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Crazy knowing 3,636 people are receiving this edition. I remember I wrote my newsletter to 83 people for about 6 weeks at one point.

This is awesome. Thanks to everyone who reads on a weekly basis!

Before we keep going, welcome back to another edition of the blog. If you’re new to the blog and want to go back and check out past editions, go here!

Today’s edition has three parts: 

1. A Helpful Tip (Video) – The Ultimate Pickleball Drill.

2. For the Pickleball Nerds – To Stand at the Kitchen or One Step off…

3. My Journey Playing Pro – Losing Is a Thing. But It Sure Does Suck.

A Helpful Tip (Video):

When your partner is cross court dinking, where should you stand? 

1. Right at the kitchen line? Or 
2. One step behind the kitchen line? 

Before we get into it, shoutout to subscriber Ginny who brought this up to me in an email after last week’s edition!

Here’s my thought: 

It depends.  

Like most questions in pickleball, the answer requires nuance. And more questions to be asked. Like: 

• How good is my partner at cross court dinking? Do they miss high a lot? 
• How good are my hands and ability to counterattack? 
• How good is the person my partner is dinking with at attacking out of the air on cross court dinking exchanges? 
• Do I have a one handed counter or two hander? 

These are the questions I consider when deciding whether to be at the line or one step off the line when my partner is cross-court dinking. 

Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these questions...

QUESTION: How good is my partner at cross court dinking? Do they miss high a lot? 

My thoughts:

If my partner is really good at hitting non-attackable balls, I'm staying put. I'm trusting my partner and my quick hands. Because chances are, my opponent, if they decide to speed up, will speed up a bad ball. And I can counter that with aggression. 

Now, if my partner misses high a lot, and we’re getting crushed… Then yes, definitely back up. Take pressure off your partner to be perfect and give yourself more time and space for your counterattack.

QUESTION: How good is my ability to counterattack? 

My thoughts: 

Over time, I’ve gotten wayyyyyy better at counterattacks. Just like you will the more you play. And I play with guys and girls that are good at dinking. So I like to trust my hands and stay closer to the kitchen. Because I believe that, even if my partner misses slightly high, that’s an opportunity for me to say, “no no" 😂 when my opponent tries to attack me.

QUESTION: How good is the person my partner is dinking with at attacking out of the air on cross court dinking exchanges? 

My thoughts: 

Last week, I played against a 6’9” guy. He was standing in front of me cross court dinking with my partner. Now, that’s a threatening person for my partner to dink against. So at one point, my partner said, “Take one step off because of the pressure this guy was creating against us.” So I did. And if you’re playing someone who’s causing havoc, I’d consider doing the same.

QUESTION: Do I have a one handed counter or two handed? 

My thoughts: 

Most girls (as of now) at the highest level have a two handed backhand. So for them to load up that backhand, they need a bit more time than a one-handed punch counter. That’s one reason you often see girls standing farther back off the line than guys. More guys have a one handed counter and because of that, being up at the line causes can lead to a faster counterattack which communicates to your opponent, I’m not afraid of you. Let’s go!

In conclusion — what does all of this mean for you?

If you're newer to the game, say 3.0 - 4.0, I'd probably stand a step-off because the person you're playing alongside probably isn't the most consistent dinker. Standing a step back will allow you more time and space to bail them out if they hit a bad dink. If you're 4.5 and higher, I'd experiment and see how each approach works for you.

Like a lot of things in life, people use absolutes too much. 

“You have to step off because X.” 

Or “You have to stay at the line because y.” 

But the truth is, more context is required. Which is why my answer to most questions is, “it depends.” More understanding is typically required to get to a strong answer. 

That’s why I often use the word experiment. It's because I’m not an expert. I’m just a pickleball nerd obsessed with the game. A guy committed to learning with an open mind and sharing those learnings with you.

Hope this helps!

Losing sucks. And the reality of my current situation is, I lose a lot. Like, every single tournament.

This week in Atlanta, I went 0-2 in mixed doubles and 0-2 in men's doubles. The truth is, winning is hard.

That’s why I always fret when someone says, “I won gold. But it was only 3.0.” 

No. Stop. 

If you win a tournament at any level, be proud. Then move up a level. Because part of what makes this game so beautiful is we all have so much to work on. And we’re all going to experience losses, a lot! There’s only two people on the planet who almost never lose. 

Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters.

And as I was sitting in my hotel room last weekend, disappointed with the results from this tournament, I realized, just about everyone except a few people are sitting in their hotel room mad about their results. 

This is the reality of sports. You win some, but lose A LOT on your way to becoming better! 

And what I’ll say next isn’t new information. Just a reminder. 

It’s okay to lose. But with that loss, we have to learn! And with that learning, we’ll inevitably improve. And then — in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, we’ll win more! 

And it won’t be because we got lucky. It’ll be because we lost a lot early on :) 

Talk next week, 

Kyle 

PS: If you’re interested in getting your brand in front of 3,636 of the biggest pickleball nerds on the internet, email me and we’ll talk through how to become a sponsor of the newsletter.

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