Pickleball

Winning the seven Triple Crowns showed me that nothing is impossible with hard work and determination, and it gave me credibility to teach pickleball and build relationships.
 
Transcript: "Winning the Triple Crown. Actually, seven times has not really changed my approach to pickleball much. I always looked at it as a training ground where I needed to holistically get myself in the best shape possible, that's physically, mentally emotionally, even spiritually to be able to compete. So, fortunately by winning the seven Triple Crowns. It actually took me to a whole new level in the pickleball world with only a Few really a handful of other people that have ever even won a Triple Crown. So it kind of gave me the credibility to be able to go anywhere in the world and teach pickleball or train others or basically be able to build relationships based on my credibility that have helped me immensely with our everything from our pickleball trips business to being able to understand the game at a whole new level being able to understand what it takes to to get to that level where you can actually compete deep into the day for three straight days, which is tough. And everything has to go your way, anyone match or even a partner having a bad day can end that triple crown. So I think it's the hardest thing to do in pickleball. It showed me that nothing's impossible. If you have a goal, hard work, determination focus, and all the things that it takes to, to be at the Pinnacle of a game, and triple crowd is absolutely that."

I became a competitive pickleball player after my friend asked me to play and I ended up winning silver at Nationals in 2013. Since then, I have hired a trainer to get in shape, started playing tournaments, and have become one of the best players in the world.
 
Transcript: "What made me decide to be a competitive pickleball player? Well, I actually just fell into it. I had become an empty nester little over 10 years ago. A friend of mine asked me to play Pickleball and I thought innocuously enough, hey sounds like a fun new hobby I'm looking for hobbies. So I haven't played year and a half later. I ended up at Nationals in 2013 and my partner and I who have never really played a tournament before lost our first match. Won the next seven ended up with a silver medal at the 50 50 plus men's doubles and I thought wow, this is my new sport, I am going to be a national champion, de facto, best player in the world. Over 50 in this, I couldn't sleep at night hired a trainer to get me in shape. I hadn't hardly lift a weight, my whole life. He said you're an accident waiting to happen. He worked 20 pounds off of me and I started eating better working out consistently and basically playing tournaments where Daniel and I We were winning, we won two, gold medals became national champions in 2014 almost won the men's doubles, but after that 2015, which play every tournament we played, we pretty much one. We're a bit able to become the best players in the world and it just became something that I was having more fun than I ever dreamed. I would have and and competing well and it just became my new favorite go-to thing in life."

Pickleball has impacted my life in a major way, allowing me to make friends from different countries, travel the world, teach and play pickleball, and create businesses related to the sport. It is the perfect combination of competitive, physical, mental, and social elements and I've gone all in on it in the past 10 years with no regrets.
 
Transcript: "My pickleball career has impact impacted my life, in more ways than I ever would have imagined. If you'd told me ten years ago what this would have done for my life pickleball, I would have said you're either Dreaming or absolutely had gone mad but basically pickleball has now allowed me to make friends from. I mean dozens of different countries travel the world teach play have fun, you know, doing what I love and literally I have Fortunate enough to be able to do that on my own time. And it is been like I said, I couldn't even have a dream this up. So I am now spending most of my time doing pickleball related, things have 10 different businesses. We've got a pickleball trips business where we take people around the world with my two of my boys and that has been more fun than anything else. We've made an online video called high performance, pickleball Academy that is sold thousands and thousands of copies made that with Annual literally have trained people in 20 countries, probably 30 States and it has become basically not what defines me. But what I probably enjoy most in life is the perfect sport for me, the combination of the competitive, the physical, the mental, the social. And you know for that reason I think it's the best sport in the world and I've gone all in the past 10 years have no regrets and it's been unbelievable."

My favorite shot in pickleball is my backhand drop-shot. I practice it a lot and have developed good feel for it so that I can use it to gain an advantage in the point from a bad situation.
 
Transcript: "My favorite shot in pickleball. This going to surprise a lot of people because I'm known for my big forehand and crushing my forehand and bali's, but I think I would have to be say, honestly, my favorite shot now in pickleball is my backhand drop-shot. I guess it's because I've just practiced it so much but I love being back at the baseline or in the middle of the Court, dropping a ball, into the kitchen or at my opponent's feet, moving forward new Utilizing their advantage and winning a point. So I practice that probably as much as any other shot. And I have really good feel now with my backhand drop-shot so it has become my go-to shot, anytime I'm in trouble or anytime. I'm at the Baseline, hitting a third or fifth shot drop. I tend to use my backhand and have really nice touch to be able to make that unattackable where I can gain an advantage in the point from a bad situation."

A push tank is a linear shot hit across the court in order to put pressure on your opponent and make them feel uncomfortable, forcing them to make a decision on how to respond.
 
Transcript: "So what is a push dink and the application behind it? The push dink is a linear shot generally that goes cross court. And the reason for hitting a push dink is you're attempting to put pressure on your opponent. You want them to feel uncomfortable and you want them to make a decision whether to take that ball in the air or let the ball bounce and take a step back and hit it as a dink. So your main goal is to put pressure on your opponent."

No, you don't have to stack if playing with a lefty, but it is generally recommended because it puts both of your forehands in the middle of the court where most shots are hit, and allows you to capitalize on your stronger shot.
 
Transcript: "So do I have to stack if I'm playing with a lefty, even in rec play? Absolutely not. There is no rule of thumb that you have to stack playing with a lefty. But there are reasons to generally do so. It puts both of your forehands in the middle of the court where many of the shots are hit. And the forehand is also the stronger of the two shots, generally for most people. Now if you don't stack, it puts both of your backhands in the middle of the court and allows your opponents to capitalize on your backhands, which generally are the weaker shot."