Pickleball Obsession

#1026: Coach Veronica Alteri just started playing pro pickleball herself, but she remembers the mental challenges of the first time she played in a tournament. She and Tracie talk about the thrills and chills of playing competitively and how to deal with the way things change (for you and for your partner) when the score actually counts.

#1025: Coach Mindy Yoder says that hitting to the weaker player can make sense if your goal is to win the game, but can also backfire if the stronger player takes over the court and poaches aggressively, ending points quickly. In rec play, you might want to embrace more challenge and have better points by including the stronger player — which can make it a better experience for everyone — especial...

#1024: Coach Leia Miller talks about whether there is an etiquette or sportsmanship issue about aiming the ball at an opponent's body, since "body bagging" has become a legitimate strategy. In earlier pickleball days, hitting someone with the ball might have necessitated a heartfelt apology. Leia talks about how the sport has become more aggressive so you need to be prepared to defe...

#1023: Coach Thomas Yelloweyes in Oregon explains you're giving gifts to your opponents by hitting their balls that are going out. Tracie talks about how frustrating it is to have a partner who goes after every ball, hitting balls that are clearly going out when she thought their opponents had lost the point — but suddenly that out ball is coming right back to her!

#1022: IPTPA Master Pro Lisa Palcic talks about a common flaw even in advanced players, especially in former tennis players, who transition to pickleball and bring their backswing with them. She explains how there should be no "take back" in pickleball except from the baseline. All other shots coming to the kitchen — and once you're there — should start and stay out in front of you....

#1021: Coach Greg Dedrick, the manager at True Pickleball Club, explains how to make a rapid determination about whether to take a mid-court ball out of the air, or take a step back and let it bounce before hitting it. Attacking a ball sooner gives your opponents less time to react, but if you take it as a volley, you need to be stable and in a good position if they make a fast return.

#1020: Coach Mindy Yoder talks about how to cope if you get distracted by other people on both sides of the court and how to quiet your own brain if you're bugged by a partner or opponents with a different skill level, physical ability or personality. She suggests focusing on an opponents' shoes rather than on their (or your own partner's) facial expression or distracting behaviors...

#1019: Former tennis players were trained to think of the back third of the court as "no man's land" — a place to get stuck, trapped or pulverized by opponents. Coach Thomas Yelloweyes explains how in pickleball, you can embrace the "transition zone"  as a place where you can make good things happen for yourself. 

#1018: Coach Leia Miller emphasizes how important footwork is in pickleball, and undervalued from beginners to advanced players. She discusses the proper stance, the significance of planting before hitting, and the dangers of crossing feet or backpedaling. Miller explains how good footwork is the basis of injury prevention, is central to controlling shots, maintaining stability, and is fundamental...

#1017: Coach Lisa Palcic urges her students: Don't forget the split step! In the rush to get to the kitchen after serving, people forget to put the brakes on when the opponents hit the ball. Getting to the kitchen from the baseline is best done with a stop on the way there! Embrace the split step so you can handle any shots coming at you in the transition zone — then continue on your journey...

#1016: Deb "PicklePongDeb" Harrison calls the middle of the court "Divorce Court" because people bicker over whose shot it should have been when a ball flies past them both. Players should call it: "Mine"..."Me"..."I go"... Or conversely indicate to a partner: "Yours"..."You"... Or if you are lobbed, "Help!" Much bette...

#1014: Coach Leia Miller explains how when you are serving, sometimes the 3rd shot — or the 5th shot — may not call for a drop. But neither is a drive the right move! Those situations might need a hybrid of the two shots — quite naturally referred to as a Drip — that will be the solution to getting you up to the kitchen effectively. She describes the how/when/where of this clever amalgamation of t...

#1015: Coach Greg Dedrick talks about what happens when a poaching partner gets too greedy — and how to handle a partner who cannot curb his own appetite to hit your balls!

#1013: Thomas Yelloweyes (IPTPA and PPR certified) of Night Train Pickleball in Oregon discusses how to decide if you’re ready in your personal PB journey to try a tournament? Admit you want to win — an admission he explains is tough for many people, but without declaring it there's no point competing.

#1012: IPTPA Master Coach Lisa Palcic explains that as you get better, your strategy at the kitchen needs to change. The NVZ is not just a place to practice your dinks, it's where you set up winning shots for yourself and your partner. Different strokes for different folks: depending on whether you're a low intermediate player, high intermediate or an advanced pickler, your thought proce...

#1002: Coach Leia Miller talks about how frustrating lobs can be and while they are rarely seen on the pro circuit, they can be a common weapon on the amateur court. She offers suggestions on how to keep them from rattling your cage, and even turn them against the lobber.

#1011: The beauty of PB is that it's played by a wide variety of ages. Coach Deb Harrison, who wins tournaments as a Super Senior, says age does matter... but maybe not in the way people assume. People say younger players have an advantage (leg speed, stamina) but seniors have their own advantage of PB I.Q.: anticipation of being ready for where/how the ball will come back to them. 

#1010: Coach Leia Miller describes the shot after your serve is returned to you as difficult because you need patience, timing and finesse — without muscling the ball. The "unattackable” 3rd shot drop is how the serving team gets up to the kitchen without being nailed en route by the receiving team!

#1009: Coach Thomas Yelloweyes of Night Train Pickleball in Wilsonville, Oregon says the most important thing about the serve is not to dazzle (hoping ESPN is coming out to shoot a highlight reel of your killer serve!). Forget spin, slice and miles-per-hour — the serve needs to be three things: consistent, deep — it has to go in every time!

#1008: Coach Veronica Alteri has a potent two-handed backhand — watching her and the pros who use two hands on the paddle from the backhand side makes it look really intriguing. Veronica talks about what you gain and what you give up using a two-handed grip — and when you need to revert to a one-hander.

#1007: Coach Mindy Yoder points out the ways that we can undermine ourselves on the court (name calling ourselves lazy, stupid) and suck the fun out of the game. If you’re being harsh to yourself, Mindy talks about how to interrupt and change that thought process. Is there anything you can do when a partner is being unkind to him/herself since it affects you.

#1006: This is an often-used but greatly misunderstood saying about which player takes the ball, depending on the angle at which it crosses the net. Coach Deb Harrison thinks beginners and intermediates may have never heard the phrase, whereas more advanced players think they know what it means...but there's a good chance they don't! Coach Deb calls the middle of the court between the pa...

#1005: Coach Leia Miller talks about common smirking reaction to making a point off a net cord hit — "Sorry... not sorry" and asks whether its funny — or rudely snarky? Other pickleball etiquette issues are responding to partners' errors with eye rolls and a "resting bitch face" instead of smiling and being encouraging for the next shot. Or guys who lose their cool about t...

#1003: Coach Veronica Alteri gives tips on how to speed up your reaction time with your paddle — because some people have naturally fast hands but anybody with the intention can get faster with their paddle.

#1004: Coach Greg Dedrick discuss this phrase that is often used when a shot is missed down the middle of the court, but he explains how there really would be no riddle to solve if players understood which player should rightly be taking that mid-court shot.