A Day of Pickleball Lessons and Insights

Day 12 – Learning New Techniques from AJ

From Pontiff to the Hilton Riverside

Understanding the Pickleball Lessons that I learned.: On Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023, I embarked on my 12th day of pickleball experiences. The day started at Pontiff where I went to pick up my son AJ. He was in the middle of a game, so I took the opportunity to watch and learn. When the game finished, we played a match together. I had a few bad hits, but overall, I held my own against a team that was slightly above my level.

Perfecting Defense: The Seesaw Philosophy and Red Light Green Light

Pickleball Lessons from AJ – After the game, AJ began to show me and another player some pointers on defending smashes. We revisited the seesaw philosophy and learned when to advance or stay back on the court. AJ introduced a fun exercise called Red Light Green Light. In this training, we played as a team, volleying the ball back to AJ. When we hit a return into the kitchen, we were to advance; conversely, we’d stay back when we hit a high return.

Playing at the Hilton: Dinking, Adjusting Vision, and New Partnerships

Following our Pickleball Lessons, we headed to the Hilton to play with Jesse, and Pauline. We began by dinking for a while, but I had trouble seeing the ball. I wasn’t sure if I needed a new prescription from an optometrist or if it was just the indoor lighting. Regardless, I persevered and played my first game with Jesse, who plays exceptionally well.

My second game was with Pauline, and after that, I worked with AJ on my serving technique. He explained that my control issues stemmed from not getting under the ball and not properly applying topspin on the serve. On this day, I really started to understand that most of the hits with a paddle in pickleball should be more of a push than a striking of the ball.

Fine-Tuning the Serve: Practice and Adjustments

I practiced serving while AJ and Jesse played singles for about 45 minutes. After hitting around 50 serves and making little tweaks to positioning and swing, I finally felt more comfortable with making contact very low to the ground. I also focused on following through with my arm as if I were dabbing, keeping the back of my hand turning towards my face and ending at my left ear. This seemed to really apply the topspin that AJ had instructed me to add to my serve.

As the day progressed, I recorded one of the singles games that Jesse and AJ played. This 12th day of my pickleball journey proved to be quite educational: I played with far superior talent, received invaluable advice from AJ on improving my game, and had the opportunity to watch two great players battle it out on the court.

The Next Step: Eye Doctor Appointment

My vision challenges throughout the day led me to consider scheduling an eye doctor appointment. Ensuring I have the right prescription will only help improve my game and overall experience.

Join me tomorrow as I continue my pickleball adventures and share new insights, challenges, and triumphs. I hope my experiences inspire you to keep pushing yourself and learning from both your successes and setbacks.