Steve Paranto teaches you how to reach like the pros! and The Joy Of Playing Pickleball

 

Steve Paranto teaches you how to reach like the pros!

 

May 2018: At the end of the day, Darryl Fling talked about the joy of playing pickleball.

Leigh Waters — Pickleball LOB DRAMA & Gold Medal Interview at PPA Vegas 2022

Pickleball Drill Session At HJ Carroll Park #1

 

2019: When it rains, Eve and Jack drill for 2 hours in the HJ Carroll Park picnic shelter.

Sarah's Pickleball Diary: PPA Roundup Day 2

  

Day 2 - PPA Tour Round Up, Frisco

So today started well. I worked up the courage to work the scary-looking waffle machine at the breakfast buffet and hey, they turned out great!! I put the batter in the right place, I worked out how to flip the machine over and they didn’t stick! The best part was that they tasted AMAZING. I will definitely be carb loading tomorrow. Breakfast of champions! 💪🏼

With a full belly, I jumped into a ‘Lyft’ (which is similar to an Uber) and headed back to Lifetime. Riley and I managed to squeeze in a good warm up before our first women’s doubles match. I was a little daunted when I heard that we were to play Parenteau and Dizon-Sheehan (#2 seeds) followed by Irvine and Jansen (#1 seeds) as our first two pool matches. Talk about a baptism of fire. 🔥

We gave it a shot but it was not our best display of pickleball. The nerves coupled with a tricky, swirling wind made it hard for me to reign in my third shot drops and these two teams pounced on it. But hey, we had some great early battles and lots of side outs. The scoreboard didn’t reflect the quality of the matches and I was impressed by how gracious Parenteau and Dizon-Sheehan were after the ass whooping.

Next up we faced off against David and Zilveti. We got off to a really slow start in this one. We trailed 8-2 at the end change but really turned things around when we got out of the blinding sun and were playing with the wind against us. Riley set up some beautiful points for us and we took the game 15-10. We were really stoked to chalk up our first win together. 🥳

The next match was against Rettger and Bates. They came out firing from the start. We did our best but found it really hard to establish ourselves at the kitchen. We won some great hand battles once we got to the NVZ. It was a 15-8 loss in the end.

With the pool matches done and dusted, we headed into the semi finals. We scored Lea Jansen and Jessie Irvine again. This time on Centre Court and with a best of 3 games to 11 format.  Gulp… We had quite a good start to game one. We levelled it a 2-2 and had some great rallies. The highlight here for me was an ATP on what I now realize was an ‘out ball’ anyway 🤭. We tried, we had fun, then we headed to the bronze medal playoffs against Rettger and Bates. (Match Video)

They had a solid start, taking the first set 11-3 and being 5-2 up in the second. I decided to stop being so BLOODY TENTATIVE and started to go for a few drives and poaches and this really helped us to turn things around. I think the shift in energy levels by both Riley and I forced Rachel and Shelby to take more risks and we did well to capitalize on this. We took charge of the second set, bringing it home 11-6. We continued on with the same aggressive strategy in game 3. It was working a treat and we quickly found ourselves with a 6-2 lead. We could almost feel the bronze medals dangling around our necks. Alas, It was not to be….. A couple of close line calls, a couple of lousy errors and before we knew it, those medals were around the necks of Rettger and Bates who made an epic comeback. (Match Video)

I decided that a cold beer and a burger were the next best things to a bronze medal. They were fresh out of Coronas so I tried a Blue Moon. I recommend trying them if you like the taste of battery fluid! 🧪🔋Now, about the burger… Well, I should have known better than to order a ‘sometimes’ food at a health club. They probably expect you to throw away the bun at places like this. It doesn’t look like anyone here has eaten carbs for at least a decade. 😆

I headed down to Slim Chicken tonight for a meal and another life lesson. Dinner was DELICIOUS but I learned not to order wings when you are dining alone…. When I got back to my hotel room, I looked in the mirror and was horrified to see that half of the wing sauce was still all over my face. I looked like the Joker! 🤣 I had walked all the way back to the hotel, making small talk with people and NO ONE HAD SAID A THING about the mess all over my face! 🤣

So as you can see, day 2 had its ups and downs. I had a great time playing with Riley and learnt a lot. I learned that the Durafast balls play very differently to the Franklin X40 and that it is probably a good idea to practise with them BEFORE the tournament. 🙈

Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings…..#SarahsPickleballDiaries  

Resources

• Facebook Post Includes Photos/Videos 
• Sarah's Pickleball Diary
• Nonna’s US Pickleball Diaries

Paddle Texture Test

 

Two coats of Behr Premium Extra Textured DeckOver, Deep Base 5015 were applied with a paint brush to one side of the paddle. The paddle will be evaluated for increased spin, control and wear for several weeks during drill sessions.

Interview with Mike Branon - Author of The Joy of Pickleball

 

Do you want to play your best pickleball as you get older?

The Joy of Pickleball is the definitive guide for the senior player who wants to:

Play Better, Healthier, and Happier!

Bestselling author of Pickleball &The Art of Living, Mike Branon, offers concise techniques and strategies to unlock your pickleball potential that are easy to understand and implement. Visual learners will appreciate links to video instruction that hammer home key concepts. Equal parts instruction, story telling, sports psychology and resource, this book invites you to fully experience the Joy of Pickleball at any age!

Learn how to:

• MASTER every stroke
• PLAY strategically sound pickleball
• OVERCOME physical and mental obstacles that sabotage your game
• DEVELOP a winning mindset
• ENJOY every day on the court

You’re never too old to enjoy life and play well. Come along and find out how!

Mike Branon is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who has taken his background in sports and healthy living and applied it to playing, teaching and writing about pickleball. He fully expects to be in the Pickleball Hall of Fame, but he’ll probably need to buy a ticket to get in. He lives in Carlsbad, California with his lovely wife and crazy dog (or is it the other way around?).

The Joy of Pickleball, seeks to help older athletes play their best and enjoy every day (eBook: $2.99)
The Joy of Pickleball YouTube Playlist (10 Videos) 

Mike Branon Website

Pickleball Fire Podcast

Lobs into sun cause complete CHAOS, a pickleball breakdown

 

Women's quartefinals matchup between Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters vs Regina Franco-Goldberg/Yana Newell at PPA Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada Video

PPA Las Vegas Championships Blog Reports

• The Dink: Championship Sunday Belongs to Anna Leigh Waters
• NML: PPA Tour Championships and APP Tour Alabama Classic – Live Random Thoughts
• NML: Leigh Waters Loses Control Over Lobs at PPA Championships
• NML: PPA Championships and APP Alabama Classic – 8 Takeaways – A Real Rivalry
• Selkirk Blog: ANNA LEIGH WATERS REIGNS SUPREME AT THE PPA CHAMPIONSHIP IN LAS VEGAS

YouTube Editing Keys

Pickleball Footwork: Joanne Russell

 

Joanne Russell teaches the importance of Pickleball footwork with this series of exercises and drills.

• Tyson McGuffin and Kyle McKenzie break down exactly what you can do to improve your two-handed backhand. Watch Video
• World Pickleball Day Flash Sale Autosan Direct/OEM Paddle Manufacture $3.49 Paddle  
• Jefferson County Library Pickleball Resouces (Books, Equipment)
• Book: The Art Of Pickleball
• 2022 PPA Las Vegas Championships (Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles/Gold Medal)