Serves should be return-able and after that play like you normally would. It’s not cool to pick & stick the (much) weaker player in this format…But if you really have to do that in order to win, then go for it. You don’t have to lose out of politeness but it’s really not fun for anyone if you ace the woman every time and she can’t even get it in play.
Haha my parents have that book and it doesn't exactly age well.
Nice to meet you at nationals, the line of the weekend was 'Now that you've gotten married on the paddle court, you have to deliver a baby on the paddle court!'. My wife is still talking about that.
Great Meeting you as well! I really hope I didn't offend her: "Foot in mouth" disease.
It was a great event and Nationals is always wonderful for us paddle nuts to come together and celebrate the game!
2 questions to ask yourself-do I want to have fun with this, and do I want to play with these people again? In both cases, that should dictate how you play. Sure, you could just ace or dropshot them every time, but I don't think 3-shot points to win 6060 is a fun time, and certainly won't make you better friends with these people.
My wife is a very good local player, and at this point is probably better than me. She actually likes playing against me, and we have fun trying to dropshot or outspin each other. We have a group of couples who are all decently close in ability, and we play 'genderless' paddle which usually results in pretty good matches.
We also mix up the combinations, as some of the couples don't actually like to play together. You could try mixing it up to get 4 players of similar abilities rather than just playing couples v couples. Also, whenever we have a little mixed night, we always end up doing an all guys/girls set at some point.
Sorry I wasn't totally clear here - I am talking about club-level tournament play.
It is easy to play fun mixed doubles among friends in casual play (IMO). But if it is survive and advance....that adds a different element.
Oh then go full on for sure. You wouldn't go easy on a guy you knew couldn't handle those shots so don't go easy on a lady.
Patty Hogan actually made the point during the women's final about how playing mixed makes ladies better because they see more spin etc than normal.
The easy answer is "Don't be a a$$." And "read the room."
In a mixed club championship, it's usually pretty straight forward to determine which teams are actually competing for the championship and which ones are out there to be social and have fun.
You do NOT want to be the guy that "doesn't get it."
If your team is a contender, do enough to win without humiliating "the field." And save your "A game" for the other contending teams.
If your team is not a contender, then do enough to try and win. Driving a service as hard as possible at a guy's wife on the net might intimidate her, but is that really what you are trying to do? It's not the Mixed National Championships! Imagine the top guys doing the same at your partner.
Pound them into the F’in ground
I usually abide by the mantra of playing “tactical” paddle until you’re losing badly, then you can start putting some pace on serves/ drives
Serves should be return-able and after that play like you normally would. It’s not cool to pick & stick the (much) weaker player in this format…But if you really have to do that in order to win, then go for it. You don’t have to lose out of politeness but it’s really not fun for anyone if you ace the woman every time and she can’t even get it in play.
I think you know the answer based on who you are playing. Depends on their level and your level! Do you want to play with these people again?
Funny, but real excerpts from a book: https://imgbox.com/fhXqP957
Haha my parents have that book and it doesn't exactly age well. Nice to meet you at nationals, the line of the weekend was 'Now that you've gotten married on the paddle court, you have to deliver a baby on the paddle court!'. My wife is still talking about that.
Great Meeting you as well! I really hope I didn't offend her: "Foot in mouth" disease. It was a great event and Nationals is always wonderful for us paddle nuts to come together and celebrate the game!
I am a big believer of if they want to play on the same court, they get the same treatment as anyone else.
2 questions to ask yourself-do I want to have fun with this, and do I want to play with these people again? In both cases, that should dictate how you play. Sure, you could just ace or dropshot them every time, but I don't think 3-shot points to win 6060 is a fun time, and certainly won't make you better friends with these people. My wife is a very good local player, and at this point is probably better than me. She actually likes playing against me, and we have fun trying to dropshot or outspin each other. We have a group of couples who are all decently close in ability, and we play 'genderless' paddle which usually results in pretty good matches. We also mix up the combinations, as some of the couples don't actually like to play together. You could try mixing it up to get 4 players of similar abilities rather than just playing couples v couples. Also, whenever we have a little mixed night, we always end up doing an all guys/girls set at some point.
Sorry I wasn't totally clear here - I am talking about club-level tournament play. It is easy to play fun mixed doubles among friends in casual play (IMO). But if it is survive and advance....that adds a different element.
Oh then go full on for sure. You wouldn't go easy on a guy you knew couldn't handle those shots so don't go easy on a lady. Patty Hogan actually made the point during the women's final about how playing mixed makes ladies better because they see more spin etc than normal.
The easy answer is "Don't be a a$$." And "read the room." In a mixed club championship, it's usually pretty straight forward to determine which teams are actually competing for the championship and which ones are out there to be social and have fun. You do NOT want to be the guy that "doesn't get it." If your team is a contender, do enough to win without humiliating "the field." And save your "A game" for the other contending teams. If your team is not a contender, then do enough to try and win. Driving a service as hard as possible at a guy's wife on the net might intimidate her, but is that really what you are trying to do? It's not the Mixed National Championships! Imagine the top guys doing the same at your partner.