David Zapatka Pickleball Bangers Are you getting tired of playing the bangers? They have one strategy; hit the ball as hard as they can. They rarely hit third shot drop shots. What can you do? There are two options. The first is the punch volley, a volley hit hard and deep. The second is the…
Tag: Relishing Pickleball
Sports, August 2020
Relishing Pickleball
The Third Shot Drop. Why Is It So Important? David Zapatka The third shot drop is a shot performed near the baseline that lands softly in the opponents’ kitchen. The shot is designed with one thing in mind—get your team to the net. The mechanics of the third shot drop are simple. The ball sails…
Sports, July 2020
Relishing Pickleball
David Zapatka “Is Pickleball the Perfect Pandemic Pastime?” On May 30, the New York Times ran an article with the title above. They went on to say Ellen DeGeneres recently declared herself among the intergenerational sport’s ardent enthusiasts. Just think of it. Social distancing is defined as maintaining a distance of six feet. Pickleball’s non-volley zone…
Sports, March 2020
Relishing Pickleball: 2019 Pickleball Rocks Players-of-the-Year
David Zapatka Last month, we announced the 2019 female Player-of-the-Year mother/daughter duo of Anna Leigh and Leigh Waters. This month, we are announcing the 2019 male Player-of-the-Year. You will recall last year’s male Player-of-the-Year was none other than the Valley’s very own Dick Johnson, known to so many of us around pickleball in the Phoenix…
Sports, February 2020
Relishing Pickleball: 2019 Pickleball Rocks’ Players-of-the-Year Announced
David Zapatka This was a changing year for pickleball. There are now 15 to 20 tournaments occurring every week, and our sport cleared three million players in the continued player growth explosion. You might think with this many players, the voting and choice for player of the year would be tough, but Pickleball Rocks says,…
Sports, September 2019
Relishing Pickleball
David Zapatka Last month we introduced Hall of Fame inductees Robert Lanius, Earl Hill, and Fran Myer. This month each one of those inductees is sharing their personal pickleball tips with us. These tips are paraphrased from a video they created. Robert Lanius – Be patient on the court. Wait for the right time to…
Sports, August 2019
Relishing Pickleball
Hall of Fame inductees David Zapatka If you’ve played pickleball around the Valley, you will likely know something about Bob Lanius and Earl Hill, two of this year’s three USAPA Pickleball Hall of Fame members. Robert Lanius is being recognized for his contribution to the sport of pickleball by creating and developing the PickleballTournaments.com software…
Sports, June 2019
Relishing Pickleball
David Zapatka Lucy Kovalova and Dick Johnson are this year’s Pickleball Rocks Players of the Year. Why is this a special moment for pickleball players in the Phoenix metropolitan area? Because Dick Johnson resides right here in the Valley. Many of our readers know and have played with or against Dick Johnson in social and…
Sports, April 2019
Relishing Pickleball
David Zapatka If you don’t know George Anderson, you should. Nearly everyone who plays tournament pickleball in the Valley knows this gentle soul who takes charge on the court as one of the best pickleball referees in all of Arizona. I think George has refereed more matches than all the other Sun Lakes pickleball players…
Sports, March 2019
Relising Pickleball
2018 NIT Mixed Doubles Tourney Champions, 4.0+ Division David Zapatka The 6th Annual Norris Invitational Pickleball Tournament, the NIT, Sun Lakes’ largest pickleball tournament of the year, returns this month, March 4-8. The NIT namesake is Dick and Maureen Norris who worked so hard on behalf of the pickleball community to have a place for…