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Pickleball Strategies, Tips and Tricks; Pickleball Lessons, Coaching, Clinics and Bootcamps

Pickleball Coach, Prem Carnot, The Pickleball Guru will teach you to play Smart Pickleball; Pickleball Strategies, Coaching, Bootcamps and Clinics

Costa Rica Bootcamp Destination!

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An amazing Pickleball Bootcamp Destination from April 11 – 18, 2020, at the Pura Vida House in Costa Rica!

  • 7-night double occupancy luxury accommodations – #1 Ranked TripAdvisor Villa in the World
  • 2+ hours daily lessons and drills with the Guru!
  • Breakfasts/dinners prepared by international chef at the villa
  • Private airport transfers (LIR, Liberia Airport)
  • Golf carts for use within resort
  • Free access to the exclusive Hacienda Pinilla Beach Club
  • 24/7 concierge services
  • Hacienda Pinilla Golf Course – 50% discount

All this for only $1600!

How Do I Sign Up?

This destination works a bit different than the bootcamps in the States!

First, go to the Pura Vida Website, for a bit more info about registration, and then contact them at:

Call / Text: (614) 600-1904
Email: info@thepuravidahouse.com

And one more note – this already has a HUGE discount (and you receive accommodations and meals at the resort!), so we can’t offer any discounts that we offer in the States!

Ain’t No Thing But a Chicken Wing! (Body Shots, Part 2!)

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Last month, it was all about whether or not it’s rude to provide your opponent with a free pickleball tattoo.

In other words, is it okay to go for those body shots?

Like so many pickleball questions, the answer depends!

In this case, it depends on who you’re playing against!

If you’re playing against lesser skilled players who just want to have some fun, going after their bodies may be rude. But with higher skilled players, they are probably expecting shots coming to their bodies, and you are probably expecting some coming to yours!

So how do you stop the body shots? And when you want to dole them out, what part of the body do you aim for? 

I’ve Mentioned This a Time or Two…

Actually, I’ve said this thousands of times!

KEEP YOUR PADDLE UP!

Players at the higher levels notice when you lower that paddle. 

Keeping your paddle up gives you that little bit of extra time to position your paddle to block one of those body shots.

If your opponent sees that paddle down below your waist, that body shot is coming soon!

The best way to hold the paddle (e.g., out in front, or like a crossing-guard’s stop sign) is what works best for you!

But you have to keep that paddle up!

What Part of the Body to Aim for

Normally, it’s the feet! But in this case, you’re going for the torso!

But what part of the torso? You’ve got a just high enough dink, you can’t hit down at the feet, but you can blast at the body. 

Here’s what I recommend: aim for the paddle shoulder.

Grab your paddle and find a mirror. In your ready position (that paddle better be up!), if you’re right-handed, pretend that you’re trying to block a ball coming at your right shoulder.

Feel weird? Feel awkward?

Probably so!

Most other parts of the torso can be blocked a bit easier, but your wrist and elbow have to make a very awkward movement to protect that shoulder, which translates into net or out balls!

So just how do you block these types of body shots?

Ain’t No Thing but a Chicken Wing

This is pretty hard to describe! Just to make sure you get it, there’s a video below!

Lift your elbow and keep a loose grip on your paddle so that it’s kind of dangling from your hand.

The paddle face should be covering that vulnerable right shoulder.

And yes, I call it the chicken wing because that’s what it looks like!

I say “Paddles Up!” alot, but here’s what I also say – “If something works for you, keep doing it!”

You may already have a way to block those shoulder shots. If that’s the case, DON’T CHANGE!

The chicken wing is one option that works for me and may work for you!

 

 

Body Shots! (Part 1)

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You may have done this once or twice (or dozens, or hundreds!).

You get one of those dinks just high enough, wind up, and crush that poor little pickleball!

Whether you meant to or not, it hit your opponent right in the chest! You immediately put your arm in the air and apologize profusely!

But were you really sorry?

Or maybe the better question is: is it a good idea to apologize for providing your opponent (for free!) a temporary pickleball tattoo?

Like many questions about pickleball, the answer is…it depends!

In a competitive game, with you and three other similarly skilled players, it’s accepted (or at least you may want to be prepared for it!) that there may be a number of shots coming to the body / chest area.

Not only that, you and those three other players may be expecting a fair number of body shots. As your pickleball skills improve, and you play with more skilled players, you’ll see that shots to the body are a strategic component to the game.

Are these body shots rude?

Absolutely NOT!

Should you apologize?

It’s up to you – there’s a lot of pickleball etiquette that varies from court to court (different types of paddle taps, “Sorry!” after you get that lucky dribble off the net for a point), so a quick apology may be the nice thing to do.

And Here’s When Moderation Isn’t Just a Good Thing, It Can Be a GREAT Thing

Some teenagers started playing pickleball at their local high school.

“Grandma! Grandpa! You’ve got to try this! You’re SOOOO going to LOVE it!”

So they try it a few times and come out to your courts for some fun.

You are the local MAPP (Most Awesome Pickleball Player)! Young, athletic, quick – and a good deal of power!

And you play all out!

It’s you and another player against the Grandparents – remember, they haven’t played much, so there’s definitely a skill imbalance!

Of course, you win easily, with a lot of points coming off quite a few body shots at the expense of Grandma and Grandpa.

Because you apologized after these points, everything’s alright!

Not so much…

In situations like this, I absolutely recommend that you moderate your game based on who you are playing against.

Sure – you’ve got plenty of easy winners available to you, but they’re against lesser skilled players – this may be a good time to work on other parts of your game (dinking, moving opponents around on the court, maybe even blocking body shots from Grandma and Grandpa!).

The Grandkids ask Grandma and Grandpa about their recent play at your courts.

“We didn’t like it all! It wasn’t fun! We ran into MR. P! He kept hitting us with the ball!”

“Mr. P? We don’t know him…”

“Most Rude Player.”

So that’s when you may be thinking about going for the body shots, AND when you may want to consider trying something else!

Next month – where on the body you should be aiming for, and how to combat those body shots!

Webinar Special Ends on June 15!

Not only $500 off the bootcamp that focuses on your game, register by June 15 to receive a 1/2-hour FaceTime (or Skype) with me, and you can receive it before OR after bootcamp! And yes, one of the things we work on at bootcamp is blocking those body shots! Click here for more information and to register for the bootcamp of your choice, and use coupon code WEBINAR for the $500 off / FaceTime!