Pickleball

Swimming

Strength

Triathlon

Photography

Track & Field

Nutrition

Physical Therapy

Running

Pets

Cycling

Podcasting

HealthCare

Musculoskeletal

Hockey

First Responders

Integrative Medicine

Chiropractic

Cross Country Skiing

Adaptive Sports

Climbing

Mental Health

Surfing

Tennis

Military

Mind Body

Scholars

Criminal Justice

Liquor

CrossFit

Golf

Soccer

Hunting

Public Speaking

Venture Capital

Sr Pro Player and coach. I travel to coach

Julie Johnson is a professional pickleball player and 5-time European Champion. She's a former US National Singles Champion and regularly competes in tournaments worldwide. She's been featured in multiple magazines and online media outlets. Johnson is passionate about the sport and works to inspire others to take up the game. She offers clinics and workshops for players of all levels and is dedicated to growing the sport. Her enthusiasm has made her one of the most respected pickleball players in the world.

Garrett Gosselin is the Founder of CRBN Pickleball, an innovative company revolutionizing the way people play. Born and raised in Idaho, Garrett has been a passionate pickleball player since he was a kid. He has dedicated his life to making the game more accessible and enjoyable for everyone. For over 15 years, Garrett has helped design and develop some of the best pickleball equipment on the market and his products have been endorsed by top players. With CRBN Pickleball, Garrett's mission is to provide the highest quality equipment while making the game more affordable and accessible. His products have been featured in several magazines and publications. Garrett is also a champion for pickleball growth and education, helping to grow the game in local communities and schools. His passion for pickleball has made him an inspiring role model.

Byron Freso grew up in Ghana playing sports at the top level, from volleyball to racquetball. After injuries forced him to stop playing racquetball, he and his wife, Marsha, discovered Pickleball. He has won countless medals as a pro player, is an IPTPA and PPR certified instructor, and is one of the top referees in the game. He was honored with ONIX's first ever Ambassador Emeritus title and serves as Head Referee on the APP Tour.

Chris Powers is a four-time Nationals Gold medal champion as well as a three-time silver medalist.  She competes around the country at the Super Senior Pro level in the Mixed Doubles and Women's Doubles categories.  She has competed in over 80 tournaments including Nationals in Indian Wells, CA, and the U.S. Open in Naples, FL.  She has won over 200 medals in the four years she has competed. Chris resides in Aiken, SC with her four horses, three dogs, and two pickleball courts.  She conducts lessons and camps at her farm called Two Sisters Farm.  She enjoys teaching and her students range from complete beginners to those who play competitively.  Chris also runs free pickleball retreats for women diagnosed with any type of cancer through her organization, Women Beyond Cancer.

Scott Moore is living proof that great players only get better with time. After 30+ years as a tennis player, he began playing pickleball competitively in 2013 and has since gone on to win the triple crown—not once, not twice, but six times. His aggressive playing style has earned him the fitting nickname “The Beast.” Widely regarded as the No. 1 senior male player in the world, Scott’s success expands beyond his age category. In 2018, he and his son Daniel won the 19+ division at the Northwest Regional tournament in Bend, Oregon, and less than a month later, he and his son Jon won the Italian Open.

Teresa Tarn is a former D1 College softball player that has become addicted to the fastest-growing sport across the country - pickleball. She travels the country competing as a senior pro, having won many medals in senior pro as well as at the US Open in Naples. Coaching and teaching are part of her DNA, and she enjoys teaching lessons, camps, and clinics. She graduated from Michigan State with a Bachelor of Science teaching degree in Exercise Science with an emphasis in sports psychology and kinesiology, and has since coached basketball, volleyball, softball, and baseball. Her sole athletic focus is now on pickleball.

Scott has been coaching for more than 30 years in sports such as tennis, skiing/ snowboarding, running, cycling, and triathlon.  Now, he is excited to go Back to the Future as he returns to the court to share his passion for Pickleball!  Scott is an IPTPA Level 2 certified pickleball coach and Director, a 5.0+ rated player, and ranked in the top 10 on the Senior Pro Tour.  Scott won a silver medal in Sr Pro men's doubles at the 2022 USA Pickleball National Championships.

