Waynesville Pickleball Party

Its a fellowship thing. We just have fun...

Last Saturday afternoon exemplified one of the main factors that drives pickleball growth - a party! Andrew Sanderbeck, a local player from Waynesville, hosted a picnic at Vance Street Park. It was simply an occasion to celebrate the camaraderie that exists among a group that plays together regularly. Thanks to Yira Pia Sanchez-Brugal, our newest USAPA ambassador for Asheville, for the following photos of the event.

Offbeat Sunday - Sick Pickleball Tricks

Warning. These shots can be dangerous...

This video is so fun it has to be seen.

How Golf Relates to Pickleball

Balance is not something you stumble across.  It is something you create...

I mentioned golf in yesterday's post about movement. The statement was:

"I like to talk about golf when explaining this concept in clinics. Golfers practice the mechanics of the swing hour after hour to build the muscle memory to repeat it on the course. But the ball must be in the same place relative to their body to make the same swing. Therefore, they adjust their body by bending at the knees or or waist in order to play a ball on a slope or otherwise impaired."

Today, I would like to expand on that relationship. First, I want to use a Mark Renneson video called Golf vs Pickleball. Mark's emphasis in this video is about the power generated when a player loads up by "coiling" his body. The power behind a shot is released when the body "uncoils" during the swing. While that is an excellent concept to understand, it is not how I want to use this video. Mark briefly mentions getting into the proper position and I want to explore that more in-depth.

Movement Around the Court

Preparation requires awareness and movement...

The single most important element in becoming a better player is proper movement around the court. That means a lot of things and we will start a series of posts that cover much of the topic. Today, I want to start with early preparation, which means moving to the proper position to make the best shot...and nothing is more important at that instant.

Last October, I wrote a post - The Most Important Shot - in which I stated the most important shot is the next one. The basis for that statement is summed up in the following:

The only time that you control the rally is when the ball is on your side of the court. Therefore, your next shot will always determine how the rest of the rally will play out. A good next shot increases the probability of winning the rally and a bad next shot decreases that probability. In other words, your next shot is the best immediate opportunity to gain an advantage.

The post goes on to talk about footwork and positioning as key to making the best shot:

• Take the extra step to be in a better position
• Stop before hitting the ball

Hendersonville Beginner Clinic

Experts start as beginners...

A beginner pickleball clinic will be held 11:30 - 1:30 on July 22 at the Henderson County Athletics and Activity Center on S Grove Street. Please invite friends and relatives who want to learn to play this wonderful game. The clinic will be run by Henderson County USAPA ambassador Deb Romaine. Her contact information is shown in her flyer below.

2017 Connestee Falls Scholarship Pickleball Tournament

Take me to the mountains to play pickleball...

The 2017 Connestee Falls Pickleball Tournament application package was recently released. From their website:

Join us at the seventh annual Connestee Falls fundraiser pickleball tournament on September 21, 22 and 23, 2017 in Brevard, NC.  Our first six tournaments provided competitive play for players from NC, SC, GA, FL, IL, CO, AL, and SD. This year we hope to continue our trend of raising more funds to support scholarships for Transylvania County students and to get players  from  a wider universe of states to participate.

This three day tournament will be a Round Robin, Four Level tournament - 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 & Above, so all teams will get to play all of the other teams at their levels. We will have Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles for players aged 45 and over  governed by USAPA rules and regulations. Depending on the number of entrants for each level, we may make some format and/or bracket modifications to ensure that everyone gets a good amount of playing time. Keep an eye out for more information as we get closer to the date.

Come join us for this fun and exciting tournament and enjoy some time in the cool, beautiful mountains of western North Carolina.

Their flyer and registration form is at their website and shown below.

Independence Day

SE Regional Ambassador Retreat - Beginner Clinics (Part 2)

The mountains are calling and I must go...

Saturday's post kicked off the discussion of beginner clinics. It included a handout from Dick Osman's presentation at the SE Region ambassador retreat at the Beech Mountain Club. Dick had additional handouts with more details on the clinic content. These are shown below.

Outline for Beginners Clinic

1. Introduction

• Introduce Instructors
• What is Pickleball?
• Invented in 1965 in Washington State
• A combination of tennis, badminton, ping pong, paddle tennis, paddleball
• A game which is easy to learn, FUN, ADDICTIVE, and CONTAGIOUS
• By the end of this clinic, you will be a pickleball player!

2. Safety and Movement

• Proper footwear: court shoes or cross-trainers
• Hydration and sun protection; eye protection is recommended
• The Ready Position: wider base = low COG = better stability and balance
• Warm up by practicing safe movement on the court:
• Lateral movement: space out on the court in several rows, practice moving side to side shuffling, not crossing, feet
• Moving forward: demo moving forward with split step to stop; line up at baseline, 4-6 feet wide, practice a couple times
• Moving back: demo with drop step, line up 4-6 feet wide at NVZ line, practice a couple times on both sides
• “Ball” – stop play immediately and play a let

3. Hitting the Ball

Offbeat Sunday - Pickleball Memes (Part 1)

Fun is about as a habit as you can have...

