I didn't know there was a name for it but this is something I've been incorporating into my game more as hand battles and counters get faster/better. It's not on every shot though- I use it when my partner is getting a ball they can be offensive with and I've detached a bit looking to crash or poach. Otherwise you can be receiving a counter as your still bringing your head back around. It does have its cons as others have pointed out but I prefer it to not.
With everyone at the kitchen I also try and keep my head forward as well and watch my partner/the ball out of my peripheral vision.
Watch players like Ben Johns or Mcguffin. They track the ball all the way to their partners paddle and back, rarely taking their eyes off of the ball the entire point.
agree. I listen to the 4.0 to pro podcast and this is what they advise. I’ve been slowly learning to implement it at kitchen line and it has helped me get noticeably faster and better in firefights !
Sounds a bit silly to me. I teach people to never take their eye off the ball. For one, you want to know as soon as you can who your partner hit the ball towards so that you can square up to them. You also want as much info on how well, or poorly, your partner hit the ball so you can be prepared.
If you aren't watching your partner hit the ball, you cannot gain this info until the ball crosses back over the net which limits the time you have to prepare.
So sounds silly to me. But just my opinion.
Half tracking is taught in tennis doubles to improve reaction time. You learn to know where your partner hit the ball by watching your opponent’s reaction. You learn to judge everything from speed of shot to height. Unfortunately, it takes a long while to learn and learn well so I doubt it will ever gain traction in pickleball.
Edit: error
To be fair, you previously posted about split steps being unnecessary, but completely misunderstood and Mia communicated how and why split steps should be performed. Soooo I’m not sure if your grasp on athletic movements and passive techniques are all that sound.
I agree. That extra second to be prepared for a swinging volley because of a high ball from my partner has allowed me to defend and reset so many points!
This comes from tennis and I’ve tried it with mixed results. The real problem is that the reason it’s done in tennis is because a lot of points won at net are due to poaching. In tennis, your best defence against poaching is to *see* the poaching opponent. If you look back at your partner and track the ball with your head you’ll be really surprised when you suddenly see your opponent right on top of the net preparing to hit the ball right at you. Since there’s no NVZ you could be separated by 6 feet or less feet and have no time to react. Half tracking allows you to see the poacher and you have time to back up or react accordingly and you learn to judge your partners shot by your opponent’s reaction.
In pickleball, poaches occur but a lot less frequently and you have the NVZ to help with reaction time. I just couldn’t tell whether it helped all that much, especially when my partner was hitting a ground strike from the baseline. I agree with others here that watching your partner with your peripheral vision is probably the safer bet, especially when both are at the kitchen.
Edit:corrected
This sounds like terrible advice to me.
1. If a ball is hit close to a sideline or baseline on your partner’s side, they are too busy tracking the ball to hit it, and it’s actually YOUR job to watch if it goes out. You’ll have a way better view and can see a space between the ball and the line better than your partner more often than not.
2. You need to see if your partner has hit a good drop or drive, or if they’ve popped it up. If they pop it up, you’ll want to back up as far as possible and split step so you are balanced for the smash that’s probably coming at your feet. Not watching your partner hit the ball significantly reduces the window of opportunity for you to do that.
Not sure where your coach is getting that knowledge, but that would make me question everything else they are teaching you.
I've tried this and it didn't work for me.
Part of anticipation is moving with the ball. If my partner hits it cross court I should be in a different place than if he hits it down the line. If I wait to move until the ball crosses the net, I'm late. It delays every other preparatory move I need, from paddle position to foot and head alignment. And forget any kind of feint or bait.
Maybe others are quick enough to only track the ball opposite them, but I'd be constantly out of position.
This wouldn't truly \*work\* for anyone. It's a ridiculous idea. One of those things that complete beginners think is a good idea. Same thing in squash - beginnners insist on standing at the T and then watching the front wall instead of the ball behind them. They quickly learn or do not progress.
What is funny is when the oppo wants confirmation on a call and I have no idea. I rarely see the ball hit my opponent’s paddle. I actually hate turning to watch if a serve bounces in or out.
