Entry of January 16-31, 2020
My First Tourney!
I’m even nearer to my first event than anticipated. I’m heading to Phoenix per week early to play a few occasions within the Grand Canyon State Video games.
I’ll be enjoying within the males’s age 35+ division with a associate I’ve by no means met (a senior, Brett Augsburger) after which age/ability 5.0 19+ with Shellton JeanBaptiste-Webster.
Shellton’s been tremendous supportive of my journey, so it is going to be quite a lot of enjoyable enjoying with him.
He’s additionally partnered with AJ Koller at some tournaments final yr. AJ might be my associate at Mesa for males’s doubles and some different upcoming tournaments.
Right here’s a video of Shellton and AJ enjoying collectively if you wish to get an concept of the extent of play:
Franklin X-40 is the official ball on the Grand Canyon State Video games, so I made a decision to go and assist promote some gear for them on the event to attempt to recoup a few of my prices from the event entry charges (😲) and journey.
Whereas I need this weblog to concentrate on my journey to changing into a professional, I’ll share my ideas on all facets of the journey, together with the monetary one.
As talked about in a previous publish, I realized about pickleball by my good friend Adam Franklin and need to assist develop their pickleball model as a lot as I can.
With Adam’s imaginative and prescient, Franklin Pickleball will go from a newcomer within the sport to one of the trusted and revered manufacturers. They’ve been capable of do it for over 70 years in different sports activities and I’ve seen firsthand how critically they’re taking pickleball.
I’ll be prioritizing going to the cash tournaments the place Franklin is a sponsor, in order that I can play and likewise recoup a few of my prices promoting for them.
Working Towards Sponsorship
I used to be initially planning to play all the PPA/APP tournaments, however Franklin isn’t a sponsor of these tournaments which implies I couldn’t promote for them and recoup a few of my prices.
Enjoying and touring to these tournaments would simply be exhausting prices for me till I safe a sponsorship that can assist cowl entry charges.
My final purpose is to have the ability to journey, play as many professional occasions as potential and have my exhausting prices coated.
Ideally, this occurs by a sponsorship and I do know that outcomes will dictate after I get provides for this, whether or not it’s Franklin or different corporations.
With the value of event entry charges for the professional occasions, if I paid out of pocket all year long, we’d be speaking 1000’s and 1000’s of {dollars} to easily compete and I’d be on the lookout for a brand new spouse.
It’s madness.
Another choice is to show clinics earlier than tournaments all year long, however then I’ve flashbacks of instructing tennis which became a grind I didn’t like.
Chubbs is aware of how I really feel.
I do get pleasure from pickleball way more than I ever loved tennis. Clinics won’t be a nasty choice.
Thanks for pondering by that with me 🙂
Coaching Routine
Utilizing the phrase routine makes it sound like I’ve been on a very strict schedule and plan. I haven’t.
However, I’ve been enjoying 4-5 days per week and likewise performing some stairs and leg work on the times I don’t play.
My health isn’t essentially the place I need it, nevertheless it ought to suffice for my two February tournaments.
I’ve impressed my good friend Thomas (Wilson) to play extra pickleball. He’s at all times been an informal participant (few occasions a month at most), however simply probably the most proficient participant within the space.
Like me, he comes from a D1 tennis background however is about 5 years youthful than I’m, so he nonetheless has elite quickness.
We’ve been assembly up a night or two per week for singles classes.
I really feel actually lucky that he’s native as a result of he actually pushes me in singles like nobody else can.
If I give him a forehand, he’ll hit a winner from wherever on the courtroom. It’s silly.
A part of the explanation he has determined to show up the pickleball play is as a result of he additionally signed as much as play the Mesa PPA event in professional singles.
I believe he’ll shock some folks there.
The largest variable for each of us proper now’s health. We haven’t been coaching lengthy sufficient to be in stable form but, however with every follow session we get a bit stronger.
We’re nonetheless determining the very best singles methods.
We chip and cost each return for probably the most half as a result of it appears most factors might be received on the kitchen line. If I’ve a mediocre return, Thomas makes me pay.
His passing photographs are so good that it forces me to be actually exact with my returns.
In fact, that additionally forces some errors out of me on the return which is the last word no-no.
Final time we performed we determined to do 5 squats or pushups for each missed serve or return. It might not appear to be a lot, nevertheless it hurts in the course of a singles session which is already fairly grueling.
Doubles play has been stable. I’m nonetheless engaged on resets and being affected person. I went by a stretch the place I actually couldn’t cease myself from driving balls. Earlier than the sport, I’d inform myself “NO!” And earlier than you recognize it, I’m attacking unattackable balls and getting myself into bother.
It’s fascinating how difficult it’s to rewire a few of these tennis habits. A reset shot isn’t one thing that actually exists in tennis but it’s so essential in pickleball.
One other difficulty I’ve been operating into is that after I efficiently reset a shot and get myself again into the purpose, I’ll attempt to assault the following ball too early as a result of I’m so excited I reset the purpose.
I must settle in after the reset and be affected person once more, so I don’t get us into bother attacking one other ball too early.
I’ve been enjoying a good quantity of thin singles with Joel Waiwaiole (males’s professional break up age associate at US Open) and it actually helps with my endurance.
His arms are so quick and his counter-attack potential so sturdy that if I assault too early he makes me pay. On the flip facet, when he assaults a impartial ball, I simply work on the reset and it’s serving to me get far more snug with it.
My preliminary response when somebody quickens at me is to go quick again at them. It really works generally as a result of I’ve fast arms, however I’m often in a greater place after I simply reset it low and look forward to a transparent attackable ball.
Upcoming Tournaments Earlier than My Subsequent Replace
Grand Canyon State Video games: Feb 5-9
Feb 5: Males’s Doubles Age 35+ – With Brett Augsburger
Feb 8: Males’s Doubles Age/Ability 5.0 19+ – With Shellton JeanBaptiste-Webster
Mesa PPA: Feb 13-16
Feb 14: Combined Doubles Professional – With Darija Klaic
Feb 15: Males’s Doubles Professional – With AJ Koller
Feb 16: Males’s Singles Professional
I’m tremendous pumped to begin enjoying tournaments. Will probably be good to satisfy new folks and get within the combine. I’m additionally hoping it makes discovering companions just a little simpler as soon as I get some rec play in with completely different teams.
I’ll be staying in Arizona all the way in which from Feb 4-17, as is Shellton, so it’ll be an important alternative to get some high-level coaching and play in between tournaments.
If you’ll be at both event, add me as a good friend on Fb and ship me a message. I’d like to say hello and meet you.
Till subsequent time!
Rob
Rob Nunnery
Associate at GrowPickleball
To comply with alongside each day, comply with @pickleballrob on Instagram