Hey!

I played pickleball with my friend Craig this morning. And every time I see that man, he goes, “Ahh man I love pickleball. Don’t you just love pickleball?”

I’ll tell you what. It never gets old. And I don't know about you, but damn near every day when I wake up, my mind goes to something pickleball related. 😂 It's amazing. haha

Whether you're 15 or 85, pickleball is the greatest game. And truthfully, it really is the sport that’s changing the world.

Now, without further ado let’s get rocking with today’s edition!

Today’s edition has three parts: 

1. A Helpful Tip – The Most Underrated Shot In Pickleball. 

2. An Entertaining Video – Mic’d Up While Playing. 😂

3. My Journey Playing Pro Pickleball – Almost Winning Big: My Weekend In Minnesota. 

A Helpful Tip: 

At first, I was against this shot. Mainly because, everyone I saw try it sucked at it.

So I thought, "STOP." 

And I held that belief for about a year, until something changed. I noticed pro players hitting this shot and winning points on it. 

So, I've started working it into my game, and think you’d benefit from working on it, too!

Introducing, the most underrated shot in pickleball.👇

An Entertaining Video:  

My Journey Playing Pro Pickleball: 

The last 7 days have been, hmmm, hectic. Yeah, that’s the right word! 

At last week’s PPA Minnesota tournament, I nearly had two of the biggest wins in my career. Damn, I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot lately. I’m right there, knocking at the door of a consistent breakthrough.

See, when I first started to play pro tournaments, I got crushed. But now, things have changed.

In mixed doubles, I played with my usual partner Jennifer. Our first round was against Tyler Loong and Etta Wright. Tyler is an established player who finished last year in PPA rankings as the 5th or 6th best doubles player. 

Etta is a rising star who, in my opinion, will be one of the top 10 women in all of pickleball in six months. 

We played them CLOSE in the first game, even having game point at 11-10. And the whole match, we felt comfortable. Like we belonged. But it wasn’t enough.

We ended up losing that match 13-11, 11-7. You can watch it here. 

And then in Men's doubles, I played with Sam Weinbach, a first time partner. In our opening round, we played Ben Newell and Daniel De-La Rosa. 

I played Ben in last tournament's first round in that marathon match at legacy where the score was 18-16 in the first game. 

And Daniel is someone I know pretty well as he spends a good amount of time in Phoenix. Fun fact: he’s also the #1 Racquetball player in the world. 

It was a huge back and forth match, we lost 0-11, 11-9, 8-11. Much like the match above, this was a lengthy match that came down to the wire. 

But as has been the pattern of late, we weren’t able to close it out. 

On one hand, I'm frustrated. On the other, I’m thrilled. I mean, I really am, “right there.” Competing against the best pickleball players in the world and nearly winning, a lot. 

I feel confident I’m going to take that step soon. It could be in three months or maybe six, but it’s coming. I’m feeling more confident than ever in my game. I’m training more intentionally than I ever have and I’m seeing those skills from practice translate to the games, even in the biggest moments. 

A final note: 

On the plane ride home, I was about to watch a movie but my iPad died. So instead, I put music on and sat there in thought for 90 minutes. I fell into a trance visualizing that moment when I stand on the podium after winning my first pro medal. 

I couldn’t help but smile about how good that will feel. Because when it does happen, I know I’ll have earned it!

Until next time, 

Kyle  

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