Tag: Relishing Pickleball

Relishing Pickleball

David Zapatka USA Pickleball National Championships The USA National Pickleball Championships were held for the third time at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., this past December. With 2,342 players competing in 3,944 matches in 172 brackets, it was the largest tournament in the history of pickleball. More than $70,000 in prize…

Relishing Pickleball

David Zapatka Backhand Groundstroke Quoting from Pickleball Fundamentals: Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, when hitting a backhand groundstroke, “The same principles apply when you’re hitting a backhand groundstroke (as a forehand groundstroke) except that you move to the left rather than to the right (right-handed players). While some players change the…

Relishing Pickleball: Forehand and 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…

Relishing Pickleball

David Zapatka Is pickleball a good bet? 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…

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…

Relishing Pickleball: 2020 Pickleball Rocks Players of the Year

David Zapatka 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 Equipment Company recognized a mixed doubles pair…