Connecting Through Pickleball

Connecting with others is rewarding...

The process of bringing a new tournament on-stream takes one into a lot of different worlds. One of those worlds is sales, a world in which I have never been comfortable. But a tournament needs sponsors to help defray some of its costs. Therefore, a sales pitch for the tournament and - even pickleball in general - must be developed to gain sponsor buy-in. As a data-based decision-maker, I dove headlong into researching the benefits of pickleball. I needed to show sponsors how growing the game in their community could prove to be a good investment for them.

But this post is not about selling pickleball to you. Instead, it will be an attempt to tie together some of my research with recent news in order to show how pickleball...yes, pickleball, the sport with the silly name...can help solve some of society's ills. I do not want to overstate its impact, but pickleball's nature is a great fit.

Land of the Sky Registration

It takes real planning to organize this kind of chaos...

Finally. Registration Day has arrived!

The news release:

For Immediate Release

Major Pickleball Tournament Registration Opens March 1

Pace or Place?

Good shots come to those who wait...

Last Saturday's post - You're Winning but Haven't Won - was yet another reminder of the patience needed to get an attackable ball...and to continue to hit unattackable balls. Today's post is a different version of that same theme. It is based on a short conversation I had with a player who is still learning the game.

I normally play indoors. But I try to get outdoors when I can in order to practice for the upcoming outdoor tournaments. I had an opportunity to play at my home-club courts on an unusually warm day recently. Many players there are new to the game in the last year so I use some of my play to get used to outdoor conditions while I work on specific shots. With other players still learning the intricacies of strategies and techniques, I get lots of questions.

Dingles

Make practice fun...

Jordan Briones Primetime video series returns to its fun drilling with the video Pickleball Dingles Game | Dink Consistency with Simone Jardim. As the title suggests, Simone Jardim is the guest "instructor" who teaches the drill. 



There are 2 versions of Dingles. In the first version, 4 players are in their normal positions at the NVZ line. Using 2 balls, each crosscourt partner hits dinks within the NVZ and in the imaginary crosscourt half of the NVZ.

2018 Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games Registration

Beer City...

Registration is now open for the Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games. The pickleball tournament will be held Saturday, April 28 at Shiloh Center.

Offbeat Sunday - Pickleball Wars

Power! Unlimited power!...

A fun pickleball video based on Star Wars.

You're Winning but Haven't Won

Good shots come to those who wait...

This blog has covered the issues of patience and attackable balls many times. However, it continues to amaze me how many players - even at 4.0+ - continue to make poor decisions on marginal balls. If a ball is within 6 inches of the top of the net and near or behind the NVZ line, they often choose to drive the ball. It does work occasionally but many times the ball is driven into the net.

I probably would not write about this topic again if only others were culprits. But I fall into the trap set by others in these games. So I am writing this to remind myself about the right approach. If it helps others, that's a great side effect.

CPR / AED Emergency Response Refresher

Save a life...

I have read several recent posts where pickleball players had heart attacks. Some survived. Others were not so fortunate. It is never too late to be reminded of the process to help save a life. Today's video is titled CPR / AED Emergency Response Refresher.

The Importance of Proper Technique

Hard work and proper technique will beat bad technique every time...

Daniel Joseph (DJ) Howard is an IPTPA instructor in Michigan. He is also a member of the Pickleball Forum where he offers a weekly tip. DJ has kindly agreed to allow me to include his Forum tips on this blog. Last week's tip - "It works for me" - was about the importance of biomechanics. This week's tip takes it to the next level in a discussion of proper technique.

DJ's weekly tip: (FYI, this one is long and I contemplated breaking it into 3 parts, but figured y'all could handle it.)

Tip: Yes, good (proper) technique (still) matters. A lot.

This week's tip is a piggyback of last week's tip on biomechanics being important.

Pickleball and the Olympics Question

Its a matter of when, not if...

Every time the Olympics roll around the question of pickleball as an Olympic sport comes up. The Pickleball Channel video Pickleball in the Olympics?  | Pickleball News Update provides some insight.

Fundamental Positioning at the NVZ Line

Getting the fundamentals right...

The Jordan Briones Primetime video series continues with fundamental advice. Today's post uses his video Pickleball | How To Dominate The Net to discuss positioning and footwork at the Non-Volley Zone line.

The discussion is focused on techniques after all players are established at the NVZ. There are 2 main concepts to remember. Each is discussed below.

1. Establish yourself right at the line. Not a foot back. Not even 6 inches away. Right at the line.

Some Pickleball History

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

A Facebook friend manages the Port Townsend Pickleball group page. He has been digging into some of the history of pickleball and found some really interesting pieces. He posted one last week - a Sports Illustrated article from 1997. An excerpt from the article is shown below. I encourage anyone interested in the history of pickleball to visit the Facebook page linked above.

A PASSION FOR PICKLEBALL THE HOTTEST THING IN SEATTLE DOES NOT COME IN A STARBUCKS CUP OR ON A DISK

By L. Jon Wertheim

Feb. 10, 1997

After slicing an underhand serve deep to the forehand of my opponent, Vickie Nawfel, I made a headlong dash to the net to put away a delicious floater, just as the tennis coaches of my youth had taught. But this was not tennis, and my full-swing volley resembled nothing Pete Sampras ever hit. The ball, which was perforated, fluttered and then finally landed two feet away from Nawfel, who calmly lobbed it over my head.

Offbeat Sunday: Peppy and Relationships

Pickles are hard to love...

It has been a while since we heard from Peppy. Since Valentine's Day was this past week, he opened up about his relationships.

Pickleball for 6?

It is not a menage a trois...

I am always looking for new ways to have fun on the pickleball court. I came across a game called "Mortimer" pickleball. This is the description I found:

Mortimer is the third person on each team. Mortimer plays in the middle and usually gets the deep balls - lobs. Mortimer cannot return the serve but once it is returned can play anywhere, usually to back up the first two players. If one of the two makes a mistake - loses the rally then they become Mortimer! If Mortimer messes up they stay Mortimer.

More on Balls

See the ball, hit the ball, the brand doesn't matter...

I wrote an article last week about playing with 4 different outdoor balls - Playing with Four Different Balls. Sarah Ansboury had a recent article on her blog that discusses balls from the perspective of a tennis player. Whether that applies to you or not, she makes some great points.


Tennis Balls vs Pickleballs…There are Differences

During our stay in Florida this month I realized there is something former tennis players need to realize about pickleballs. You see tennis balls and pickleballs are not the same.