David Zapatka Continuing our study of Pickleball Fundamentals: Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, “Your entire demeanor at the net should be confident and strong. Let your attitude convey that you want the ball to come right at you because you’re willing and able to return it! Face the net with flexed…
Tag: pickleball
Sports, March 2022
Pickleball Club Members Tournament—Fun in the Sun!
Jim Uhrich After a one-year hiatus, the 8th Annual Robson Ranch Members-Only Pickleball Tournament was held Feb. 7 through 9. More than 150 players participated in the three-day tournament. The Robson Ranch Pickleball Club has more than 500 members, and the club was well represented both on and off the court with players and volunteers.…
Sports, March 2022
Relishing Pickleball: The Return of Serve
David Zapatka Continuing our study of Pickleball Fundamentals: Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, “the player returning the serve stands deep in or behind the service court, ready to return the ball. The returner should be alert and ready for the next play. As the serve travels over the net, the returner…
Sports, January 2022
Pickleball Tip for January from a Robson PPR Certified Instructor
Ron Hunt Steve Arthur’s lovable voice calls out again, “Get to the net!” Good advice takes a long time to embrace, but we do get there. Then we forget, and again we hear the familiar loud refrain, “Get to the net!” Well, when do we get to the net? It is nuanced to say the…
Sports, December 2021
Arizona Pickleball Players League Adding White Mountain Region
David Zapatka The Arizona Pickleball Players league (APPL) has now expanded its popular team-based pickleball league into its fifth region. After founding the first team-based pickleball league, East Valley Interclub League in 2012 (which has grown ever since), the Arizona Pickleball Players League was formally organized as a nonprofit in 2019 by a group of…
Sports, November 2021
Relishing Pickleball: Forehand Groundstroke
David Zapatka Want some tips to help you with your forehand groundstroke? Quoting from Pickleball Fundamentals by Mary Littlewood, when hitting a forehand groundstroke, “from the moment the ball leaves the opponent’s paddle, you should be tracking its flight with your eyes to aid you in judging the speed and direction of the ball. Move to the…
Sports, October 2021
Relishing Pickleball
David Zapatka Are you looking for an enriching retirement activity? Are you interested in quality exercise while having a good time? Are you interested in a social environment where you can meet friendly, fun people? Are you interested in making new friends in your community? Consider giving the fastest-growing sport in the world, pickleball, a…
Sports, September 2021
Relishing Pickleball: Is Pickleball a Good Bet?
David Zapatka The Pickleball Players Association (PPA) and Genius Sports, a publicly-traded sports data and tech company, recently announced a long-term deal that sets the stage for sports betting in pickleball. Can you imagine walking into one of our local casinos, hearing raucous cheers and seeing a pickleball match on the big screens in the…
Sports, August 2021
Relishing Pickleball
David Zapatka Reader Liz Houser writes, “I just moved to SaddleBrooke in April and learned to play pickleball in early May thanks to my enthusiastic neighbor Shawne. I just read your article about common mistakes numbers 11 and 12—I found them to be very helpful. Would you be so kind as to send me the…
Sports, July 2021
Relishing Pickleball Across the Nation
David Zapatka 2020 Pickleball Rocks Players of the Year 2020 was a crazy year. Many pickleball tournaments were cancelled. Public pickleball courts were closed and padlocked. That being said, Arizona pickleball players found ways to safely play, and even through the pandemic, new players found pickleball in record numbers. For 2020, Pickleball Rocks Clothing and…