David Zapatka We have learned the importance of the 3rd shot drop and that the receiving team has the initial advantage in the rally. The question now becomes, what does the receiving team need to do to maintain their advantage? Court positioning is vital as you prepare for the 4th shot. Only the player receiving…
Tag: Relishing Pickleball
March 2024, Card Games & Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Countering the Slice Shot
David Zapatka Last month we discussed hitting slice returns of serve and dinks. This month we are discussing how to counter the opponent’s slice returns and dinks. Consider using these strategies to counter the opponent’s slice shots. * Hit through the spin using a flat drive shot. By driving the ball, you are countering the…
February 2024, Card Games & Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Slicing the Ball
David Zapatka Slicing serve returns and dinks are favorite shots of mine. A slice puts backspin on the ball. The slice makes the ball travel from 6 o’clock to 12 o’clock back toward the player who contacted the ball. These shots can be hit with a forehand or a backhand. A slice is effective for these reasons.…
January 2024, Card Games & Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Pickleball Comes to U.S. Universities
David Zapatka Pickleball continues to grow in popularity around the country. It’s now making its way into U.S. universities. The leading example of this is my friend, Jarrod Smith, coach of Drury University’s men’s and women’s tennis teams, and in 2024, coach of Drury’s co-ed pickleball team in Springfield, Mo. In August, Drury announced the…
December 2023, Card Games & Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Doubles Tactics for Players of Any Level
David Zapatka Continuing our study of Pickleball Fundamentals Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, Ms. Littlewood offers these basic doubles strategies for players of any level. To read all her advice, buy her book. Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court…
November 2023, Card Games & Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Doubles Strategies (Continued!)
David Zapatka Continuing our study of Pickleball Fundamentals Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, Ms. Littlewood offers these basic doubles strategies for players of any level. To read all her advice, buy her book. Strive for 100% accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested. There…
October 2023, Card Games & Sports
Relishing Pickleball: More Doubles Strategies
David Zapatka Continuing our study of Pickleball Fundamentals Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, we will continue to learn from two professional Hall-of-Fame players, Alex Hamner and Jennifer Lucore. (Quotes are paraphrased for brevity. Buy Ms. Littlewood’s book to get the whole story!) Unforced errors happen! Nobody means to hit an unforced…
August 2023, Card Games & Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Shot Selection
David Zapatka Continuing our study of Pickleball Fundamentals: Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, we will now learn about the selection for the third and fourth shots of a rally. Third Shot: Serving Team “The third shot of any rally—a shot hit by the serving team—determines which doubles team will gain the…
Card Games & Sports, January 2023
Relishing Pickleball
Notable National Championships and a TV Special David Zapatka I hope many of you made it to the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships in Indian Wells, Calif. It was a blast. We attended the final three days watching all the pro events including Super Sunday when the finals of all five pro events were played.…
Card Games & Sports, December 2022
Relishing Pickleball: The Pickleball Market Continues to Grow
David Zapatka Last month we announced Major League Pickleball had arrived. High-profile individuals Drew Brees, James Blake, Lebron James, Draymond Green, Kevin Love, and a host of others invested in teams. The new Vibe Pickleball League was recently announced. The first high-profile team owner is Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team.…