Senior Pickleball Tips

Paddy has found a segment from his interview with Coach John Gill (aka Aussie John Pickleball) where they talk about keeping safe from injuries and mishaps on the pickleball court. They discuss the main things like court shoes and eye protection, about what to do and (maybe more importantly) what NOT to do! You may feel you've heard this all before - but it is well worth a recap, to keep you on th...

Please find in this episode, 8 minutes of mindfullness and calm - to listen to before you go on court. Whether you're going to play for a bit of fun with your pickle friends or about to play in a major tournament - you may find it useful to have this 8-minute moment of peace, to help you focus your mind. Keep it with you wherever you go - play it in the car, walking to the courts or just before yo...

In this podcast Paddy chats to Steve Willis who is not only fanatical about pickleball, but is also highly involved with US Senior Pickleball. Discover Steve's story as he goes from swimming to pickleball, gets addicted (like a lot of us!) and what he does when he realises that he wants to put something back into the sport. USSP supports the development of pickleball for seniors throughout the Uni...

In this episode Paddy talks through how to transition from tennis to pickleball. Although there are MANY advantages such as an understanding of footwork and court positioning, there are also disadvantages such as going for the sidelines and too big a backswing.  Listen to Paddy as he goes through all this, while giving examples from his own transition - after playing tennis for 50+ years.  So if y...

In this episode Paddy talks to his doubles partner, good friend and pickleball coach Phil about partner communications. They have entered a 50+, 3.5 tournament together for the first time and discuss how they are going to communicate with each other before playing, during play and afterwards.  The tournament is in two weeks' time, so it's important they 'get their act together'! Partner communicat...

In this episode Paddy talks with Ron Ponder who is the Director of Officiating at the Global Pickleball Federation and all-round great guy. They talk about how he got into pickleball and then got into refereeing while helping with DUPR and expanding the sport into the far reaches of this planet. For example, how Ron got to officiate in Madagascar's first national tournament after explaining to abo...

Remaining with the important theme of listening to our bodies, Paddy talks to Bill Reif about his book 'Treat Your Own Pickleball Injuries' out with Amazon. With 45+ years experience of being a physical therapist, he started playing pickleball five years ago and found himself looking after more and more pickleball players. So, on retiring, he wrote this very useful book. Listen to Paddy and Bill d...

In the second part of this episode Paddy and Susan (from Pro Motion Fitness) discuss the importance of having some kind of a daily routine to stretch our muscles and tendons and to help us gain some physical strength. This can help all of us with our pickleball game (and our lives in general!). A 10- or 15-minute routine is good (or even longer if you can bare it!), but at least a 5-10 minute stre...

In this two-part episode Paddy talks to Susan Cohen from Pro Motion Fitness about keeping injury-free. Part one will cover the five most common pickleball injuries that occur with seniors and in part two they discuss about how all of us should have our own bespoke, personal daily routine so we can stretch and strengthen our muscles for 10-15 minutes every day. So, in this part-one episode Susan go...

In this episode Paddy continues with his story about winning a gold medal in the English National Singles Championships (3.0, 65+). Listen to how he played against a 'giant' at 6'8" and then very much hoped that he didn't come across Nigel again (who beat him in the round-robin). And, you've guessed it, of course he did! Paddy explains what worked for him in this tournament - both his game strateg...

In this episode Paddy talks through his experience of how (for some crazy reason) he managed to win an English National Singles Championships title (3.0,  65+). He talks through his preparation, his game strategy and his mental strength (basically how he kept his sh*t together!).  He talks through the six games he had to play in the round-robin to get to the semi-finals - what he did right and wha...

In this episode Sleeves (from Senior Pickleball Report) talks about his role in the Netflix pickleball film 'Dreambreaker'.  Dreambreaker: A Pickleball Story is a humorous look into the serious business of our country's fastest-growing sport and the celebrities, billionaires, and everyday folks scrambling to get in on the action. Interesting watch! Then Paddy and Sleeves 'shoot the breeze' about a...

This is probably the MOST DIFFICULT SHOT IN PICKLEBALL and also the most important . Paddy talks through the techniques and strategies for the Re-Set Shot - what to do, how to do it & when to do it.  He stresses just how vital it is to be able to undertake this shot. He even says that if you want to improve to 3.5 and certainly to 4.0 and beyond YOU MUST HAVE THE RE-SET SHOT IN YOUR ARSENAL. Altho...