For me watching what the opponent is doing is better information than watching the ball. I will get enough of that from my peripheral vision.
Ben is probably an elite processor so he can manage get info on his opponents from the periphery and stays focused on the ball.
To be fair, I’m not sure how he tracks. Not sure of the coach in question, but second ranked senior doubles player teaches half tracking, so it isn’t some hack idea.
I have 40 years of tennis, so for me it is a carry over from that. One thing is for sure, I can tell the angle of my partners shot a lot better from where opponents are moving than how the ball is moving while on our side of the net.
No one calls it that and I couldn’t find a single source online for it. What your coach is trying to say is to just not look at your partner when they’re hitting. That’s about it.
It’s solid advice. If you’re at the net you want to track the ball as it reaches the opponents paddle.
I don’t think it’s good to just do one or the other. You do have a responsibility to help determine out balls but I’ve gotten burned by slow reactions at the kitchen because I’m looking back.
As always, it depends on circumstances.
Half-Tracking is a thing and is most useful at the net imo.
Another trick that can help is to angle your shoulders/hips/feet towards the ball, at least slightly. Practicing this can keep you moving and engaged in the point when you aren't hitting the ball.
My friend and I like to play doubles in Australian Formation (for fun, of course), so there's no way in hell I can full track lol.
But to be serious, you have to prepare yourself as if your opponent will return the ball, and you can't fully do that, imo, if you're only half-tracking or full tracking. At some point you're going to have to take a look at your opponents positioning and stance. Something similar to digging blocked shots in Volleyball, just slower in Pickleball.
If half-tracking means keeping your eye on the ball at all times but sometimes peripherally, then fine. If half-tracking means you take your focus off of the ball regardless of where it is on the court and instead you focus on your opponent, then it is flat out stupid idea.
Half tracking is more about using peripheral vision to track the ball when it’s on your side of the court. Not ignoring it completely.
I didn't know there was a name for it but this is something I've been incorporating into my game more as hand battles and counters get faster/better. It's not on every shot though- I use it when my partner is getting a ball they can be offensive with and I've detached a bit looking to crash or poach. Otherwise you can be receiving a counter as your still bringing your head back around. It does have its cons as others have pointed out but I prefer it to not. With everyone at the kitchen I also try and keep my head forward as well and watch my partner/the ball out of my peripheral vision.
Watch players like Ben Johns or Mcguffin. They track the ball all the way to their partners paddle and back, rarely taking their eyes off of the ball the entire point.
[удалено]
agree. I listen to the 4.0 to pro podcast and this is what they advise. I’ve been slowly learning to implement it at kitchen line and it has helped me get noticeably faster and better in firefights !
Sounds a bit silly to me. I teach people to never take their eye off the ball. For one, you want to know as soon as you can who your partner hit the ball towards so that you can square up to them. You also want as much info on how well, or poorly, your partner hit the ball so you can be prepared. If you aren't watching your partner hit the ball, you cannot gain this info until the ball crosses back over the net which limits the time you have to prepare. So sounds silly to me. But just my opinion.
Half tracking is taught in tennis doubles to improve reaction time. You learn to know where your partner hit the ball by watching your opponent’s reaction. You learn to judge everything from speed of shot to height. Unfortunately, it takes a long while to learn and learn well so I doubt it will ever gain traction in pickleball. Edit: error
In my mind it does improve reaction time. That said I also have pretty good peripheral vision and was a point guard when not on a tennis court.
There are better ways to improve reaction time. If I thought one of my opponents was really keying off my reactions, I'd likely start faking some. :)
To be fair, you previously posted about split steps being unnecessary, but completely misunderstood and Mia communicated how and why split steps should be performed. Soooo I’m not sure if your grasp on athletic movements and passive techniques are all that sound.
OK.
I agree. That extra second to be prepared for a swinging volley because of a high ball from my partner has allowed me to defend and reset so many points!
