1) USTA

The greatest compliment is when something is mimicked. Have you heard of “Adult Red Ball Tennis”? It’s the U.S. Tennis Association’s (USTA) pilot program to combat the explosive growth of pickleball. And guess what? It’s played on a pickleball court. Unlike other tennis associations across the globe, the USTA has taken a hard line against pickleball and other racquet sports. To read more about “red ball tennis”, pickleball and the USTA click here “Does American Tennis Have a Pickleball Problem”.

2) UPCOMING OUTDOOR CLINICS

Summer may unofficially be over, but the next round of Pd3 outdoor pickleball clinics will start before the true end of summer. For more information and to register for a Pickleball D3 pickleball clinic in a town near you (Concord, Westford, Acton, Chelmsford, Dracut) check out Pickleball D3-Clinics. Sign up today and start having more fun playing better pickleball. There is a clinic for every level of player.

3) UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

Playing in a pickleball tournament is great entertainment. You meet new pickleball friends and enjoy a day of competitive fun. And maybe you’ll go home with some bling. Register today to play in one or all of the below events.

• RT 12 PICKLEBALL SUMMER SEND-OFF- September 14 -15 (RT 12, West Boylston)
• MASSACHUSETTS SENIOR GAMES - September 20-22 (Mill Works, Westford)
• WORLD PICKLEBALL TOUR - September 26-29 (The Ridge Club, Acton)
• NIKE TOURNAMENT and CAMP - October 4-6 (The Ridge Club, Acton)

4) PLAYERS NETWORK

Want to have even more fun playing pickleball ... then play better pickleball. Imagine a rally lasting 20, 30 or more shots. You can make this happen. The secret is to drill, drill and drill some more. This is why the Player Network was formed. It helps players to find each other to drill or play. Visit the PLAYER NETWORK to learn more and to sign up.

SHOT BOX TIPS - the 1st Shot

(Q) How do you rate your serve? Is it a threat? How many easy points do you win on your serve? What is the role of your serve?

(A) The serve (1st shot) is becoming of an offensive weapon. It’s a combination of mechanics, player’s conditioning and the materials that companies are permitted to use to manufacture paddles.

A well hit serve is deep, with spin and targeted to a player’s weaker side- forehand or backhand. It will cause the 2nd shot return to be short and sometimes bounce too high. Therefore the 3rd shot can be either a quality drop or a targeted drive.

GOOD PLAYERS … HAVE GOOD MECHANICS.

See you at the NVL.