Veterans & Teachers, Self-Ratings & Injury Prevention

Ever Done This After a Missed Shot? Lifelong Mental Health Improvement with PB

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FIT PICKLER
April 18, 2024

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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

  • Fitness Expert Glen Dawson: How to Hydrate Properly

  • 4 Different Ways to Self-Assess Your PB Rating

  • Pickleball’s Lifelong Mental Health Impact

  • How Pickleball Helped a Math Teacher Be a Better Teacher

  • Humor: Have You Ever Been THIS Frustrated On The Court?

  • Pickleball Becomes ‘Lifeline’ for Army Veteran with PTSD

  • Yale Medicine Sports Doctors: How To Prevent PB Injuries

  • The Fit Pickler Survey Contest: Enter Today!

  • Rally Rundown: Local Highlights

  • Coach Mary: Two Handed or One Handed Backhands at the Kitchen?

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with GLEN

HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD I DRINK?

🥷SKILLS

Different Ways to Self-Assess
Your PB Rating

Image Credit: The AI team almost has them looking human

Pickleball ratings are helpful for matching you with appropriate opponents and charting your path to improvement. The USAP rating system categorizes players from 1.0 to 5.5+, ensuring fair play and a clear improvement roadmap.

But what do each of these ratings really mean? And how do we self-assess where we stand as players? There are 4 essential ways you can determine your own rating, some involving quizzes and others involving on the court determinations.

Courtesy of John Zakour

🧠MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

The Lasting Positive Mental Health
Aspect of Pickleball

Catherine Parenteau (Instagram)

A tweet from Pro Catherine Parenteau read, “Feeling sentimental…”What’s a pickleball memory that made you realize it’s more than just a sport?”

The answers came flooding in, showing once again that for many pickleball players, the sport is providing a lasting and lifelong boost to their physical and mental well-being.

I’m not crying, you’re crying. Read some of the amazing responses Click Here…

🙌 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

How Pickleball Helped a Math
Teacher Become a Better Teacher

We may stop being afraid of math if this catches on!

From Communication to Participation, Crystal Frommert writes about taking lessons from the Pickleball court into her classroom.

She says, “the students should be doing the talking, the writing, the working—not the teacher. The same idea applies to pickleball or any physical activity. To get better at the skill, the learner must be on their feet, paddle in hand, and practicing with other learners.”

 😂HUMOR

Have You Ever Been
THIS Frustrated??

👨‍⚕️HEALTH

Yale Medicine Sports Doctors:
How To Prevent PB Injuries

Ouch!

With the rapid growth of Pickleball, unfortunately comes the growth of Pickleball related injuries. Dr. Andrew Jiminez, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Yale Univerisity has some practical advice to help us avoid those injuries.

He says, “The sport can be rigorous, and the strains on the body are not casual.” But he also notes, “The good news is that there are many things people can do to limit [those] injuries.”

🗞️NEWS
Pickleball Becomes ‘Lifeline’ for
Army Veteran with PTSD

Gene Sheets (from USA Pickleball) Modified

Gene Sheets is an Army veteran of two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and his experience in war left him with post traumatic stress disorder. He struggled mightily after his return to civilian life.

He credits his VA health coach with helping him in his mental and physical recovery. Part of that recovery involved Pickleball. He now says it was his lifeline.

He says, “In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, pickleball gave me something to hold onto—a sense of purpose, a reason to keep moving forward.”

✅ SURVEY CONTEST ✅

We would love to get to know you better
So we can provide the most value possible!
Please fill out this quick 1 Minute Survey.

As a BIG THANK YOU,
At the end of each month we will choose one name
from those who replied and send the Winner
a $150 AMAZON GIFT CARD!

🧭 COMMUNITY NEWS

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS


DO YOU HAVE LOCAL NEWS TO SHARE? REACH OUT TO US AT
[email protected] and send us a link to your story!

HOLDING COURT with
COACH MARY

  💪 Two Handed or One Handed
Backhands at the Kitchen?

Collaboration with Jordan Briones and Zane Navratil:

Two Handed or One Handed Backhands at the Kitchen
DINK or ATTACK

How great to have a video with both amazing coaches!
Be sure to watch it several times.

Zane says he has more control and maneuverability with the two-hander. He will use the one hander when he is jammed towards the middle of his body. Jordan and Zane demo both techniques in a volley exchange.

Option 1: Leaning and taking the two-hander.

Option 2: Take the left hand off and protect the body with one hand.

Basically, Zane is using a one-hander when he cannot hit a two-hander.

1. Control
2. Maneuverability
3. More Power with your left with two-hander.

When do you use a one hander? REACH! The two-hander is not as successful when reach is involved. If I am using a two-hander, I need to be within 6 inches of my body. Outside of that, I would use a one-hander. Use a one-hander when you are reaching forward or to the side, when you cannot get both hands on the paddle.

Zane uses some topspin on his two-hander with the dink –awesome! Zane can attack with both the two-hander and the one-hander using topspin from low to high, out in front of his body. Remember, if you must reach, use the one hander!

Check out the one-handed flick attack with topspin on the backhand side. You want to be unpredictable. You should be able to attack or dink with either the two-hander or the one-hander.

Hint: drill with your left hand to develop this strength.

Low to High! Start with your paddle at 6 o’clock. Pointed at the ground. Stroke low to high to develop topspin. This will be used with the speed up close to the net.

Drill, Drill, Drill! These skills require repetition. Watch videos, drill, and attempt these skills in game situations to gain confidence.

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