WHY WE OFFER THE BANGERS CLINIC

Pickleball players often ask me, “How do we beat the "bangers?” So I created this Clinic Series specifically with all of you in mind.

Here are some insights on "pickleball bangers" from Dick Osman, fellow USAPA Ambassador from Charlotte North Carolina.

What Is A Banger?

"What is a “banger”? It is a player who hits the ball as hard as they can every time, usually from the baseline or deep on the court. They have little or no soft game."

Why Do Bangers Bang?

"Have you ever asked: "Why do bangers bang?" First, there is the testosterone factor. Most (but not all!) bangers are men and the manly thing to do is to whack the air out of the ball, which is not hard to do with a wiffle ball. Maybe for those female bangers it’s a “testrogen“ factor? Second, they bang because it’s all they know, and sometimes all they want to know. They have no real interest in learning finesse. Third, they may bang because they are less mobile, and don’t want to move.

But the real reason why they bang is because it works! At least it works against players like you. Why should they stop banging if they win by doing so?"

"...You see, you should actually thank the bangers who beat you for doing you a very great favor: they are exposing some flaws in your game that you need to recognize and correct if you are going to become a better player. Maybe it is your lack of a consistent third shot drop shot, or poor blocking, or flaws in your strategy, or maybe something as simple as not keeping your paddle up and anticipating the drive. Be honest with yourself. Analyze the reasons the bangers win and work on correcting those things.

Some people who don’t want to do that work complain about the bangers “not playing the game the way it should be played.” Excuse me? That is a bit of pickleball snobbery, and foolish at best. Unless you have developed some new scoring format that rewards style points, there is no “right” way to play the game. Just like any other game, you play pickleball to win using any tactics within the rules that help you win. Bangers bang against you because it works against you. So, stop making it work for them..."