Pickleball Fire Podcast

In this episode, I talk with professional Lauren Stratman, the day before a tournament, about her physical and mental preparation for competition.  Apparently, her methods work well as she finished in third place in women's doubles with her partner Lea Jansen.  

In this episode, I talk with Carly Penfold who specializes in shiatsu acupressure massage.  Carly discusses how this technique not only helps to relieve pain but can increase your energy on the court and with your Pickleball partner. 

In this episode, I talk with Gordon G.G. Gebert who I first saw in a Youtube video practicing Pickleball in the snow.  Gordon has developed a training practice paddle called the Slam Master and you don't even need a partner to get in a great workout.  The Slam Master helps to improve reaction time, control, and coordination. 

In this episode, I talk with Lauren McLaughlin a commentator for the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) tour.  Lauren discusses what is involved in live streaming Pickleball tournaments and her new show on APP TV called First Dates with Lauren McLaughlin. 

In this episode, I talk with Laura Fenton Kovanda who has won national championships in five different sports.   Yes you read that right, in five sports including Pickleball!  Laura really has a powerful story as she talks about the challenges in becoming a professional athlete and her passion for teaching sports.   

In this episode, I talk with wheelchair Pickleball player Joe Dowling and tournament director Jim Loving.  Jim held the first regional Pickleball tournament with a wheelchair division and Joe was one of the participants.  Joe discusses why Pickleball is such a great sport for people with disabilities and the challenges in growing the sport for wheelchair players. 

In this episode, I talk with Helle Sparre who brought her expertise on tennis strategy to doubles on the Pickleball court.  Helle was a professional tennis player in the 1970's but has been an avid Pickleball teacher and player the past five years.  If you are interested in learning more about Pickleball doubles strategy this episode is for you as she takes a deep dive into the subject. 

In this episode, I talk with Marlene Bell who wrote a book called Pickleball: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.  Marlene discusses why she wrote a humorous book on Pickleball, how she came up the subject matter for her book, and the plans for her next book.  If you like to laugh, then this show is for you! 

In this episode, I talk with Steve Wong who has a long history in Pickleball as he started playing the game in 1991.  Steve has done so much in the sport including being a founder of the USA Pickleball Association, winning a national championship, and starting two Pickleball companies (Onix and Armour Pickleball).  Steve has seen so much growth in the sport yet he still has an ultimate dream for P...

In this episode, I talk with Mike Hoxie from Pickleball Is Great, which is a company running Pickleball tournaments all over the United States.  Mike discusses how he got started running tournaments and his journey to having a company running events.  He is also partnering with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) by hosting a series of tournaments called the road to the AAU junior Olympics. 

In this episode, I talk with Leigh and 14-year-old Anna Leigh Waters who are a mother and daughter professional Pickleball team.  Anna Leigh wasn't even a teenager when the team finished in first place at the 2019 Pickleball nationals.  They have an incredible story of how they started playing Pickleball and had a rapid rise to the top of the game.  This is a must listen to episode especially...

In this episode, I talk with Dotti Berry who is bringing together players and experts in live interactive events to improve health and fitness in Pickleball.  Ironically, it took three different people to convince Dotti to start playing Pickleball and just a couple years later she's bringing together Pickleball professionals and other experts.  Her next summit is January 28-29, 2021. 

In this episode, I talk with Catherine Parenteau who is a former Division I tennis player and current professional Pickleball player.  Catherine has some great tips on training both on and off the court.  She covers how to choose doubles partners, how to scout opponents, and the physical and mental training methods she uses to maximize performance. 

In this episode, I talk with legendary Pickleball instructor Richard "Coach Mo" Movsessian and Coach Matty Klein.  This show is a must listen to episode as it is jam packed with information which will improve your game.  Coach Mo and Matty, who have taught together for years, talk about percentage Pickleball and what this really means when you are on the court.  Coach Matty also discusse...

In this episode, I talk with Kasandra Gehrke who gave up her career as a physical education teacher to play professional Pickleball full time. Kasandra has a great story of how she transformed her game and body to become one of the top pros in the game.  She also explains a very interesting strategy to improve her game quickly and discusses how the game is changing. 

In this episode, I talk with Ken Herrmann the founder of the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) tour.  Ken discusses his vision for the tour and where the events will be in 2021.  He also surprises me with tales of noodles and groupies.  Be sure to listen to find out more! 

In this episode, I talk with Kyle Selinko, who does a full production live stream for the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP).  Kyle discusses the challenges of both Pickleball and live streaming for the pro tour.  He has a great perspective on the growth of Pickleball including his two very ambitious goals for the sport and what it will take to achieve them. 

 In this episode, I am talking with National Champion Steve Cole who has partnered with Scott Moore, winning many tournaments together.  Steve is the teaching pro at the Plaza Hotel so if you are heading to Las Vegas be sure to visit the hotel for some Pickleball.  During this episode he talks about his Pickleball philosophy, his clinics at the Plaza, and the state of Pickleball in Las Vegas. 

In this episode, I talk with top professional Zane Navratil on how the game of Pickleball is changing.  He talks about the advanced shots he teaches 4.5 players and above.  He also discusses how his own game strategy has evolved over the years and how he used statistics to help identify areas of improvement.  All of this is working for Zane as he recently finished second in Men's pro doubles...

 In this episode, I talk with Randi Levenbaum who is a USA Pickleball certified referee, registered referee trainer, and the USA Pickleball mountain region referee training coordinator.  She talks about new rules for Pickleball in 2021 including two new serving rules which are being talked about a lot on social media.  Randi also talks about other new rules which are especially important for tourn...

 In this episode, I talk with John Callahan who is the author of the #1 best selling Pickleball book on Amazon, Pickleball Tips, Lessons, Strategies, & Myths From a Certified Pickleball Professional & U.S. Open Gold Medal Winner .  On the show he talks about his book including the 10 myths of Pickleball and how they impact your game.  At the end of the interview, John also tells you how yo...

Carolyn Ebbinghaus talks about how you can win with power in Pickleball even at the professional level.  She also  mentions an unusual method of tournament preparation that is important to her game. 

This episode is all about Pickleball paddles as I talk to the paddle geek Brandon Swanson.  Brandon gives paddle recommendations for people of all levels and budgets.  He also talks about how to find the paddle that's right for you and dives into the technical aspects of Pickleball paddle materials and manufacturing.  If you want to learn more about paddles or are looking for a new paddle, th...

Today I'm talking with senior pro Joe Frasca who is changing the life of many of his Pickleball students by applying science to off-court training.  This is one of the most interesting interviews I've done as Joe shares numerous tips for not only how players can improve their game but also their life.  And the interview is not all about off-court training.  Joe also talks about how Pickl...

Athena Trouillot has already had a lot of success in professional Pickleball although she just started playing the sport in the summer of 2017.  In 2019, she won gold and silver in the pro division at the Canadian nationals and also won a silver at the U.S. nationals.  In the interview, Athena gives some great tips for advanced players as she talks about blocking, seeing the ball, and misdirects.