Pickleball Success

Forgive us for not posting anything in our blog for several months!  Our other priorities took over our lives for a while.  We hope now that we can correct that situation.  We first presented pickleball to the residents of the Ahwatukee Recreation Center in February 2010.  Our demonstration then was conducted on a temporary court set up on rough asphalt in the parking lot.  We are still on a temporary court in the parking lot but in a different location!  Our 47 pickleball club members are among the most enthusiastic that we have ever seen!  Even through the heat of the summer, people continue to play for several hours almost every morning and under the parking lot lights at night.  We continue to converse with the ARC Board concerning the construction of either permanent courts or at least resurfacing an area of the parking lot to give us a smoother playing surface.  We are hopeful that a decision will be made soon.

In the interim, we have also talked to men at the Phoenix Recreation Department about the possibility of our using one of the tennis courts at Western Star Park for pickleball.  Their response was very positive and they agreed to paint pickleball lines on one of the courts.  That should be done in the next couple of weeks.

There has also been talk about the Ahwatukee Board of Management putting in 4 nice courts.  All in all, pickleball is here to stay in Ahwatukee!  We have players of all skill levels and backgrounds - all of whom are committed to pickleball for the rest of their lives!!

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Whether you are playing pickleball recreationally or are interested in competing in tournaments, your object every day should be to “keep the ball in play”!  So many errors are committed by players who are intent on “putting the ball away” or “playing the perfect shot” with the result being the ball hit into the net or out-of-bounds.  When you commit an error, you’re giving the opponents the advantage by either giving them the serve or by giving your team only one more opportunity to serve.  Always hitting the ball over the net and in bounds puts the burden of “making the good shot” on the opposing team.  I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be aggressive offensively!  But work on keeping the ball in play first and, when you’re able to do that consistently, then think about “putting the ball away”!

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Ahwatukee is a retirement community located just off of I-10 south of Phoenix, Arizona.  It is a popular haven for those of us who prefer living “on the south side” of the Phoenix area - close to shopping; the airport; restaurants and auto travel in all directions.  Even though houses in the retirement section of the Elliot-Warner loop have been here for 30+ years, the sport of pickleball had never been heard of by many of the residents.  That has changed!  Pickleball was introduced at an open house at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center on January 23, 2010.  A display of pickleball equipment and books was presented as well as a video of the game being played.  A total of 58 interested men and women signed up as wanting to learn more about the game.  The management of the ARC is totally enthused about adding pickleball to the activity offerings.  Future plans include setting up a temporary court in the parking lot and eventually re-surfacing an area there that can be used for 2 courts.  It is obvious that members of the ARC WANT to learn how to play this great game and IT WILL HAPPEN!!

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This is a time of year for all of us reflect on how lucky and blessed we are!  To have been born in this wonderful country of ours - to be blessed with loving family and friends - AND to still be able to enjoy quality of life - most of all PICKLEBALL - is as much as any person can expect.  We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2010!  May you enjoy many fun times on the pickleball court!!

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Having been involved in athletics most of my life, I’ve been part of the battle fought by girls and women for equal opportunities in school sponsored athletics.  Prior to the passing of Title IX,  female athletes in schools all over the country were thought of as non-competitive bodies who appeared on the playing field only as a recreational pursuit.  THAT concept has completely reversed itself!  Women are competing in a variety of sports at a high level of skill and entertainment.  It is now known that female athletes CAN play fullcourt basketball without damaging themselves physically.  They swim - they run - they even box and wrestle - and all of these activities are accepted in our society as being safe.  Just as we were concerned as a society about the safety of our female athletes, shouldn’t we also be concerned about what is safe physically for our older, “more mature” athletes?  In a recent study that was done analyzing the number of entries in the Huntsman Sr. Games and the USAPA National Tournament, it was proven that people are playing and competing in pickleball at an older age.  There were more entries in men’s doubles and mixed doubles in the 70 and older age groups than we’ve ever had before.  It is time that more thought is given to the scheduling of matches in tournaments.  In the recent USAPA tournament, players went from one match to the next with only 5 minutes between matches.  In the case of the matches being played in the winners half of the draw, that meant playing 2 out of 3 games - and in some cases going to 3 games - having 5minutes to breath and drink water - and then starting the next 2 out of 3 game match.  I can’t help but wonder if that kind of scheduling is really safe for the elderly player.  Added to the stress of that kind of schedule is the hot weather.  Please think through thoroughly the impact of that kind of scheduling as you plan your next tournament!!

