Welcome Please welcome Steve and Alison Davis, Glenn Wells, and Richard Cooke to the SunBird Pickleball Club! Drills Are Underway Pickleball drills are kicking off for those interested in improving their game. If you are not drilling, improvement is slow. Contact Tony Burkhart on the courts for details. The club meeting is on Feb. 9…
David Zapatka Dinking is often misunderstood as purely defensive play—a soft, patient exchange while you wait for your opponent to make a mistake. The most effective pickleball players know that dinking can be a powerful offensive weapon. Aggressive dinking transforms you from a passive participant into the player dictating the pace and creating opportunities to…
Welcome to the club, Linda Brown! Welcome Back Party on Nov. 8 We had more than 25 players who played and socialized. The food was great, and the camaraderie was even better! Community Days Community Days was awesome! Kathy and Brian Long hosted the pickleball table and gave out loads of information. TeamReach Reminder Remember…
Carol Gourlay Let’s start with the Warm-Up of the Month: 1. Jumping Jacks: 2 sets of 15 to get the heart rate up; 2. Arm Circles: 20 seconds each direction to loosen the shoulders; 3. Leg Swings: 10 per leg, front-to-back and side-to-side, to loosen the hips; 4. Dynamic Stretches: Walking lunges with a twist…
Summer players are still enjoying the warm pickleball play, but cooler temps are right around the corner, and so are our fall hours! Beginning in October, regular play will be Monday through Friday from 8 to 10 a.m., along with evening sessions on Wednesday and Saturday nights. If you’d like to join in, please remember…
MaryBeth and Bob DeMatteo! The SunBird Pickleball Club was delighted to welcome our snowbirds MaryBeth and Bob DeMatteo during their recent stop in our community! The couple joined players on the courts to enjoy a few games and take in the beautiful Arizona weather. Their visit was a wonderful reminder of how pickleball brings people…
David Zapatka Let the bad ones go bad. This is a skill we all need to learn to improve our game. How can we become more aware of balls that are traveling out of bounds? Any shot by the opponent that lands out of bounds ends in a winning rally for your side. Don’t give…
David Zapatka We’ve all heard the saying, “Pickleball is won at the net.” What does this mean? Honing your skills around the non-volley zone (kitchen) can improve your play and results. Here are a few key points: 1. It all starts with hitting a deep serve, putting the opponents in a position where it’s tougher…
Sharlene Jerome SunBird Tennis Club President and pickleball member J.D. Stephenson proposed an interesting and extremely engaging opportunity: a joint social between the clubs. The Pickleball Club was as into it as the Tennis Club. So, on Feb. 15 a joint, very symbiotic social was held. Pickleballers were encouraged to try tennis, and the Tennis…
David Zapatka The Australian Open Tennis Championships, known as the “Happy Slam,” made history this year when it hosted the Australian Open Pickleball Championships in tandem with their famous tennis tournament on finals weekend, January 24-26. Tennis court #3 was transformed into center court for the pickleball championships. $100,000 in prize money was offered. The…