Pickleball Fire Podcast

Julie Johnson is not only one of the top senior professionals in the game. She is also the mother of JW and Jorja, both of whom are professional players, both being named rookie of the year by the APP. Julie talks about how JW chose Pickleball over tennis and why Jorja's involvement in the sport is surprising. With so much going on, Julie can find herself distracted on the court, so she discu...

Mark Hilliard and his wife live a life many of us only dream about. They are on the road as full-time RVers, playing Pickleball all over the country. In addition to this, Mark will take his amphibious plane, which can land anywhere to find Pickleball games. He often lands on the water, swims to shore, and makes his way to the Pickleball courts for a game. 

Rachel Rettger is relatively new to the Pickleball Scene, but she recently won a mixed doubles National Championship with her partner Casey Cullen in the 5.0 19+ division.  Rachel talks about how being super competitive helps her game and why it was such an asset in their comeback win. 

 Tom Davidson's nine-year-old daughter loves the game of Pickleball.  But she finds not many kids are playing the sport yet.  So Tom started the Amateur Pickleball Association (APA) which has a great program for not only kids but parents. 

Kevin Booth is a five-time National Champion in Men's Doubles in Outdoor Racquetball. He is also a top senior professional in Pickleball, having finished second in doubles with his partner John Sperling at the Nationals. Today he gives three tips from racquetball that can help your Pickleball game.

Seven years ago, Travis Kruse and his father started TrackitHub to help Pickleball clubs and players. While Travis spent the first two years traveling around the country in a fifth wheel promoting the offering, it is now the number one Pickleball management platform, helping clubs and players manage events and connect with each other. If you are tired of using a spreadsheet, this episode is for yo...

 A lot has happened in the six months since I interviewed Shea Underwood.  Hear how his journey is going on the way to becoming a professional Pickleball player and get some great tips on how to master the one-handed spin serve. 

One thing I never thought I would talk about on a Pickleball podcast is murder. But Jeff Rasley author of the novel A Pickleball Soap Opera: Love, Murder, and Pickleball is my guest today.  There is a lot of intrigue both in the interview and novel so let's hear from Jeff. 

I love to interview Pickleball players with different athletic backgrounds.  Kim Jagd, who played professional beach volleyball and coached at UCLA, talks about the parallels she sees between professional Pickelball and beach volleyball.  She also goes deep on the importance of video analysis to your Pickleball game.

Sometimes it is really hard not to talk about tennis during g a Pickleball podcast episode.  But that is because so many of the professionals have a tennis background.  Nathalie Bagby does too, but what is interesting in the podcast is she lists so many differences between the two sports. 

I can tell Nicole Havlicek of Primetime Pickleball does a great deal of on-court teaching and instruction through her online Dominating Doubles Course. She goes in-depth on a few myths of Pickleball which you often hear from others when giving you Pickleball advice.

Senior professional Anna Shirley was just a couple of months away from the USA Nationals when she experienced a freak injury. In this episode, we talk about how she went through some tough times and what she did to prepare for the Nationals despite the injury.  

In this episode, we discuss: What is the APP Nextgen Tour, and what Hercilio learned from it What he is doing to promote Pickleball in Peru Who is playing Pickleball in Peru, and how the government is helping the game grow What Hercilio does when he does not get the results he expects when playing a sport How another fitness activity helps his Pickleball game

This show is a bit shorter than usual, but it is well worth a listen as I talk with John Lee Dumas about starting a Pickleball business. John has not only been an entrepreneur for the last ten years, but he is also a Pickleball player.

Jay Devilliers burst onto the Pickleball scene just a couple of years ago, and now he is one of the top professionals. In this episode, we talk about professionalism in Pickleball and what it will take to bring the sport to the next level.

I am not going to lie that this might be a tough episode to listen to as we play a one-minute clip of a 911 call.  But it is important as far as Ian Hutchinson's story goes from being clinically dead to a certified Pickleball instructor.  

Daniel Moore had never heard of Pickleball. But his father, Scott, told him they were both going to become national champions. And they did that in 2014, winning singles titles on the same day. Fast forward a few years, and Daniel does not play as much Pickleball as he used to because he is involved in so many other aspects of the game. But today, he does take the time to discuss how to hit and re...

Pickleball is growing rapidly in the United States and Canada.  But it is also expanding throughout the world including India.  Megha Kapoor talks about how the game is attracting different players in India and its growth over the last five years. 

The ATP, the Erne, and the Joey.  These are three shots you should master to take your game to the next level.  Joe Valenti and I discuss all three in this episode, including the one named after him. 

Steve Sidwell of the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) says there is no magic number of countries playing the game for getting the sport into the Olympic Games. But he has been responsible for the recent explosion of nations becoming members of the IFP. 

Lee Whitwell burst onto the scene when playing  Major League Pickleball.  As the oldest player on a team, she was even voted the Most Valuable Player of the league.  This is a fun episode where she also provide lots of tips to help improve your game. 

The Greeks don't have a word for Pickleball.  Nor do they have one for Pickle.  So you might think that Niko and Christie Fronimos will have difficulty introducing the game to the country.  But they are on a mission to do just that. 

Dave Fleming is not only a senior professional player but he is also the brand ambassador for Major League Pickleball and comedian.  Dave even had a show on Broadway in New York so in this episode we also discuss lessons learned from comedy and how they can help your Pickleball game.  

In order to use a paddle in a USA-sanctioned tournament, it needs to meet certain specifications. Carl Schmits, director of Equipment Standards for USA Pickleball, talks about how the paddle manufacturers push the limits and how the evaluation process has evolved. 

You may know Scott Moore is one of the top senior professional players in the game. But what you may not have heard is that he is also a serial entrepreneur. In the podcast, we discuss his Pickleball venture in Prescott, Arizona. Plus we take about how and why to hit a backhand serve.