One of the characters I ran across while searching for pickleball stories is Pickleball Jones. Today is the day I highlight his work.

SE Regional Ambassador Retreat - Beginner Clinics (Part 1)

The mountains are calling and I must go...

As I mentioned yesterday, a group of 41 USAPA ambassadors plus guests recently held a 3+ day retreat at the Beech Mountain Club. The retreat consisted of various learning sessions, of which one was beginner clinics. Dick Osman gave the presentation based on his experiences with clinics in the Charlotte area. Dick and his wife Desire are ambassadors and area team liaisons in Charlotte. Dick's handout is shown below and my discussion follows.

TEACHING PICKLEBALL TO BEGINNERS

• Every clinic is different: number of students/teachers, ages, time available, facilities, etc.

SE Regional Ambassador Retreat

The mountains are calling and I must go...

A group of 41 USAPA ambassadors plus guests recently held a 3+ day retreat at the fantastic facilities of Beech Mountain Club. The retreat consisted of learning sessions, pickleball play, and lots of eating. Lots of camaraderie and friend-making ensued, enabled by the hospitality of Elizabeth and Bob Higginbottom and the perfect sunny, dry, and cool weather.

Among the breakout sessions were presentations on forming a club, challenges of rapid growth, beginner lessons, and overcoming tennis player objections. I will go into detail on some of these topics over the next several days, but today will be devoted to showing the fun through images provided by others via Facebook.

Pickleball in Punta Cana - An Update

Smell the sea, feel the sky, hear the pickleballs... 

I wrote about a fantastic opportunity to spend a week with some pros in fabulous Punta Cana. Yira Pia Sanchez and David Kelly, 2 friends, have released more details about the trip. The new flyer is shown below. Click on image to enlarge.

Aspen's Advice - No Man's Land

We will not get caught in no man's land...

Aspen Kern is the creator of the Pickleball Forum and often adds his thoughts on pickleball topics. Aspen is a top player in the game and knows what he is talking about, especially with regard to the way the game is changing and how to win. 

Aspen's Advice

NO MANS LAND REVISITED. People refer to the area between the kitchen line and the baseline as No Mans Land, this is a term that has carried over from tennis. Let's get one thing perfectly clear. Pickleball is NOT Tennis. If you fall into the trap of never getting caught in no mans land in Pickleball you are cutting off 2/3 rds of your playing area. 

Don't get me wrong, this area can leave you susceptible to some uncomfortable positions and shot selection but when you become comfortable in an uncomfortable situation you elevate your game by using shots from this area as a weapon, this advice admittedly is not for the lower level players but the 4.5 and 5.0 player needs to work on mastering the dreaded no mans land. 

Doing drills designed to increase your play in this area will give you confidence when approaching the net. A good drill to get started mastering this taboo area is to practice volleying with someone from no mans land to no mans land. Yep, I said it, practice volleying with a 25 foot distance between you and your drilling partner, this will build up your wrist strength and allow you to attack the ball from a distance most opponents have not seen. I like to attack the fifth ball that would normally land in the no man land, take it out of the air and be on the offense early. Being able to do this shot on the forehand and backhand side is a very valuable weapon to have in your arsenal. Especially after a 3rd shot blast that the opponent might happen to pop up nice and high. 

Another drill that I use is to have one person play at the kitchen line and try to hit balls at your feet as you play in no mans land, your job being to dig these out of the asphalt and gain control enough to advance to the line. This is where the split step is invaluable, by using the split step you can more easily advance in stages and not worry as much about getting to the net off one ball. 

If you make No man's land your friend it is no longer no mans land and you are free to play wherever you want and isn't that what America is all about!!!.

The Spirit of Pickleball

We rise by lifting others...

Sometimes we play competitive pickleball...in tournaments. Other times we play training pickleball...against like-level friends. Then there are the times we play fun pickleball...in recreational play. But have you ever played pickleball for work? Well, there may some pros who do that, but not many of us are that lucky.

One local player in the NC Mountains has been "that lucky" 3 years in a row. Suz Flynt is a 4.0 player at the WNC Pickleball Club. She is frequently mentioned in these pages as a medal winner at tournaments. Suz also happens to be employed at Heather Glen at Ardenwoods, an assisted living facility near Asheville. Suz has put together a group of players each of the last 3 years to demonstrate and play pickleball in front of a crowd of residents.

This year's event was held June 21. The crowd gathered under the shade and protection of the porte cochere in front of the building where a temporary court was chalked in the driveway. 

IPTPA Training Comes to Charlotte

How bad do you want it...

From North Carolina Pickleball:

IPTPA REGISTRATION NOW OPEN - IPTPA COMES TO Charlotte area on August 25th. Training is designed for 3.0 - 3.5 and 4.0 players to "kick their game up a notch" - Easy registration on our web page at IPTPA TRAINING REGISTRATION PAGE.