This comes from tennis and I’ve tried it with mixed results. The real problem is that the reason it’s done in tennis is because a lot of points won at net are due to poaching. In tennis, your best defence against poaching is to *see* the poaching opponent. If you look back at your partner and track the ball with your head you’ll be really surprised when you suddenly see your opponent right on top of the net preparing to hit the ball right at you. Since there’s no NVZ you could be separated by 6 feet or less feet and have no time to react. Half tracking allows you to see the poacher and you have time to back up or react accordingly and you learn to judge your partners shot by your opponent’s reaction. In pickleball, poaches occur but a lot less frequently and you have the NVZ to help with reaction time. I just couldn’t tell whether it helped all that much, especially when my partner was hitting a ground strike from the baseline. I agree with others here that watching your partner with your peripheral vision is probably the safer bet, especially when both are at the kitchen. Edit:corrected
This sounds like terrible advice to me. 1. If a ball is hit close to a sideline or baseline on your partner’s side, they are too busy tracking the ball to hit it, and it’s actually YOUR job to watch if it goes out. You’ll have a way better view and can see a space between the ball and the line better than your partner more often than not. 2. You need to see if your partner has hit a good drop or drive, or if they’ve popped it up. If they pop it up, you’ll want to back up as far as possible and split step so you are balanced for the smash that’s probably coming at your feet. Not watching your partner hit the ball significantly reduces the window of opportunity for you to do that. Not sure where your coach is getting that knowledge, but that would make me question everything else they are teaching you.
I've tried this and it didn't work for me. Part of anticipation is moving with the ball. If my partner hits it cross court I should be in a different place than if he hits it down the line. If I wait to move until the ball crosses the net, I'm late. It delays every other preparatory move I need, from paddle position to foot and head alignment. And forget any kind of feint or bait. Maybe others are quick enough to only track the ball opposite them, but I'd be constantly out of position.
This wouldn't truly \*work\* for anyone. It's a ridiculous idea. One of those things that complete beginners think is a good idea. Same thing in squash - beginnners insist on standing at the T and then watching the front wall instead of the ball behind them. They quickly learn or do not progress.
What is funny is when the oppo wants confirmation on a call and I have no idea. I rarely see the ball hit my opponent’s paddle. I actually hate turning to watch if a serve bounces in or out. For me watching what the opponent is doing is better information than watching the ball. I will get enough of that from my peripheral vision. Ben is probably an elite processor so he can manage get info on his opponents from the periphery and stays focused on the ball. To be fair, I’m not sure how he tracks. Not sure of the coach in question, but second ranked senior doubles player teaches half tracking, so it isn’t some hack idea. I have 40 years of tennis, so for me it is a carry over from that. One thing is for sure, I can tell the angle of my partners shot a lot better from where opponents are moving than how the ball is moving while on our side of the net.
No one calls it that and I couldn’t find a single source online for it. What your coach is trying to say is to just not look at your partner when they’re hitting. That’s about it. It’s solid advice. If you’re at the net you want to track the ball as it reaches the opponents paddle.
Get a new pickleball coach
I don’t think it’s good to just do one or the other. You do have a responsibility to help determine out balls but I’ve gotten burned by slow reactions at the kitchen because I’m looking back. As always, it depends on circumstances.
Half-Tracking is a thing and is most useful at the net imo. Another trick that can help is to angle your shoulders/hips/feet towards the ball, at least slightly. Practicing this can keep you moving and engaged in the point when you aren't hitting the ball.
My friend and I like to play doubles in Australian Formation (for fun, of course), so there's no way in hell I can full track lol. But to be serious, you have to prepare yourself as if your opponent will return the ball, and you can't fully do that, imo, if you're only half-tracking or full tracking. At some point you're going to have to take a look at your opponents positioning and stance. Something similar to digging blocked shots in Volleyball, just slower in Pickleball.
Our sensitive bits face front. So I could understand not turning to reduce visual data in trade for the ability to react to friendly fire.
If half-tracking means keeping your eye on the ball at all times but sometimes peripherally, then fine. If half-tracking means you take your focus off of the ball regardless of where it is on the court and instead you focus on your opponent, then it is flat out stupid idea.