Awesome question. Lucas, I think what makes an athlete coachable is an open mind. You know, they hear a lot growth mindset versus fixed mindset and the fixed mindset, can be an athlete that has some short-term success with a growth mindset, is is willing to learn from other methods and they're not limited by just their own brain or just their brain and their coaches screen. And so somebody that's resourceful and I think coach has have a huge role in creating athletes that have a growth mindset. A lot of us, coaches have, huge, Egos, and we don't like our athletes to learn from other people and I think that's it's bad. That's bad tactic for a coach. What we want to do is create an athlete that can take a little bit from me, can take a little bit from someone else on the team from another coach. They might read something and and recognize it as a good idea and perhaps They bring it up with their main coach, maybe that's me. And if it's a good idea, I'm going to, I'm going to let them know that that's awesome that they and they should go try that. So a growth mindset is really really what it boils down to stumble it around. In my words about 13 degrees out here. Cheers.

To be coachable, an athlete should have a growth mindset and be resourceful. They should be open to learning from other methods and coaches, and recognize good ideas and bring them up with their main coach.

Unleashing Potential: The Key to Coachable Athletes

What makes an athlete coachable is having an open mind and a growth mindset. Athletes who are coachable are willing to learn from different methods and are not limited by their own thoughts or their coach's perspective. They are resourceful and seek to gather knowledge and insights from various sources.

Coaches play a significant role in fostering a growth mindset in athletes. It's important for coaches to set aside their egos and encourage athletes to learn from others, whether it's teammates, other coaches, or external resources. Creating an environment where athletes feel comfortable exploring different ideas and approaches is crucial.

Ultimately, being coachable means having a mindset that embraces growth and being open to new ideas and perspectives. It allows athletes to continuously learn and improve, ultimately enhancing their performance.

Of all the photos taken of you, do you have a favorite one in your career? Yeah, I love this photo of me. Most people probably pick good pictures of themselves. I just think this photo is hilarious. So this picture was taken in 2007 at the World Championships. I had just won the gold medal. The story behind it is right before we walked out on the awards stand, the ceremony was being televised. The people telling us about the awards made this really big deal about the fact that the medal had these diamonds in it. They were like, you have to make sure that when they put the medal on, the diamonds are facing out because it will look really pretty on TV, and you don't want to have your medal backwards. They kept telling us this. So I get out there and I get my medal, and I'm paranoid that my medal is on backwards. So that's me inspecting my medal to make sure that the diamonds are facing out the right way. You see the sparkly. Somebody obviously got a picture of me glaring at my medal, but that's just my intense thinking face. I'm not actually upset. That's just what I look like when I'm intensely thinking about something. I just think this picture is hilarious. So this is probably my favorite photo of me from my swimming career. So good times.

My favorite photo of me is one taken in 2007 at the World Championships after I won the gold medal. I was inspecting my medal to make sure the diamonds were facing out and someone got a picture of me with my intense thinking face.

Of all the photos taken of you throughout your career, do you have a favorite?

Olympic champion's hilarious favorite photo reveals secret paranoia

Do you have a favorite photo of yourself from your career? Yeah, I have this one photo that I absolutely love. Most people tend to choose flattering pictures of themselves, and this one is no exception. But what makes it special is that it's just downright hilarious.

The photo was taken in 2007 at the World Championships, right after I won the gold medal. Here's the backstory: before we went up on the awards stand, the ceremony was being televised, and they made a big fuss about the diamonds in the medal. They kept emphasizing that we should make sure the diamonds were facing outwards because it would look stunning on TV. So, naturally, I became paranoid about my medal being on backwards.