In this episode Paddy goes through the techniques and strategy needed to make the most of your backhand drive. This can be a weak shot for many of us seniors - so listen to how you can improve YOUR backhand drive and be confident with, what can be a tricky shot.  He also touches on whether to have a single- or double-backhand and the advantages and disadvantages of both. There's even a mention of...

We give over this episode to a review of the Facebook group by the Deep Dive Podcast. It was first broadcast in April 2024 and here is another chance to listen to it again.  But it is VERY IMPORTANT to make sure you listen to Paddy's endpiece - this helps to make the whole episode make sense! By the way, be sure to take a look at our upcoming website. Sign up onto the waitlist for a great discount...

With coach Jeff Gehm, Paddy goes through the ten basic shots one at a time, and for each one they discuss the MOST VALUABLE TIP for that shot. There is a LOT in this espisode worth listening to (sorry we went over our 30 min limit - but only just!). Check out... Serve Return of Serve 3rd Shot Drop or Drive? 5th Shot Drop Forehand Drive Backhand Drive Dink Lob Smash Re-Set Shot (Told you there's a...

In this episode Paddy is in Bangkok and Manila! Every year he escapes the UK winter and this year it was to Thailand and the Philippines – to relax on beaches and go wreck diving! So, of course, he also played pickleball at every opportunity. Paddy looks at the phenomenal growth of pickleball (especially for seniors) in South East Asia and particularly in Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. W...

In this episode Paddy explains why dinking has been made for seniors! Why we have the patience to really make the most of this vital part of our 'soft game'. He goes through techniques and tips to help you develop your dink to overcome powerful (and probably younger!) opponents. Paddy talks about the grip, the stance and positioning, how to gently stroke the ball over the net together with a lot o...

We all watch YouTube videos about how to perfect the most powerful forehand drive or the best spin serve that will bamboozle your opponent, or maybe how to put more topspin on your backhand or how to 'stack' more efficiently. BUT, above all these things is ONE overarching and more important aspect to pickleball - how to improve our risk-reward balance by simply being MORE CONSISTENT . No matter yo...

In this episode Paddy explains the importance of the forehand drive - which is probably your most used shot. Therefore, maybe your most important shot? So it's good to spend some time looking at the forehand drive and getting it right. What's the right stance? What kind of backswing should you have? How important is footwork? When and how should you use it in your doubles strategy? Nowadays, playe...

In this episode Paddy chats to Steve Schoeffler who is an entrepreneur, inventor and pickleball addict.  He describes how he fell into pickleball from tennis (like a LOT of us!) and soon got fed up of picking up pickleballs! He realised, as he played more and more pickleball, that this was a REAL problem with seniors playing the sport and set out to do something about it. Follow Steve's journey as...

Paddy asks his picklefriend Sleeves (from the Senior Pickleball Report) about what makes a good paddle for a beginner. They discuss the ins and outs of various different types of paddles - what they're made of, how they're made, what to choose for power or precision or a combination of both, how much to pay, 14mm or 16mm and everything else about beginners' paddles. Paddy then summarizes and names...

The smash can be both powerful and beautiful, all at the same time. If it's done properly, it will bring HUGE benefits to your game. But be careful - if it's not well executed, you can lose a lot of points. In this episode Paddy goes through it all, explaining how to smash well, when to smash, where to aim and how (as seniors!) NOT to get injured.  Join our new (free) Academy here: https://www.sko...

Just thinking about and imlementing some basic strategy, can make a BIG difference to your game. Being in the right place at the right time with the right shot and in tune with your partner WILL improve your results HUGELY. Paddy describes 10 basic strategies -step-by-step.  He goes through everything from the importance of communication to moving together side-by-side, from your choice of shots d...

The lob is a great shot if you can do it well. In this episode Paddy goes through the techniques, tactics and strategies for this most annoying of shots! You love it when you perform it well - and hate it when it's done against you! But, love it or hate it, you have to have it in your arsenal.  Whether it's lobbing from midcourt, from the back of the court or when dinking - the lob doesn't just wi...