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- InPickleball_Newsletter_12-07-23
InPickleball_Newsletter_12-07-23
Hello! The best way to keep your energy high during the busy holiday season? A rousing game (or three) of pickleball, of course! To help keep you hyped, we’ve got a superfood proven to boost endurance, moves that will make you a stronger player, and a drill to improve your third shot drop. Plus, get the scoop on pickleball’s Super Bowl moment.
Photo by Allie Holloway
STEP UP YOUR PLAYING POWER
For more strength, agility, and endurance on the court, you need to build the muscles in your legs, core, and triceps, says Michael Matthews, a certified trainer and author of the book Bigger, Leaner Stronger. The quick and effective workout plan he put together for you does all that and more. Do it two to three times a week, and you’ll see significant results in your game,” Matthews says.
PICKLEBALL REACHES NEW HEIGHTS
The game’s popularity isn’t the only thing skyrocketing: Pickleball has now been played while airborne. Last Wednesday, Anna Leigh Waters, Catherine Parenteau, and Jay Devilliers played inside the Goodyear Blimp as it flew over California. The feat commemorated a historic first for pickleball: On Sunday, December 3, the blimp provided aerial coverage of the last day of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour Finals, signifying pickleball’s status as a major sport. Consider it the game’s Super Bowl moment. “Your sport's kind of made it if the Goodyear Blimp comes to it,” Waters said. “So I guess pickleball's made it now."
MASTERING THE THIRD SHOT DROP
The secret to an effective third shot drop is to hit the ball low, soft, and slow, says Charlie Ball, a pickleball instructor at Bobby Riggs Racket & Paddle Club in Encinitas, California. Your goal is to get the ball over the net so that it drops into the kitchen without much bounce, which means your opponent can’t smash it, he explains. This drill, created by Ball, will help you ace the third shot drop.
PERFECT SNACK FOR ON-COURT STAMINA
Need a quick boost? Eating a banana gives you more energy for exercise than a sports drink does, research shows. Bananas are packed with beneficial carbs that give you playing power, and the potassium they contain helps maintain muscle function and fluid balance. Bananas are also the ideal grab-and-go snack. You can eat them before or during a game because they’re easy to digest, says nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D. Pair them with a handful of nuts for a hit of protein.
