Atlantic South Region - "Coaches Corner"

Pickleball Clinic with Tom Earley - Lake Arrowhead

2011-06-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

Questions and Answers by George Brewer

2010-11-25T05:23:00.000-08:00

George Answers a Lot of Frequently asked Questions on Pickleball

I receive a lot of inquiries from Villages residents wanting to discuss the “Rules of Pickleball.” Usually they have one of those “gray zone questions” our local rules haven’t fully defined. When I am not sure of the rule, I enjoy doing research to find an “official” answer. Here are some of the questions I received recently that I thought were different and more interesting than the usual inquiries.

Question: Sometimes, just after hitting a ground stroke, I realize that the ball has actually landed outside of the court. If I’ve already returned the ball, is it too late to call a fault?

Answer: No, but the amount of time you have to declare the ball “out” is limited. Here’s the rule” All “out” calls must be made instantly. Instantly is defined as call “out” prior to the ball being hit by your opponent or before the ball has gone out of play.

Question: Sometimes players waiting to play on the sidelines make calls that cast doubt on what players on the courts have declared. Should their input be considered?

Answer: No – in fact, never. Players who offer unsolicited opinions while waiting from the sidelines are one of the reasons that The Villages won’t allow you to bring guns on the courts while you’re playing. Spectators may be prejudiced, unqualified, and certainly are not in position to see the call.

Question: My opponent was serving to me when my partner declared the server foot-faulted because both feet whereon/over the baseline when they served the ball. Can my partner or I call a foot fault on our opponent?

Answer: No. Only the partner of their server or the server can call foot faults that take place at the time of serve. You have every right to suggest that a fault may have occurred, but you or your partner cannot declare a fault.

Question: My opponent hit a ball that landed in my non-volley zone (NVZ). I ran into the NVZ and returned the ball after it bounced. Before I could exit the NVZ the ball came right back at me. I jumped into the air, returned the ball and both of my feet landed back in my court outside the NVZ. They say I faulted: I say I didn’t. Who is right?

Answer: They are right. You’re faulted. Volleys can be initiated only when the player has both feet positioned outside the NVZ.

Question: If I miss the ball while attempting to serve, do I get another try?

Answer: Missing the ball is a fault, so you don’t get another chance. ? There is no penalty if you let the ball drop to the ground or catch it in the air without attempting to hit the ball, but if you “whiff” the ball, you lose your serve.

Question: What options do I have if I am served the ball before I am ready?

Answer: If you’re about to receive the serve and you’re not ready, raise your hand or paddle to signal the server not to serve. If the serve is made anyhow, you must make no attempt to return the ball. Any attempt to return the ball implies that you were ready, and like it or not, the ball is in play.

Let me remind you of something important. As soon as the ball comes over the net into your court, you become the referee. You are responsible for all officiating on your side of the net and your opponent has every right to believe you are rules-oriented and will make calls with integrity.

I HOPE I C U on D Courts.....George Brewer

Seven More Skills Drills

2010-11-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

On Thursday evening of our September 2010 Tournment, Melissa Muha & Dan Clemence collaborated to create Seven Skills Drills! They were a big hit! We'd like to share! Click on any of the links to view a copy of a drill that can be printed.
123 Dink
Deep Returns - Rush the Kitchen
Deep Back Serve
Down the Doubtline
Lob Volley Drill
Slams
Tickle the Pickle

How To Get To The Net After Serving

2010-06-22T06:52:00.001-07:00

Coach Mo's Pickleball Tip of the Month

The serving team is at a disadvantage because the returning team will be at the net before the return of serve is touched by the serving team.

the serving team must get to the net as fast and as safe as possible to level the playing field.

There are three methods to get to the net:
Click Here to Find out which method is the best!

Seven Skills Drills

2009-12-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

One Friday evening in October before their tournament Melissa Muha & Dan Clemence of Michigan collaborated to create Seven Skills Drills! They were a big hit! We'd like to share! Click on any of the links to view a copy of a drill that can be printed.

Zig Zag Dinks

Third Shot Dinks

Tis the Backhand I'll be Givin' Ya

Lobster Returns

Pickle in the Middle

Deep Serve Derby

Zig Zag Volleys

Source: http:// www.where2pickle.com

Coach Mo's Tip of the Month

2009-09-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

"NEVER SACRIFICE PLACEMENT FOR POWER. A SLOW BALL AT YOUR OPPONENT’S FEET IS BETTER THAN A VERY FAST HIT TO THE WAIST.

NEVER SACRIFICE BEING IN THE READY POSITION FOR A BETTER POSITION ON THE COURT. ALWAYS STOP AND BE IN THE READY POSITION AT THE POINT OF CONTACT OF THE BALL TOUCHING YOUR OPPONENTS PADDLE.

THE TEAM WITH THE LEAST UNFORCED ERRORS USUALLY WINS, NOT THE TEAM WITH THE MOST WINNERS.

A GOOD VOLLIER WILL USUALLY BEAT A GOOD GROUND STROKER. THE GROUND STROKE IS JUST MEANS TO GET TO THE NVZ LINE AND WIN THE POINT.

