Cup
of
Joe
In men’s doubles, 40% of the balls hit are touch shots, and
their points average 8.6 hits. However, in women’s doubles or
mixed, the touch shot average is 45%, and the average point is
9.6 hits or 12% longer compared to men-only matches.
The logical behavioral reason for this discrepancy is that
women tend to be more patient than men. In pickleball,
patience is truly a virtue with real-life benefits. The fact that
touch shots play such an important role in pickleball results in
two of the big attractions of the sport. First, that it is a gender
equalizer. And, second, that it is a power neutralizer.
What do these percentages mean in practical terms? To
prepare for doubles play, whether you are a male or female
player, nearly half of your practice time should be spent on
dinks off the bounce and soft controlled volleys. And, slightly
more than half of your practice time should be spent on various
full-stroke shots. These include the serve, a drive return, chip
return, drive volley, and overhead. Just remember to practice
not only forehands, but backhands as well. •
WHAT ARE
YOUR PRIORITIES?
What’s the major pickleball
difference between
women and men?
SUBMITTED BY JOE DINOFFER
Joe Dinoffer is a master professional in the USPTA
and PTR, has written seven tennis books and 22
DVDs, and has appeared on the Tennis Channel. His
company, www.OncourtOffcourt.com, manufactures
training aids for pickleball and tennis. He brings that
experience and passion to pickleball in this regular
column of Pickleball Magazine.
I
n this “Cup of Joe” let’s compare the genders in terms of
pickleball. While the conclusions may line up with commonly
observed characteristics, having real statistics to confirm the
observations is arguably important. The two match statistics we
will look at for men versus women are the percentage of touch
shots and also the length of the average point.
2016 Florida
Senior Games
A Silver Anniversary for Golden Athletes
13th Annual
FSG Pickleball
December 9-11, 2016
Clearwater, Florida
Qualifier for 2017 National Senior Games
Open to all athletes 50+ / FL Residents must qualify
Singles, Doubles & Mixed Doubles events
Registration deadline is November 18 or
when event sells out so register today!
Ph:(727) 724-3082 • Toll-free:(866) 354-2637
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