Hey!

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) – I’ve Never Done This, Until Now.

2. For the Pickleball Nerds – Spin ➡️ Power. 

3. My Journey Playing Pro – Playing Free & Left-Handed 😳!

A Helpful Tip (Video):

 When people first play pickleball, they love one thing. POWER. 

And that’s a good thing. In fact, I want to show you how to get more opportunities to experience the feeling of power while on the court. 

So how do you do it?

Well, you don’t use power to get more power.

You use topspin to get the ball down at their feet so they pop the ball up which gives you the chance to get powerful with your putaway.

And listen, if your opponent just hits you a high ball where you can take an overhead right away, absolutely use power.

But it’s those moments where the ball is a bit lower I'm talking about here. For example, think about your 3rd shot drive. 

Most hit it as hard as humanly possible. Sure, that’ll work a decent amount. But as you move up levels, it works less. 

The 3rd shot drive that’s hard to handle is the top-spinny one coming over the net. The one that dives down at your opponent’s feet forcing them to hit up. 

And when that happens, it's your time to get powerful. 

Or…

Imagine your opponent hits a 3rd shot drop at you that’s between waist and shoulder height. 

And you whip the ball with as much topspin as possible. That’ll make for a difficult 5th shot for your opponent. Because when you hit with lots of topspin, the ball kicks from the ground, and jumps off your opponent's paddle when they go to reset. 

And when that happens, it’s your time to get powerful.

In closing, remember…

Use spin to earn power.

My wrist has improved! In fact, I'm playing tomorrow (right handed) for the first time in a little over two weeks. I’m pumped.

The rest has been rejuvenating. My mind has gotten a reset and I’ve produced a lot of new content for you.

But one other thing came about during this rest...

Cut to 5 days ago. 

I’m at picklemall watching my four friends play when suddenly, one has to leave. The 3 guys said, "wanna step in?" (quick note, they’re all about 4.0 level).

I tell them I can only play left handed. They’re cool with it and we play!

After two games, I had two wins. And that led to another 2.5 hours playing. ha! Truthfully, it was the most fun I’d had playing pickleball in a while.

I felt like a beginner again, having to train myself on the most basic shots. I won’t lie, a couple times, while playing on the right side, I went to poach the ball in the middle, and the ball got hit back to my right side. Instinct kicked in, and I slapped the ball over the net with my right hand. (oww 😂).

So over the last 5 days, I’ve trained left-handed, and it’s been awesome. In fact, I realized, developing my left hand will be useful for right side Ernes. 😳.

Might have to pull that out sometime soon 😉.

Now, what’s the point of telling you this?

Is it not obvious? If you’re not having fun with your dominant hand, play with the other one. It’s that simple! Hahah. 

But, seriously, playing left handed put me in a good headspace. A space of fun. A space of freedom. A space of curiosity.

Sometimes, when you want something badly and try really hard, you end up sucking the fun right out of it. I’ve felt that some in the last few months. 

But as I write this now, I feel good and am eager to get back training right handed.

Until next week,

Kyle

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