Hey!

Before we get rolling, a quick shoutout to my sponsor Selkirk. They’ve been fantastic to me since I signed with them, and they truly do create quality products. Many have emailed me about holiday gifts, so I’ll publicly share the two paddles I recommend. 

1. The lower cost, but still super solid paddle I recommend if you’re leveling up from your cheap paddle is this one.
2. The paddle I’m currently using that I really like is this one.

If questions come up, hit reply and ask away! Oh, and one final thing! 

If you buy anything from selkirk.com or selkirklabs.com, use my code “ADV-Thatpickleballguy” and you’ll get a digital gift card toward a future purchase.

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 two parts: 

1. A Helpful Tip (Video) – When To Use a Two-Handed Backhand...

2. My Journey Playing Pro – Pickleball at The Orchard.

A Helpful Tip (Video):

If you watched last Tuesday night’s match, you saw me play my worst pickleball.

Truthfully, I almost bailed on this week’s newsletter because I didn’t want to talk about it (part of why this week’s edition is late).

But upon further reflection, I’ll touch on a few things in hopes you can learn and apply to your game. 

To keep it simple, I’ll attribute this to 2 things.

1. The Pythons are a great team. Lauren, Rachel, PK, Michael all played well and applied a lot of pressure. So, we didn't have room for sloppy play or mental errors. 
2. I’ve been resting and rehabbing my wrist to try to get it back toward 100%. And I felt that lack of practice showed up in this match. Is this an excuse? Definitely. HA! 

• My shot selection was atrocious. 
• My execution was loose & lackadaisical and 
• My discipline was nonexistent. 

In fact, at one point, I hit a speed-up on Michael he so easily countered, I yelled, “what am I doing out here?” (and felt close to snapping my paddle) 😂.

Have you ever felt this while playing?

It sucks, and it feels good to blame something before you get to the truth. 

And the truth of the other night was I played the way I typically coach my close friends not to play.

I tell them,

“Don’t speed up just because you feel sped up.” 

Which is what I did. And at higher levels, speed ups at the wrong moment get you crushed. Upon further reflection I came up with a few things I’ll do differently next time. 

1. Slow my breath.
2. Take longer in between points to allow that slow breath to calm my body.
3. And remind myself of the game plan. I deviated and that wasn’t good. 

Now, is this the magic formula? I don’t know. But I know “trying too hard” is often a recipe for not playing well.

It’s like the Chinese finger trap. Ever had your fingers stuck in one? 

The harder you pull, the tighter the trap. The solution is counterintuitive. You escape with easing up, not forcing more. The moment you relax is the moment you’re released. 

See, success often relies on letting go of control, embracing flexibility, and navigating obstacles with a calm mindset.

Easy to do? No.

Worth pursuing? Absolutely! 

The journey continues,

Kyle

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