Mastering The Tennis Pickleball Transition

JOOLA fights back, PB takes Britain by Storm, PB in Recovery

Author

FIT PICKLER
June 20, 2024

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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

  • From Tennis Ace to Pickleball Expert: Mastering the Transition

  • Fitness Expert Glen Dawson: Why You Need Your Vitamin D

  • JOOLA Challenges Ban On Paddles

  • Strategy Outweighs Athleticism: Ben Johns’ Chess Game

  • Humor: When To Worry About Your Opponents

  • Serving Up Hope: Recovering From Addiction Through Pickleball

  • Pickleball Is Becoming The New Favorite Among Black women

  • Pickleball is taking Britain by Storm

  • The Fit Pickler Survey Contest: Enter Today!

  • Rally Rundown: Local Highlights

  • Coach Mary: Transitioning From Tennis to Pickleball Tips

🥷SKILLS

From Tennis Ace to Pickleball Expert: Mastering the Transition

The Tennis to Pickleball Transition

The allure of pickleball, with its fast-paced rallies and convivial atmosphere, has attracted countless tennis players seeking a new challenge. However, the transition from the sprawling tennis court to the intimate pickleball arena is not as seamless as one might assume. Even seasoned tennis pros find themselves needing to recalibrate their skills and strategies to excel in this rapidly growing sport.

Pickleball Finesse: A Different Kind of Touch
One of the most striking differences between tennis and pickleball is the touch required. Tennis players are accustomed to generating power with full swings and explosive movements. In pickleball, finesse reigns supreme. The lightweight whiffle ball and smaller court demand a softer touch, emphasizing placement and control over raw power.

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with GLEN

Why You Need Your Vitamin D

🗞️NEWS

JOOLA Challenges Ban On Paddles

One week after a proposed class action suit was announced against paddle manufacturer, Joola, claiming a “bait and switch” scheme, the Maryland company is fighting back.

 JOOLA is seeking a federal judge's intervention to compel the USA Pickleball Association to approve its paddles for competitive use. The company accuses the association of unjustly revoking approval and is suing for breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud. They claim they were deceived into producing and marketing over 150,000 “unsellable” paddles.

🏅PRO NEWS

Strategy Outweighs Athleticism:
Ben Johns’ Chess Game

How did a self-described nerd who’s favorite hobby is playing “Magic: the Gathering” become what many believe to be the G.O.A.T. of pickleball?

 25-year-old Ben Johns credits his strategy over his athleticism. Connor Pardoe, who started the Pro Pickleball Association, notes that while he was never the fastest or the most competitive he always seemed “two or three steps ahead of everyone else.”

 Johns’ mixed doubles partner and the top women’s player, Anna Leigh Waters, says, “He’s playing a chess match and he moves a piece every time he hits a ball.”

🤣HUMOR

When to Worry About Your Opponents

@theholdernessfamily

Yes, we lost. Badly. #pickleball 🏓

👏COMMUNITY NEWS

Serving Up Hope: Recovering From Addiction Through Pickleball

“Once Pickled” is the brain child of Utah mental health counselor Nick Bolt. He said the idea came to him during a therapy session. Pickleball combines exercise, friendship and community and he is adding therapy to the mix.

His patients come from all walks of life with different kinds of substance abuse and he saw how pickleball could bring folks with the same types of issues together in what he calls “fun therapy.”

🗞️NEWS

Pickleball Is Becoming The New
Favorite Among Black Women

Tyra ‘Hurricane’ Black

When Tyra ‘Hurricane’ Black beat the reigning Queen of Pickleball, Anna Leigh Waters, she made headlines and not just in the pickleball community. Ms. Black, a former tennis pro, is now inspiring a new generation of Black women to paddle up and explore the community and excitement of this incredible sport.

Check out this article discussing how Black women are not just participating in the sport but leading the way while infusing it with their unique energy and style.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿GLOBAL NEWS

Pickleball is taking Britain by Storm

In 2019 there were an estimated 2,000 people playing pickleball in England on what was known to be only 94 official courts. By 2024, the number has skyrocketed to 30,000 players and there are over 580 venues.

The Number One female player in the country, former tennis player, Thaddea Lock, is leading the charge and hoping a new facility, the largest in the country, will spur on even more growth.

✅ SURVEY CONTEST ✅

🧭 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

  💪 Transitioning From Tennis to Pickleball:
Tips

Zane Navratil’s video covers seven things
he wishes he had known when transitioning
from Pickleball to Tennis

Here is a Summary:

1. Be Humble
When Zane came over to pickleball from tennis in 2013, he thought he was going to mop the floor with the old guys who were dinking. He soon woke up, and realized he needed to make some adjustments.

2. Ready position
Instead of having your arms way out in front of you, nice and high, favoring your backhand side, as in tennis, Zane has changed his emphasis. He wants his arms and paddle in front, but not so extended. Use your hips and shoulders. Watch the difference between the tennis ready position and the pickleball ready position.

3. Less is more
Be very compact. Short backswing. Less bouncing in the footwork and keep your paddle in front of you. Better balance. Pickleball is about managing your unforced errors rather than about hitting winners.

4. Take care of yourself
Warm up properly, and do not overtrain. We all get excited to get in the game, but if we do not warm-up, cool-down, stretch, and drill, we will wear ourselves out, and be susceptible to injuries.

5. “Slice is Nice, but Topspin is Better”
Zane talks about how the game has changed. He used to dink and return usually with slice, thinking the ball will drop down. Now, he uses topspin, and states that pros do not return with slice anymore – it makes them more vulnerable to opponents who attack with topspin. If you give your opponent slice, they can attack you with more topspin.

6. Do not forget everything from tennis
It is good to have a great drive because you had that in tennis. But your opponent will be able to handle that. Mix it up and hit third shot drops also. Zane demonstrates how to practice improperly, with drives only, then how to mix it up with drives and drops.

Develop your third shot drop or execute it on the fifth shot. Also, do not forget that poaching is a good thing. In tennis, poaching is promoted. Do not think that you should only cover your side of the court. If your opponent pops one up, go poach it and put it away.

7. Study the game
The game is constantly evolving. Zane says his videos have changed over the years, and he has adapted his teaching to accommodate those changes.

Add new shots: banana shot, tomahawk, scorpion, ATP, Erne, third shot three quarters, offensive lob from the NVZ, two-handed backhand from both the baseline and the Kitchen, swinging volley.

Note: We cannot all execute the shots we see the pros execute.

Be aware of your physical abilities and limits.

Add skills that you can add to your toolbox, and perhaps be choosy on shots that are not available to you because of physical limitations.

Be smart. If you are limited with mobility, partner with someone who can cover the court.

As always, have fun learning, find fun people to play with, and do not take yourself too seriously.

Remember, it is a game, not your career aspiration, enjoy yourself!

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