In the picture, you can see me intensely inspecting my medal, making sure the diamonds are facing the right way. I have this focused, almost glaring expression on my face, but trust me, I'm not actually upset. That's just my intense thinking face. I find this photo absolutely hilarious because it captures that moment of me being overly concerned about the orientation of my medal.

So, yeah, this is definitely my favorite photo from my swimming career. It brings back good memories and always makes me laugh. Good times, indeed.

As coaches and athletes. We hope that the easier route isn't the easier. One to choose, you know, there's a, there's a knowledge base that comes with performance. There's knowledge base that comes with goals. And so the people that are choosing the easier route because it's easier. Yeah, they're probably don't have the same commitment level that you do. So in fact, one of the I retire or resign from one job because as a coach I was sick of being the most committed person on the team. And so it taught me Me a lot and I kind of changed the way that I teach in the way that I coach people but at the same time you have to understand that if you know you have to do something in order to reach the goals that you've set for yourself and you don't do it. I used I told this to every team that we visited on our trip, if you have knowledge of what will make you faster and you don't do it because it's too hard, I have no pity for you. It's a simple honest message. If you choose not throw the route that you know, you have to choose, then don't expect the results that you want. You can't just wish performance into existence. So the easier route is easier to choose for people who don't really want to perform. That's my opinion.

If you want to reach your goals, you need to make the commitment and put in the hard work. Don't expect results if you choose the easier route and don't do what it takes to succeed.

Why is the easier route, easier to choose?

Commitment over Convenience: The Easier Route Isn't Always the Right Choice

The easier route is often chosen by those who lack the same level of commitment and dedication. As coaches and athletes, we hope that the easier route is not the preferred choice. When individuals opt for the easier route simply because it is easier, it indicates a lower level of commitment. Personally, I reached a point where I resigned from a job as a coach because I was tired of being the most committed person on the team. This experience taught me valuable lessons and influenced how I teach and coach others.

It's important to understand that if you have set goals for yourself and know what needs to be done to achieve them, but choose not to do it because it's too difficult, there should be no sympathy. It's a straightforward message: if you have knowledge of what will make you better or faster, but choose not to pursue it, don't expect the desired results. Performance cannot be wished into existence. The easier route is easier to choose for those who do not truly desire to excel. This is my perspective on the matter.

So if I could teach a class on anything, it would be a class on the fundamentals of getting the most out of yourself. The last few years, I haven't coached a group and I've really put a lot of time into studying the science on these fundamentals, mainly these fundamentals. And they are sleep, which is maybe more important than everything combined. There's a great book from Brad Walker, I think it's Brad Walker, Why We Sleep, and it goes into everything from how it affects our brain and our hunger and our pain threshold. It affects everything. It is so important. And keeping a circadian rhythm, there's so much to this. So I would definitely look into it, if it's more important than everything combined, that's huge. And then stress management, okay, and that's physical and emotional stress, okay, from your relationships, from your job, from financial stresses, okay, huge. Then nutrition, you know, there's more and more research on nutrition, how much it affects our brain, how much it's affecting our sleep, how much it's affecting our recovery, how important polyphenols are. We want to eat mainly fruits and vegetables. We want to eat plants, okay, because they have polyphenols and they have a lot to do with our oxidative stress in our cells. And then lastly is training, okay, and that's exercise for people that aren't trying to be world-class distance runners. We have to move, we have to move after we eat because it affects our blood sugar. And you know, there's a lot you can do with training with distance runners, you know, some of this new stuff, these blocks of threshold are interesting. So, you got to keep learning, adapt.

I would teach a class on the fundamentals of how to get the most out of yourself in your last few years. The topics would include sleep, stress management, nutrition, and exercise.

If you had to teach a course about a specific topic (within your domain) what would it be?

