Open-Skill

Pickleball and other paddle/racquet sports are referred to as open-skill sports. Open-skill sports require athletes to constantly adapt and make decisions based on the situation. In pickleball, a player must perceive the oncoming ball, choose where to position themselves, decide which shot to hit, and where to recover, on every single shot. This recurring shot cycle requires constant adaptation by players and once again emphasizes the importance of developing solid tactical and decision-making skills so that players know what to do and when to do it. Coupled with decision-making skills, effective technique can then be taught as a means to execute the desired tactic. Open-skill sports like pickleball require constant adaptation of technique depending on what’s required in a particular situation. Technique will differ based on what the player needs to do with the ball. This is why technical skills should not be taught as a rigid model, but more as a set of principles that can be applied to different situations.

In comparison, closed-skill sports are those in which athletes typically perform pre-determined or repetitive motor patterns that are not impacted by their external surroundings. Closed-skill sports typically require less decision-making and have less cognitive demands. A technique first or model based approach is much more applicable to closed-skill sports based on the fact that the physical movements are repetitive or pre-determined.

Recognizing that pickleball players must repeatedly go through the cycle of “perception, decision, execution” on each shot, reaffirms the importance of using a game-based approach to training so that players learn how to continually adapt from shot to shot as a point unfolds. It also makes clear why a technique first or model based approach to coaching is insufficient at equipping players with the tools they need to play the game well. A coach and player may still work specifically on technical fundamentals in a “closed” setting if a player needs to improve their technique in order to execute a specific shot in a specific situation, however the training should eventually be “opened up” again in a realistic game situation so that the skill can be integrated into point play.

In conclusion, when training players in an open-skill sport such as pickleball, it’s important to help players develop their perception and decision-making skills in concert with technical skills so that they know what shot to hit (and when) and how to hit it.