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The first national tournament sponsored by the USA Pickleblall Association is being held in Buckeye, Arizona, November 2 to 8, 2009.  One day in the future, this will be an historical event!  It establishes the importance of the USAPA as being our national governing body and gives meaning to being a member.  Only current members of the USAPA can compete in this tournament.  There are a total of 701 entries in five different divisions - junior; young adult; adult; senior and open.  The number of entries in the senior and open divisions indicate the escalating interest among the 50 and older pickleball players in this country.  This tournament is a major “feather in the cap” of the USAPA!!  The direction of pickleball in this country is up, up and up thanks to the many volunteers in the USAPA!

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Those of us who have played and competed in other sports have discovered that, if we try to think of too many things at once when correcting an error, nothing is accomplished.  Frustration sets in when nothing seems to work.  To remedy that, set just one goal per day or practice and work towards accomplishing that one goal that day.  For example: concentrate on actually seeing the ball hit the paddle on every single stroke - from the serve to ground strokes to volleys; etc.   Then the next day work on something else - serving to the deep backhand corner of the opponents service court.  If you work on improving your game at this kind of pace and concentration, you will find that at the end of the week your game has improved considerably!  Take it one goal at a time and one day at a time and eventually all of the parts are put together into an improved overall pickleball game!

Tags: Goals

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Playing in a pickleball tournament involves not only being prepared physically, mentally and emotionally to do battle on the court, but also being prepared to spend many hours on the sideline as a spectator.  Most of us are familiar with the special rules, or ethics, that apply to being a spectator at sports like golf and tennis, where quiet in the stands is essential to the success of the golfer getting ready to hit the ball or the tennis player getting ready to serve.  The other extreme in terms of noise level that is acceptable is evident during a boxing match and even a baseball game where yelling at the umpire is standard procedure.  What about being a spectator at a pickleball match?

While positive support of both teams is ideal, in many instances we have a “favorite” who we’d like to see win the match.  Encourage your team in a positive way by complimenting good shots.  If things aren’t going in favor of “your team”, don’t dwell on the errors or make negative comments like: “try harder” (they ARE trying as hard as they can!); or “you can do better than that” (obviously at that particular time they couldn’t); or make any comment that pertains to the intricate mechanics of executing a certain shot (in the “heat of the battle” is NOT the time to correct an error in execution).

Be positive - be complimentary of all players on the court - and never do anything or say anything that might distract a player.  Cheer for good shots - NOT for an easy return of an error by the opponent.  Being a “good spectator” is not necessarily natural for many players.  Be sure that whichever team wins that certain match is truly the best team on the court at that particular time.  You as a spectator should in no way influence that!

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We have decided to combine our two existing books, “Drilling for Success in Pickleball” and “Teaching for Success in Pickleball”.  Our new book, “Pickleball - A Guide for Teaching”, will consist of 110 pages - 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 - and include the following: 

The Game; History and Growth

Warm-up and Stretching

Common Injuries

Teaching Progression

Ball-control Drills

Gamelike Drills for:  Forehand and Backhand Ground Strokes; Serve and Serve Receive; Volley; Lob; Dink; Drop Shot; Smash and Communication

Use of a Ball-Throwing Machine

How to organize Drills

Common Errors and Corrections

Methods to Use for Determining Skill Level

Mental Aspects of Competition

Basic Doubles Strategies

Factors to Consider When Running a Tournament

The book will be available for purchase by September 1, 2009.  It will cost $19.95 plus $2.00 to $4.00 for shipping ($4.00 if going to Canada).  You can order a book by sending an email to us at: sales@pickleballsuccess.com.  While this book is primarily a combination of our two previously written books, there are some changes and additions.  Please contact us if you are interested in obtaining a copy.

Tags: pickleball

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Pickleball is a sport!  While it is a relatively new sport, it is just as important to pickleball players that they have access to quality teaching and coaching as do players of other sports.  We suggest that the same methods of teaching golf and tennis to players of all skill levels and ages can be used for teaching pickleball skills.  What are those methods and/or learning environments?  Among those are the following:

          1.  One-on-one lessons - one teacher/coach and one player.

          2.  Clinics - groups of players - the number dependent upon the number of courts available, the number of teachers/coaches and the time allotted for the clinic.  A clinic could range in time from 1 hour on 1 day to 4 to 6 hours a day for several days.

          3.  Camps - A location for the camp would include not only a playing facility but also provide for lodging and meals.  Instruction can include time on the courts; time in a classroom and also recreational time.  A camp  provides the setting for the complete focus of the learner to be on pickleball over a 24 hr. period for possibly several days.

It’s time that pickleball is considered to be a sport that is on the same level as all other sports. 

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