Newsletter - October 28, 2023

New Courts at the Complex

The news about new courts at the YMCA at the Complex has spread quickly and they're getting a lot of use. To join in the fun, use the Court Reserve app to reserve a spot in an open-play session or reserve a court to play with friends.

> For details on using Court Reserve for theses courts, visit the Play page of CatawbaPickleball.club.

If you are organizing a game with friends, or want to recruit more people for an open-play session, I recommend creating a session in Pickleheads and sharing the invite with individuals and/or groups. More information on Pickleheads is below.

Pickleheads - Official App of the Catawba Pickleball Club

Pickleheads is the fastest way to organize games so you can spend more time playing and less time organizing.

Check out the Connect page on CatawbaPickleball.Club for all the details, but here are the highlights.

I have created groups in Pickleheads we can use to organize games, chat, share info, etc. without needing to txt or email anyone.

Join the groups that interest you:

- Play group - Main group for games, round-robins, etc. in the area.

- Connect group - Main group for general and social topics, like lunch meet-ups.

- Play at the Complex - Games at the YMCA at the Complex courts in Fort Mill. 

- Drill at the Complex - Drilling sessions at the YMCA at the Complex courts in Fort Mill. 

> How do I use Pickleheads?

They have videos on their website showing how to use all the features.

> Are we still using TeamReach?

No. I will not be using TeamReach going forward and I encourage everyone using TeamReach to join the Connect group in Pickleheads to stay connected with everyone.

Website Updates

I have updated the Play and Connect pages of the website with details on how we use the Pickleheads app.

Recent Blog Posts 

- I will post info from the Charlotte Dilly News, an entertaining and informative newsletter which is only available by signing up for the emails.

Reduce Mishits and Increase Accuracy 

Zane Navratil explains the technique that made a HUGE difference in my game by dramatically reducing mis-hits and increasing my accuracy on all shots. You can easily work on this by hitting against a wall and be sure to use it on your serve.

Master Your Ready Position

Tyson McGuffin explains how to mater your ready position at the kitchen line. If you are afraid of being at the kitchen or feel like you're not fast enough, its is because you aren't in a good ready position. Practice the technique and you'll see a massive improvement.

> Note: If the ball is popped up, protect yourself! Take a step back. Get into a defensive position. Don't be a hero. But, if you master the ready position (and your partner has too), pop-ups are less likely and you'll be putting the ball away on a regular basis. 

  

Charlotte Dilly News - October 1st, 2023

The Charlotte Dilly News


October 2023


All Things Pickleball in
the Greater Charlotte Area
...and Beyond

Newsletter - October 1st, 2023

 Hey Pickleballers,

Recent Blog Posts

Check out the News & Events section of the CatawbaPickleball.club website for these recent posts:

- Professional Instructors Added to the Learn page

- 26 More Courts!!!

- The Fastest Way to Schedule Games

So Many New Courts!

We have 26 more courts available in the east Fort Mill and Indian Land area. I created a blog post for this, but I wanted to mention it here too.

The Town of Fort Mill completed 8 courts as part of the tennis court renovations at the YMCA at the Complex.

Pickleball Charlotte acquired Charlotte Indoor Tennis and Pickleball so 12 indoor and 6 outdoor courts are now available to Pickleball Charlotte Members. They also have plans to add even more courts at this Sharon Lakes location in the next couple months.

More info about then new courts available in this blog post.

How do I "Get to the Kitchen"?

The short description of an "intermediate" player is someone who gets to the kitchen more often than not. If you're not getting to the kitchen often, you're still a "beginner" player and the only way to get to the intermediate level is to get to the kitchen often. 

I think the biggest issue people have getting to the kitchen is fear of not being able to react quick enough to hit the ball. The best antidote to that fear is having a good "ready position".

Make sure you finish every swing with the paddle in the ready position, which is comfortably out in front of your stomach. If your paddle is lower than your waist, you have very little chance of hitting a ball at chest height or higher and protecting yourself. Also, 70% of the balls you will hit out of the air at the kitchen will be backhands. If you prepare for a forehand, you'll only be ready for 30% of balls that come to you.

This Tyson McGuffin video does a great job of showing what a good ready position is and how to practice it.

I'm at the kitchen, now what?

This John Cincola video breaks down dinking strategies and how to win at the kitchen line.

To get to an intermediate level, you have to get to the kitchen, so understanding the strategies used at the kitchen line and what shots you should focus on is going to set a clear path to taking your game to the next level.

Kitchen Challenge!

The next time you play a game, count how many times you make it to the kitchen line when your team is serving. Next, count how many times you win a point after making it to the kitchen.

Being conscious of making it to the kitchen or not and whether or not you win the point when that happens helps identify the issues keeping you from the kitchen. After identifying those issues, you can work to resolve them, which will allow you to get to the kitchen more, and win more points. If you don't count it, you can't fix it.

Thanks,

Mike Drum