro are so powerful, it can cause the opposition to lose the point of they don’t focus just placing the ball back. Really fantastic game
Very true about the paddle. That's why it is being banned effective July 1st. Thanks for watching.
@@pickleballpick-apart9787 guy in black looks to be using a gearbox pro control model, not on the banned list.
OK. Thought it was elongated. Thanks for watching.
this is open level play, the guy in black plays in the Australia mlp. he's over 6. his partner hasn't been playing that long but got rated 5 after their first tournament together
Not surprising. Thanks for watching.
Commentary at 3:57 is hilarious, 'she misses because she has backed up about 2 feet away from the non-volley zone', as she is clearly in mid court about 6 feet away from the line!
Thanks for watching and thanks for pointing that out. Glad you found it hilarious.
@@pickleballpick-apart9787 Hehe, great match to watch though, clearly way better than 4.5-5.0 it looks to me.
I'd say they aren't hitting much that I can't hit at 4.5-4.6 level, but they are just doing it much more consistently (without many errors).
I also play pickleball in California which I believe many players have been playing the aggressive style all year to the point where I also have started to attack from the transition zone then drop counter attacks which seems to be their style play in the video. I would say they are probably 4.5+ DUPR players because there are so many talent pro players in California.
I do think some of the best players are from California. I assume a 4.5 dupr player in California is better than a 4.5 player in New Hampshire. Thanks for watching.
Yah dude in black is not 4.5 lol.. Pretty sure he is close to a 6
Regarding the way they hold their paddles: yes, text book tennis. It's a great grip for leverage and power. Moving one's grip up the handle moves the pivot point, which then reduces the swing weight, and that tends to result in faster hands at the kitchen. ALW puts her finger on the head, albeit her two-handed backhand. We won't get into Callan Dawson's grip. I do grip the butt-cap when I'm closer to the baseline, but will move my hand up to about mid-handle for dinking, firefights, and blocking. A grip closer to the paddle head definitely produces a more stable paddle. A quick slide down to the end of the handle (importance of butt-cap size) for overheads.
Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching.
Not even close to 4.5 ,this is 5.0 +
Someone mentioned in the comments they know who these players are and you are correct. Thanks for watching.
The deep serves and returns were quite good and the challenge with those are always about trying to keep them in. It requires a lot of discipline, athleticism and feel/touch.
What impressed me most in this match was the instinctive switching between left and right hands to defend or attack. This seems to be happening more at the 4.0 and higher levels.
I also thought that the 2 handed backhand drives were really quite well executed. The are very difficult to get. The first hurdle is just getting into the mindset to respond with the technique. The next is getting into position to execute and the next is angling the body (shoulders and arms included) to aim at the target and then the swing.
This was a very entertaining match. I'd hazzard a guess that they are at or about the 4.5 level.
I think that's about right. If not high. Thanks for watching.
@pickleballpick-apart9787 ... Yes ... 4.5 is on the high side ... if I'm being honest, I play very much like these players and I'm certainly NOT 4.5 (yet).
However, one game/match only provides a guess/indicator of the level of play and it also depends on the level of the other players.
Rory, your channel has been a good find for me. I stumbled across it in the later part of this year.
Happy new year to you!
Happy New Year to you! I very much appreciate you watching.
The young woman in the black top is using two hands for both forehand and backhand. Don't think I've seen that before.
Thanks for pointing that out. Rarely see a two-handed forehand.
For anyone who thinks this is 4.5, I'd like to know what you think is the difference between 4.5 and 5.0 play.
Wow!
Yeah, I know. Thanks for watching.
they got back alot of tough balls fer sure!
They did! Thanks for watching!
Definitely 4.5 or higher!
Thanks for your opinion and thanks for watching.
This is 5.0 play
Thanks for your opinion and thanks for watching.
the ball hog won.....hate ball hogs especially on mix doubles.
It happens at that level. Thanks for watching.
One game is not enough to assess the standard, overall it looks like a 4,5-5.0 game to me.
I think you're right. Thanks for watching.
@@pickleballpick-apart9787 It does show how speed-youth is a major advanatage. Some of these folks may not have the hand skills of 50 plus 5.0 players, but I suspect they would be tough to beat by players in this demographic!
Seriously, this is way better than 4.5-5.0 level!
5.0
Thanks for watching.
What’s with both men poaching shots that are clearly where the women are standing?
It happens very often at this level. It happens in professional play as well. Thanks for watching.
In mixed doubles competitive play women get targeted. If men didn't poach balls they can reach they would be frozen out. Men typically (not always) put more pressure on opponents. The point is to put pressure on the other team and force them to hit smaller areas of the court to actually reach the women (who by the way, because they are targeted will have plenty of shots throughout the game). This pressure will cause them to either change their strategy and force them to direct the ball to the men or cause more errors or out balls going for lower percentage shots.
It's 4.5 this Sport I only play only 3 months I body bag my Opponent and down the line
Thanks for watching.