The Art of Control: Playing Pickleball with Jack Munro
Jill Braverman: I played with Jack Munro at PPA San Clemente last week, and something he did that was so interesting was, he's lefty, so he'd be on the right, and he'd get a backhand that was pretty high. You know, the guy sitting in the middle to protect the middle is thinking it's going to come so hard, and Jack would just hit it feathery soft down the line. Then the guy would get it back barely, and he would do the same thing again, and there's nobody home, and the ball is moving very slowly.
So, I think we're seeing this kind of crop of next-generation players really leveraging that: getting the ball down and off-speed, winning the point because we all have good hands, and we all want the ball fast. That's what we want. I want someone to hit it fast. I mean, I want someone to put it right on my paddle. I don't want it to bounce off-speed and kick funny.
Kristin Walla: So much of defense is anticipation. So, you are anticipating speed, and you don't get it. You're more likely to make an error.
Scott Crandall: Well, I mean, once these hand battles start, then everyone just goes straight lizard brain.
Jill Braverman: Yeah, lizard brain.
Scott Crandall: But Jack Munro, I think because this is his second pickleball life—he was good when he was a kid before the pro scene came out, and he was already one of the youngest 5.0 players. He's also known for having a lot of trick shots and variety in his game.
I don't think he goes lizard brain. He's so good he keeps his mind open. He's like, "What can I do with this?" rather than just "bang, bang, bang." It's like, "No, well, this would be cute, and then that would be cute." And then he turns and looks at the camera and goes, "That's a highlight."
Can you keep control of your brain in the midst of a firefight? (Watch Clip)
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