Pickleball is frequently described as a mashup of tennis, ping pong and badminton. And, indeed, there are several similarities amongst the four sports. Ping pong, in particular, has remarkable similarities to pickleball. Not only is the paddle … [Read more...]
Strategies & Tips
The following blog posts will help maximize your personal development and improvement with "lessons" on fundamental shot-making techniques and how to be more mentally tough than your opponent.
Does Pickleball Paddle Technology Really Matter?
Go to any pickleball dealer website – or listen for just a couple of minutes to a pickleball paddle brand “ambassador” – and you’ll likely hear them extol the virtues of their brand’s latest paddle technology: A graphite core. A polymer core. A Nomex … [Read more...]
Stop White-Knuckling your Paddle when Dinking!!!
As new students take pickleball lessons from me for the first time and we begin our progressions by dinking from the NVZ line, at some point during this initial lesson, I always pose the following question: On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being a very … [Read more...]
Pickleball Focus, Purpose & Intention: Mental Toughness — Bridging the Gap between the Practice Court and the “Real” Court
We've all experienced it in varying degrees on the pickleball courts -- some more than others. As we exit the stress-free laboratory of the practice courts and enter the pressure-cooker of a "real" game or tournament match, we don't play in any way … [Read more...]
Hangin’ with the Golden Boy & Dayne Gingrich — Mental Domination and the 1% Mindset
As pickleball players we are often guilty of solely training our physical and technical execution of various shots. We'll spend countless hours and thousands of repetitions hitting dinks, drops and drives -- all while the practicing and training of … [Read more...]
The Pickleball Serve — What to Hit, When to Hit and Why to Hit Different Types of Serves
The serve in pickleball represents a dichotomy of fundamental philosophies. On the one hand, pickleball "traditionalists" will argue that, because you can't win a point if you don't get your serve in, it's best not to take any chances and, instead, … [Read more...]
Top 10 Tournament Preparations for the Pickleball Tournament Newbie
Pickleball Tournaments. For many, it may be your first time in a very long time of competing, perhaps since your "glory years" of high school when you were on the basketball, football, softball or debate teams. Perhaps you didn't play sports prior to … [Read more...]
Top 10 Technique & Strategy Flaws Impeding Your Pickleball Progress
We've all been there. We exhibit meteoric pickleball improvement and progress during the first several weeks or months of playing -- or perhaps, even years -- and then, we hit a performance plateau. We just can't seem to bust through any … [Read more...]
Pickleball Split Step – Balance, Baby!!!
I see it happen regularly in rec play. A team pinned to the baseline understands that, strategically, they need to get to the kitchen line in order to give themselves the best chance at winning the rally. That’s definitely a true statement and a … [Read more...]
Capturing the NVZ — Strategic Advance or Kamikaze Mission?
Throughout our pickleball journeys we have undoubtedly heard that points are more easily won when both partners are positioned at the NVZ line. Either instinctively -- or from experience -- we know that being positioned 7 feet from the net allows us … [Read more...]