Just arrived in Dallas, Texas!!
What’s up everyone? Feels kinda crazy that this 47th edition — powered by Selkirk — is going to 1641 people.
Truly grateful for you all!
Now, let’s get to the action!👇
Today’s edition has three parts:
1. A Helpful Tip – 5 questions to improve faster.
2. An Entertaining Video – I interviewed (maybe) the funniest guy on tour.
3. An Update on my Journey to Pro – Playing two pro events in Dallas this weekend.
A Helpful Tip
Professor and Author Neil Postman said,
Once you have learned to ask questions — relevant and appropriate and substantial questions — you have learned and no one can keep you from learning what you want or need to know.
And sometimes, it blows my mind how few questions new(er) pickleball players ask.
And trust me, I get it. You have to play and experiment a bit before you even know what questions to ask.
But after that, ask more questions. It will accelerate your improvement.
So with that said…
…here’s some questions for the next time you’re on court.
After a point, ask yourself this:
1. Was I in the right position?
2. Did I move my feet and was I on balance?
3. Scale of 1-10, how good was my shot selection?
You might be thinking, that’s a lot to ask after a point. The next point is starting in like, 8 seconds.
But in training, I believe it’s okay to take 2-3 seconds to go through a mental question list. Because if you do this, you’ll realize how quickly you can adjust from making the same mistakes over and over.
This is part of what it means to practice intentionally.
Now, let’s turn the questions from inward to outward.
Here’s two questions to ask a better player (you’re playing with) after a game is over.
1. Why did you choose to hit that shot when _{fill in scenario}_?
2. What’s one thing you noticed I consistently do incorrectly?
Most players love to tell others how good they are or how much they know, **laughs**.
So in my experience, people rarely shy away from answering these types of questions.
Because here’s the thing. At the end of the day…
Pickleball is like life, it’s a constant learning process. The game is easy to learn, but hard to master.
So to truly reach your full potential, you have to ask others for help. Because we all have blindspots in our games — no matter what level we play at.
An Entertaining Video
Meet Thomas Wilson.
According to World Pickleball rankings, he’s ranked #12 in Mens and Mixed Doubles (in the world).
So basically, he’s a decent player. 😂
(Watch his Championship match last Sunday in Hilton head at the 5:39:00 mark here.)
Now, I wouldn’t say we’re close friends, but I wouldn’t say we’re not not close friends. You know what I mean? HA!
But in all seriousness…
Thomas is one of my favorite people in pickleball.
The guy has been so kind to me from the moment I met him.
So at Major League Pickleball in Columbus a few weeks ago, I did a short video and while it’s a bit silly, he definitely makes it funny.
Enjoy 😂
An Update on my Journey to Pro
I just landed in Dallas for the PPA Texas open. It’s going to be a great weekend!
I’m playing Mixed doubles Pro with the same girl (Jennifer) I’ve won a couple 5.0 tournaments with.
And then I’m playing pro men's doubles with a guy she connected me with.
I believe her words were, “You’re a righty, he’s a lefty, you both Erne every ball possible, you’ll be a good pair.” 😂
And for those who don’t know, an Erne is when you jump over the non volley zone (the kitchen) to hit your shot.
So a message to our opponents. Avoid down the line dinks or anything near the sideline. That’s going to be trouble. 😉
So in closing, I’m excited to take another step forward at the Pro Level. The good thing about playing pro is, you have to earn every point and each match is difficult to win.
Let’s do this!
Keep being kind and make someone smile today!
Talk to you next week,
Kyle
Good luck in Dallas!