I’m writing to you from Vegas this week, so let me just say…

What happens in Vegas…

…stays in this newsletter! 😂

With that being said, welcome back to the 43rd edition of this newsletter — powered by Selkirk! 

Today’s edition has three parts: 

1. A Helpful Tip - Why “the lob” is becoming more common, and how to hit it. 

2. An Entertaining Video - Pickleball vs. basketball at lifetime fitness.

3. An Update on my Journey To Pro - Playing the pro division this weekend!

Also, welcome to the 43 new people who joined last week and thanks to everyone who referred a friend.

I know I’m a day late, but I got caught up yesterday at the tournament here in Vegas.

Now, let’s get to it!

Helpful tip 

We’re talkin’ lobs! But not just any type of lob…

And listen, I get it.

You have a friend who loves to lob. And almost every time they do it, the ball ends up smashed back into your face. 

Gee, thanks partner. 🙄

Occasionally, they hit one good lob and it’s enough of a dopamine hit for them to try it 7 more times (and they miss all 7.) 

But…

What if I told you the lob can actually be a great shot, if executed properly in the right situations. 

Stay with me here…

Take a look at this lob by “The Lob Doctor” himself, Callan Dawson (and me).

pic.twitter.com/4FZiVk6HAJ

— KYLE | ThatPickleballGuy (@KyleKoszuta) October 5, 2022

Did you see it? 

If you noticed the lob came off a dink-volley rather than off the ground, you saw the right thing. 

Here’s 3 reasons why the lob can be a great shot for your arsenal. 

1. It’s a different look - humans are creatures of habit. If you only speed up, drop, dink, and drive on each point, you become easy to read. So, the change up can throw off your opponent. 

2. Opponents don’t like it - It’s annoying to have to run back to the baseline and reset a ball after you just worked so hard to get to the kitchen line. So, as a rule of thumb, if your opponent doesn’t like something you’re doing. Do it more. 

3. You’ll win more points - In a past edition, I interviewed some top players about the differences between amateurs and pros, player #2 said top players have more shots (in their arsenals) than amateurs. The lob shot is one of those shots. 

And here are 4 reasons doing the dink volley lob better than just your good ole off the bounce lob 

1. Catch your opponent by surprise.

   1.  It’s easily disguised because it looks like a dink volley, whereas, when you do one off the ground, it’s way easier to read — and you rarely catch your opponent by surprise. 

2. Use their “lean in” against them. 

   1. Often players will lean in to take dinks out of the air. So If they’re leaning in, they’ll definitely struggle to back up and get balanced when you lob them.

3. You don’t have to be as perfect. 

   1. Because you're often catching your opponent by surprise, you don’t need as high a ball. It’s more a smaller arc aimed at the back of the court. Assuming you’re playing two righties, I recommend using this shot more on the right side to either go down the line, or cross court to the back left baseline spot. Then it puts the ball over your opponent’s backhand. Which is a tough shot for them. 

4. Often causes foot faults. You see this much more at the pro level than the amateur level, in my opinion. Because your opponent jumps into the air but pushes off the kitchen line, usually, without knowing it. 

And I do have to give one disclaimer. If you’re older or playing against older people, please be careful using this shot. 

Because of all the reasons I shared why lobs work, they’re also the reason people with less mobility tend to get caught off guard and then trip and fall. 

And I want everyone to stay safe while playing. Winning a point isn’t worth the cost of an injury!

In addition, beware of this. 

If you’re playing rec games, and working on this shot with people you don’t know, it’s likely they’ll think the lob is a horrible shot, and your partner will get mad at you for even trying and your opponent may get annoyed with you for making them run so much! 

So, be ready for that!

Listen, you don’t have to be perfect at this. But I've been working on lobs a ton and plan to start using them in more tournaments soon!

Entertaining Video 

A guy named Quincy on Tiktok made a hilarious video about when basketball players get to Lifetime Fitness and are pissed that the pickleball nets are set up so they can’t play basketball. 

The video went viral. 

So, I made a quick remix video and added in some clips of how I felt when I got to lifetime fitness the other day and the pickleball courts were set up. 

Enjoy 👇

Journey To Pro

As I mentioned above, I’m in Vegas, getting ready to play in the PPA tournament at Darling Tennis Center.

I’m playing mixed pro doubles (for the 2nd time) this morning, mens pro doubles (for the 1st time), and then 5.0 mixed doubles on Sunday. 

I’m going in with three thoughts in mind. 

1. Compete to win

2. Be a great partner

3. Execute our strategy 

Oh, our strategy? Great question. My partners and I are still working on it. (I know I plan on hitting a few lobs). We'll let you know how it goes next week!

Until next time, 

Kyle