YOUR BEST POSITION ON THE COURT SHOULD BE EITHER ONE FOOT BEHIND THE BASELINE OR ONE INCH BEHIND NVZ LINE. STAY OUT OF NO MAN’S LAND.

THE TEAM HITTING DOWN INTO THE COURT MOST OF THE TIME WILL WIN MORE POINTS THAN THE TEAM ALWAYS HITTING UP,SO KEEP YOUR HITS LOW TO THE FEET. IT WILL PROBABLY BE THE DIFFERENCE IN A CLOSE GAME.

NEVER EVER MISS YOUR SERVE OR RETURN OF SERVE.

MOST OF YOUR SHOTS SHOULD BE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE COURT, OVER THE LOW PART OF THE NET, GIVES YOU A LOT OF LEEWAY RIGHT AND LEFT, AND CAUSES CONFUSION BETWEEN YOUR OPPONENTS.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE WHEN DINKING. DO NOT TRY FOR A WINNER UNLESS BALL IS MORE THAN 12’’ ABOVE THE NET.

NEVER TRY AND HIT A WINNER OFF A VERY DIFFICULT SHOT. JUST PLAY DEFENSIVE AND TRY TO RETURN THE BALL LOW INTO THE COURT."

Read Coach Mo's Strategy Guide for more great pickelball tips. Click here for great pickleball information from Coach Mo - The Pickleball Coach.com

New Pickleball Training Book

2009-08-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

Pickle Ball Successs >> A New PickleballBook -

We have decided to combine our two existing books, “Drilling for Success in Pickleball” and “Teaching for Success in Pickleball”. Our new book, “Pickleball - A Guide for Teachers”, will consist of 110 pages - 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 - and include........................Click the link above for more details on this great training tool

Learn more about the authors: Mary Littlewood and Sandra Stultz as well as more great training tools on their website Picklebll Success.

2009-05-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

www.PickleballCoach.com

AKA- "Coach MO”

Someone introduces you to the game of pickleball. You learn how to keep score, learn the rules of the game, and start playing on a regular basis with your friends, club or league. Now you’re having a great time. You’re out on the court several days a week, you’re making some great friends and you’re getting a lot of exercise. Life is Good!!! Whether you are just a recreational player looking to improve your game or someone looking to take your play to a higher more competitive level, you need to go to the right place and the right people early, before you start perfecting those bad habits. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to have a professional pickleball player or coach in our community, but ALL of us in the Atlantic South Region have the next best thing.

Richard Movsessian, aka “Mo” to his pickleball family, is right next door if you live in The Villages, Florida , and just a mouse click away for the rest of us.

For 29 years, Mo taught high school physical education, for 10 years coached boys varsity tennis and was voted coach of the year in 1979. He played on the 1996 USTA Florida State Championship 4.5 Doubles Team and as a teaching professional gave private tennis lessons. After learning the game of pickleball, Mo adapted his professional tennis techniques to our game and is today one of the best pickleball coaches on the east coast. He is probably best known, for his Pickleball Strategy Guide, a must read for every pickleball player. Now it’s even more “new and improved”.

My husband works constantly to improve his game, so he’s read the Strategy Guide a dozen times. As luck would have it, he had the opportunity to meet Mo, during an extended stay at The Villages one year. Rich played pickleball every day, but one particular morning, this gentleman approached him as he came off the court, introduced himself, told Rich he was hitting the ball like a ping pong player (that made sense, since ping pong was the only racket sport he ever played) and asked if he would mind a little “pickleball critique”. Mo thrives on teaching; always looking for a student of the game, and Rich strives on learning, so the two of them spent many an evening on the pickleball court doing repetitive drills to help fine tune techniques. They have continued to keep in touch. And Rich continues to study Mo's pickleball strategies, frequently visits his website and today uses Mo's techniques in his own clinics.

Rich was fortunate to have the opportunity to work one on one with Mo, but you can find the same professional help by visiting Mo’s new website - http://www.pickleballcoach.com/

You can find and download the Strategy Guide; he has some quick links to the top five strategies. You can ‘visit the pickleball court’ for training videos and /or pictures on perfecting your overhead, the volley or the backhand and forehand ground strokes. Check out the tip of the month. Stay up-to-date with the pickleball world and download your free Pickleball Community Toolbar. If you want to kick back and have a little fun, check out “Fun With Pickleball”, or play Quiz Ball!! Join in on one of the on-line forums. Don’t just be a visitor, sign up today and enjoy all the special benefits including his first rate monthly newsletter.

Rumor has it a new training DVD is on the horizon? Now I know I’ve got your attention!!

Here’s that link again……… http://www.pickleballcoach.com/

2009-05-13T06:04:00.001-07:00

This article is excellent and recently appeared in our USAPA e-newsletter. And it was written by our very own Atlantic South Ambassador.

How to Hit Better Pickleball Shots by Using a Ball Machine
by Bob Husky, Ambassador USAPA, Lee County, Opelika AL

I believe the goal of all pickleball players is to play the best that they can play and have as much fun as possible along the way. The best way that I have found to perfect my shots is to use a ball machine. Of course, if you play five times a week, that is also a way to perfect your shots.

