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7 Easy Tips To Anticipate Your Opponent's Next Move and Win More Matches

The Capital City for Pickleball is ???, Christmas Pickleball Art, PB & Loneliness & A Pickleball Mockumentary!

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FIT PICKLER
December 26, 2024

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from THE FIT PICKLER

Health, Fitness, News & Fun for Picklers of All Ages

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

  • “GOT IT CONTEST” WINNER ANNOUNCED

  • 7 Easy Tips To Anticipate Your Opponent's Next Move and Win More Matches

  • Austin TX Named the USA Pickleball Capital

  • Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: How To Reset Shoulder Pain

  • Who Makes More Money: Women Pro Picklers or Women in the WNBA?

  • Tackling the Loneliness Epidemic with Pickleball

  • The Pickleball “Mockumentary” Coming Soon to a Theater Near You!

  • Christmas Art From Cracked Pickleballs

  • Dinkyballs’ New Fun & Inspirational Pickleball Children’s Book

  • Coach Mary: Mastering “OUT” Ball Line Calls

🏆DECEMBER WINNER OF THE “GOT IT” CONTEST
This month’s Prize: “Thou Shalt Not Poach”
T-ShirtWinner: “Chuck G.”
Congratulations!
(Check Your Email for Details)

© Original Design by The Fit Pickler
FOMO? Get 20% off entire store at TheFitPicklerStore.com
Use Code FITPICKLER20

🥷 SKILLS

7 Easy Tips to Anticipate Your Opponent’s
Next Move & Win More Matches

Ahah! I Gotcha!

Learn how to read and react to your opponents’ tendencies during a match to gain a tactical edge.

Have you ever felt like your opponent was one step ahead, always anticipating your shots while you scrambled to keep up? Chances are, they were reading your patterns while you were just focused on getting the ball back. Many players overlook the importance of observing their opponents during a game.

It’s not about taking mental notes on every single shot—it’s about recognizing tendencies over time. By learning how to decode your opponent’s patterns, you can anticipate their next move and turn the game in your favor. Here are seven actionable ways to start identifying and reacting to patterns in your opponents’ gameplay.

Observe Their Serve Routine
Every player has a unique serve routine, and most stick to the same habits. Watch for where they stand, how they prepare, and where they aim their serves. Do they prefer topspin or a deep, flat serve? Are they targeting a specific spot on the court?

When to observe: The first few serves of the game are the most revealing. Players often show their tendencies early, especially under pressure.

What to do: Between points, recall where their serves landed. If they always target your backhand, adjust your positioning slightly to counter. If they favor a high-spin serve, step back to give yourself more time to react.

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with GLENN

How To Reset Shoulder Pain

🗞️ NEWS

Austin TX Named the the USA
Pickleball Capital

Keep Austin Pickling!

What makes Austin the reigning pickleball capital of the country? This thriving city has embraced the sport like no other, blending its unique culture with a game that’s captured the hearts of millions.

From buzzing courts to unexpected player stats, this report uncovers why Austin stands out in a nation swept up in pickleball fever. Curious to see how Austin serves up the perfect pickleball experience? Keep reading to find out, click here…

🏆 SPORTS NEWS

Who Makes More Money:
Women Pro Picklers
or Women in the WNBA?

You’ve Come A Long Way Baby!

Pro pickleball is rewriting the playbook for professional sports, with players now earning higher salaries than stars in the WNBA and NWSL. The rise of the United Pickleball Association has unified the sport and created a financial surge, with players averaging $260,000 annually—double the income of many top athletes in other leagues.

From record-breaking sponsorship deals to millions of fans watching PickleballTV, the sport's growth shows no signs of slowing. Curious how pickleball went from backyard pastime to financial powerhouse? Keep reading to find out, click here…

How does the #1 ranked Pickleball Pro compare to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in terms of earning? You might be surprised! See the comparison here…

🧠 MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

Tackling the Loneliness Epidemic
With Pickleball

Take That Loneliness!

What if a simple game could tackle one of the biggest challenges of our time? Meet the co-founders of Rally, a pickleball-driven social hub in Charlotte, North Carolina, blending sport, community, and hospitality to combat the loneliness epidemic.

From gourmet dining to vibrant courts, their mission goes far beyond the game. See how Rally is redefining connection! Read More Here…

👏 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Tis The Season For Christmas
Ornaments From Cracked Pickleballs!

👀 CHECK THIS OUT

Dinkyball has just released an adorable and inspirational Children’s Book about…
Yes! You guessed it: Pickleball! These 12 lessons are sure to warm your heart and inspire kids and kids at heart alike!

Available Now at dinkyballsbook.com use Code: RPPA to save 20%

🧭 COMMUNITY NEWS

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

Tired of asking “What’s for dinner?” Here’s the answer.

It’s Tovala—the chef-crafted meal delivery service that’s changing the game for dinner (and lunch and breakfast). Each meal is delivered fresh and takes only 1 minute to prep so you can spend less time cooking and more time living.

HOLDING COURT with
COACH MARY

  💪 DRILLING!!!!

DRILLING

At a lesson today, one of my students said that it is hard to find 4 players who are willing to drill. Oftentimes, players dink down the line for a few minutes, and then start playing games. They do not warm-up groundstrokes, serves, volleys or anything crosscourt.

Here is a short warm-up you can do just before games:

You can accomplish this warm-up in under 10 minutes.
1. Dink down-the-line.
2. Dink crosscourt.
3. Volley-volley down-the line.
4. Volley-volley crosscourt.
5. Third shot drops, one up, one back. Switch.
6. Resets off a drive from the baseline.
7. Serving crosscourt and change sides to practice both sides.

If you are more advanced, add:
Transition zone resets, speed-ups, lobs and overheads.
If you cannot get four players to drill:
• Drill one on one, skinny singles down-the-line and crosscourt.
• Get a ball machine to drill on your own!
• Drill with three players, and the two players must hit to the single players’ side of the court.

Be sure to rotate.
• Check out the attached 3-person drill! Ed Ju brings us a drill that works on attacking, resets, and third shot drops. What a great drill! The player by himself is attacking both deep crosscourt and right at the player in front of him.

The two players on the same side are resetting, and executing third shot drops that are un-attackable. Be sure to rotate spots to work on each skill set.

You might be able to get your peeps to drill if you make it fun! Make it competitive, keep score in your drill games. Set up goals for your drill.

Example: Z drill 
(Thanks Ernie Medina for teaching this to me at Loma Linda with Kevin 2 years ago!)

• Player 1 at the NVZ, starts the drill with a courtesy feed to the player in front of them at the baseline.
• Player 2 at the baseline executes a topspin drive right back to the player who started the feed.
• The feeding player now takes that drive and resets it crosscourt across the net to player 3, soft into the Kitchen.
• The 3rd player feeds to the 4th player, who is across from them at the baseline.
• The 4th player executes a topspin drive down the line right back at player 3.
• Player 3 resets softly cross court to player 1.
• Player 1 feeds to player 2. Keep it going.
• Rotate spots so that each player gets to be in each spot, executing different skills.

Are you too young to think about how you’re aging? Probably not.

Starting in our 30s, some key cellular processes begin to slow down, making us feel tired and weak over time. This decline affects not just our physical strength and endurance, but significantly reduces our quality of life making everyday activities harder to enjoy.

Luckily, scientists have discovered a way to shape how we age. Mitopure®, by Timeline, targets the root cause of this cellular decline and is clinically proven to increase cellular energy, giving our bodies the energy they need to function optimally. The results? Double-digit increases in muscle strength and endurance without any change in exercise.