Open play was packed, and someone suggested we try a “no-step-in” drill to clean up our dinks. Simple enough: if your foot touches the kitchen line, your team owes five jumping jacks. Easy… until Carl showed up in his brand-new “court-grip” shoes.
First rally: I drop a perfect softie, Carl charges like a superhero, toe kisses the line… and he freezes mid-swing like he just touched actual magma. “LAVA! LAVA! LAVA!” he yells, flapping his arms like a malfunctioning windmill. We’re all dying laughing—until the penalty kicks in. Five jumping jacks. Then ten. Then fifteen. Suddenly everyone’s playing the softest pickleball of their lives.
My favorite moment? A high ball floats to me at the NVZ. Old me would’ve stepped in and smashed it. New me, living in a volcano, does a ballerina lean so dramatic I basically curtsy to the ball. It dribbles over the net, we win the point, and I keep my toes lava-free.
Moral: Pressure makes diamonds, but lava makes dinks. Add a goofy constraint, and your footwork—plus your control—gets way better.
Question: What’s the funniest “training rule” you’ve tried at your courts? Should we bring back LAVA or retire it before Carl melts?
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