The ball machine that I chose to use is the Heater Baseball Pitching machine, and it is manufactured by Trend Sports of St. George, Utah. There are a number of models put out by Trend Sports, but this Heater machine is able to shoot baseball whiffle balls to you. Of course, I just use pickleballs in it. I mainly play with the yellow Dura balls, but it will shoot the Cosom balls also.

It costs somewhere in the area of $400. The machine is run by electricity, and it is very portable; just take the legs off, and you can move the legs and the body with no trouble. The head of the machine can be adjusted to allow you to angle the shot up or down.

The speed that the ball comes to you is highly adjustable. The speed dial goes from 0 to 10, but I generally keep the speed down in the 4 or 5 range. You can practice volleys at the net, drop shots from the base line, or any kind of ground stroke that you might want to hit. I have not yet found a way to practice dinks at the net.

To practice returning high lobs, you take the front leg off and tie the machine to a fence, tilt it up, and practice hitting overhead shots. You can also place a block of cement under the front leg and get a similar effect. The machine holds ten pickleballs at a time. If someone was ingenious, they could construct a cage that attaches to the ball chute so you would have 40 balls shot at you in your practice session. This machine would be ideal for a pickleball community to purchase and have for the members to practice with.

How Do You Know Your Opponant's Ball is Going OUT?

2009-04-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

WANT TO WIN 20% MORE GAMES REAL FAST WITHOUT LEARNING ANY NEW HITTING SKILLS?

CHECK OUT "COACH MO'S" TIP OF THE MONTH ON LEARNING TO KNOW WHEN YOUR OPPONENTS BALL IS GOING OUT!!

AFTER YOU DO THAT.....CHECK OUT HIS FOUR NEW TRAINING VIDEOS ON '

HITTING THE OVERHEAD

VOLLEYS

BACKHAND GROUNDSTROKE

FOREHAND GROUNDSTROKE

CHECK IT OUT NOW ON

THE PICKLEBALL COACH

Why Am I Losing So Many Games?

2008-09-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

If you’re asking yourself the above question, then it’s time to ASK MO!

Richard Movsessian, aka “Mo” is a former 4.5 ranked Doubles Player and played on the 1996 USTA Florida State Championship 4.5 doubles Team. He later became a certified member of the United States Professional Tennis association, and gave private tennis lessons as a Teaching Professional. Today his Pickleball Techniques are a must for all pickleball players looking to improve their game.

Read Moes 10 Tips

Tennis Elbow Hurts Like a Toot by George Brewer

2008-08-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

George Brewer from The Villages puts a humours spin on an ailment that afflicts many of us, tennis elbow. George describes his experience and the remedies he use to get rid of the pain. This article makes for a great read.

Tennis Elbow hurts like a toot ......

One Remarkable Player by George Brewer

2008-07-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

THE VILLAGES with George Brewer

Read the story of Ken Cross from The Villages who will be 94 years old this Summer. "One Remarkable Player"

C U on D Courts……George Brewer

Coaching By George Brewer

2008-07-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Coaching by George Brewer

Coaching BY GEORGE

Every Wednesday afternoon I arrive at the pickleball courts a half hour before my weekly "coaching" class and prepare the courts for two (2)one hour sessions of intense pickleball instruction. Coaching by George Brewer

Backhand Techniques by Gale H Leach

2008-07-07T07:07:00.001-07:00

Backhand Techniques

In this article Gale Leach discusses backhand techniques. Gale says, "I had a serious problem in singles because of a weak backhand on ground strokes". Once while watching Pat Kane 's backhand, I saw he used a totally different technique from mine. Read her article and observe the excellent illustrations,
"Backhand Techniques"

Gale has written a book entitled "The Art of Pickleball". For more information, on her book click on The Art of Pickleball

Pickleball Practice - Gale H. Leach

2008-07-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

Pickleball Practice

By Gale H. Leach
Surprise, AZ
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Pickleball Practice

I asked a few players what they do to practice. A few said that they don’t practice and just play, working on shortcomings at the same time. Most, however, said that practice is essential to improving their skills. They say that only with practice do elements of their game become automatic, allowing them to play better all around.

Pratice may not make you perfect but it can help. Read about how to practice by Gale H. Leach. Click on Pickleball Practice.

Beginners - The Stars of the Future - Mary Littlewood

2008-07-07T04:58:00.000-07:00

Beginners - The Stars of the Future

By: Mary Littlewood

We were all beginners at one time! Many of us learned simply by watching others play and asking a few questions about scoring; where should I stand; etc. The game, relatively new to this country, was a fun way to get some exercise. Times have changed.

Players and Coaches, to get all the articles on teaching beginners in this excellent series by Mary Littlewood, click on the following link, Beginners - Stars of the Future.

Mary Littlewood is co author of a book entitled, "Pickleball Success". For information on her book click on Drilling for Success in Pickleball. Read other tips on her website Pickleball Success