How do you practice Pickleball? Do those 5 minutes of dinking help?
This morning, I watched a few of Simone Jardim’s Instagram posts on the proper way to retrieve a lob. First, you turn your body, find the ball, and then run back and set up your feet to hit the ball. Sounds easy, but so far, I haven’t mastered it. So, starting today, Bill and I have decided we need to block out time to practice, not just play.
Prepping for our first Tournament
We’re signed up for our first pickleball tournament in Delray Beach, Florida, in March. That gives us a little over a month to work on our dinks, our strategy and retrieving lobs. It feels like a good day already! I treated myself to Avocado Toast for breakfast, got Wordle in 2 guesses (watch out, Lingo, here I come), and I’m feeling fierce! I even watched highlights of the recent match with Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau.
Mixed Doubles
We all know some married couples that cannot play together. Luckily, Bill and I have become good partners. He’s a leftie, so we are practicing “stacking.” That puts his forehand in the optimal position throughout the game. The challenge is to remember who is where when it’s time to receive. Yesterday, we lost two points because we were in the wrong box. Since that could cost us a match, maybe we won’t stack in our first tournament.
Women’s Doubles
I have signed up to play women’s doubles with my good friend Cilla, who I play with in Key Largo. This tournament has both skill and age brackets, but Cilla is younger than me, so we are signed up to play with the 60 – 69 age group. I scrolled through the player list, and it appears I will be one of the oldest players. I just hope that we don’t face someone like our friend Tammy, who is 6 feet tall; Cilla and I are both around 5’3″ and it’s hard to get a ball past her or over her head.
The Countdown begins
The tournament begins on March 18th, in Delray Beach, so we have 5 weeks to play and practice, drill and strategize. Stay tuned and send me some good vibrations! I’ll post some pictures and the results, good or bad!