Welcome back and…

Woah!! 

It’s week 52 (in a row) of this newsletter — powered by Selkirk.

And today — 1,942 people are receiving this email! What a journey it’s been so far.

Let’s keep it rolling.

Today’s edition has three parts: 

1. A Helpful tip – my best youtube video yet (aka my 1st😂)

2. An Entertaining video - still just a sport, “for old people?” Nah…

3. An Update on my Journey to Pro – It’s been a year. Am I a pro yet? 

Let’s jump in with…

A Helpful Tip:

It’s time…

To officially launch my youtube channel.

Now, if you just clicked that link and said, “wait…there’s a lot of videos in there. You’re “just launching” it?”

Valid. I’ll address that in a moment. But first, I’ll share this.👇

For 5 years, I taught basketball across the country at camps to dedicated players who wanted to compete at the next level.

It was work I loved — to break down a concept so a player could consume, comprehend, and apply to their own game. 

It’s work I still enjoy! And now…

…while I’ve technically had a youtube channel for a bit, this official launch is different.

97% of the videos on my channel are short form videos I posted after posting to Instagram.

But now, it’s time for more in - depth educational (and entertaining) content to help you improve at the game.

And here’s my first official video -  5 mistakes beginner pickleball players make! 👇

***note: my guess is, you’re making mistake #4…

If you want to get more videos like this over time, subscribe to the channel.

And please, 

…if you have feedback on any of these videos, tell me!

Remember the first time we all hit a third shot drop? It sucked!

But over time, we experimented, took feedback and ultimately improved. And I plan to do the same with this channel.

In fact, I’ve hired a video editor who’s wayyy better than me at editing to help ensure the content is delivered in a world-class way.

I’m not going to get there right away, it’s going to take some time.

But I assure you, I’m committed to making it happen!

An Entertaining Video: 

Ehhh, not anymore. In fact, the game is getting younger by the day!

I mean, The #1 women's player in the world, Anna Leigh Waters, is 15 years old. 

The game is growing so rapidly it’s inevitable more young people, specifically kids, will begin to play. 

In fact, my friend Sam has three young kids who I was lucky enough to play with. After playing with them for their first time, they were hooked.

Now, they want to be pro pickleball players.

How cool is that?

And I thought it was time for a paddle upgrade, so I partnered up with Selkirk to do this…👇

Update on my Journey to Pro: 

December 11, 2022 was officially day 1 on my journey to become a pro pickleball player. I gave myself a 12 month window to make it happen!

 

Today is December 8, 2022. 

So the big question is, am I a pro? 

The short answer? yes, I made it.

The long answer, I’m almost there.

And you might be thinking what?! But hear me out. This is the truth…

I’m traveling the country playing pro events. But for some pro tournaments, anyone can sign up at the pro level.. 

So, just because you play them doesn’t mean you’re a pro. 

But…

For me, I’ve not only played them, but I’ve won multiple matches in those tournaments. And the only reason I don’t respond to the question “are you a pro” with a resounding yes is — I haven’t yet beat an official top team.

I’ve been close. Real close in fact, but I haven’t gotten over that hump. (trust me, it’s coming).

And I feel like, once that happens, I’ll stick out my chest (humbly of course😂) and tell people I’m a pro.

Now with all that said, it’s been an unbelievable year. 12 months ago, my life was completely different. And I’m currently writing a piece called, 

“Wait, what just happened in the last 12 months.” 

And I plan to post it either next Thursday or the week after as a “year in review” type post! 

Now, if you’ve been with me the last 52 weeks, holy smokes — thank you. If you’re just joining me, welcome! 

Year 1 has been INSANE, and for year 2, my goal is to become a top 25 doubles player in the world. 

And I have a plan for how to do it. 

But, more on that another time.

Until next week, 

Kyle 

PS: If you didn’t click the link above, you can click this link to subscribe to the Youtube channel!