Unlocking the Power of Sleep, Stress, Nutrition & Training

If I could teach a class, it would be on the fundamentals of optimizing personal performance. Over the past few years, I have delved deep into studying the science behind these fundamentals. The first key aspect is sleep, which is possibly even more important than everything else combined. I highly recommend reading Why We Sleep by Brad Walker, as it explores how sleep impacts our brain, hunger, pain threshold, and overall well-being. Establishing a proper circadian rhythm is crucial. Stress management is another important component, encompassing both physical and emotional stress from relationships, work, and finances. Nutrition plays a significant role as well, with emerging research highlighting its impact on brain function, sleep quality, recovery, and the importance of consuming polyphenol-rich foods like fruits and vegetables to combat oxidative stress in our cells. Lastly, training or exercise is essential for everyone, not just elite athletes. Moving after meals helps regulate blood sugar levels. There are also intriguing developments in training methods for distance runners like utilizing blocks of threshold work. Continuous learning and adaptation are key in this domain.

So who invented pickleball? 1965, Bainbridge Island, which is near Seattle, Washington, there were three dads, Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum and Bill Bell. They're credited with inventing pickleball. I think they set out one summer to play some badminton. They didn't have the right equipment so they used what they had. They had paddles. They had a wiffle ball. They lowered the net down to 36 inches. They loved it. They wrote down the rules the next day. And I think the stats are, by 1990, pickleball had expanded to all 50 states. And currently, there are four million plus players in the US.

Pickleball was invented in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington. By 1990 it had spread to all fifty states, and now there are over four million players in the US.

Pickleball: From Backyard Experiment to Four Million Players

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington. Three dads named Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell are credited with its invention. One summer, they wanted to play badminton but didn't have the right equipment. Instead, they improvised using paddles and a wiffle ball. They lowered the net to 36 inches and enjoyed the game. The next day, they wrote down the rules. By 1990, pickleball had spread to all 50 states, and currently, there are over four million players in the US.

So you need to, from time to time, reflect on your skills, whatever it is you're doing. You need to know what your weaknesses are, what your strengths are, and work on them, okay? Keeping a journal like Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, where you go through things and this is for yourself, for yourself to grow. And all the time, as a coach, I try to write training, I try to learn things that are a little bit painful, okay? You gotta go towards pain to grow. You gotta go towards things you're not super comfortable with, whether it's 800 meter training, whether it's mental skills, learning those things, okay? You gotta be honest with yourself at times. If you're gonna grow, you need to get out of your comfort zone and learn different things, whether it's nutrition, it's the mental game, stress management techniques, or just really good communication skills with your athletes. But definitely need to go towards pain. You know, there's a great story about Bill Bradley, was like 10 years old and he was just tall and didn't have many skills. And, you know, he looked at his weaknesses, which was dribbling and passing and got much, much better at them. He trained his weaknesses. So you need to train your weaknesses as well as your strengths and get into the mode of growing as a person, as an athlete. And a lot of times that's going towards pain. That's, you know, we don't reflect a lot in our society today with all the distractions and social media stuff, but we need to pay attention to what we're good at, what we're poor at and try to be honest with ourselves and grow.

Reflecting on your skills and weaknesses, keeping a journal, and going towards pain are all essential for growing as an athlete. Bill Bradley is an example of someone who worked hard to improve his weaknesses. We should also take the time to reflect and be honest with ourselves in order to grow.

Embrace Growth: Evaluating Weaknesses and Training for Success

Evaluating weaknesses requires reflection and self-awareness. Like Marcus Aurelius in Meditations, keeping a journal can help identify strengths and weaknesses for personal growth. As a coach, I constantly seek out challenging training and learning opportunities to push myself beyond my comfort zone. Growth comes from embracing discomfort, whether it's training in new areas or developing mental skills. Being honest with ourselves is essential for growth. Stepping out of our comfort zones and learning different aspects such as nutrition, stress management, or effective communication skills with athletes is crucial. Bill Bradley's story exemplifies the importance of training weaknesses to improve overall skills. It's necessary to focus on both strengths and weaknesses and adopt a mindset of continuous growth. In today's society filled with distractions and social media, it's important to pay attention to our strengths and weaknesses, be honest with ourselves, and strive for personal and athletic development even if it means facing challenges and discomfort along the way.