Crowsnest Pickleball
2802 222 St Bellevue, AB, Canada

From the Municipal Recreation Department: Just a reminder our gymnasium is under construction for next two weeks. We are painting and getting new lighting. Once it is completed I will let you know so you can play pickleball in the gym, thanks.

Good friend of mine

The MDM is closed until further notice due to COVID-19, so Pickleball is cancelled until further notice. Stay healthy!

Coaches Tip of the Month from Mike Cooper: I know I talk about this often in my lessons, clinics and mini campsto get better you need to practice more than you... are now!! How do you maximize your practice time and why: 1. Do not just hit balls. 2. Get the most out of every practice by practicing with a purpose. 3. Practice using cooperative drills (building muscle memory) and competitive drills (game situations drills). Make sure you practice from all areas of the court using down the line, middle and cross court 4. Place targets (Nice to have a variety) on the court and call out the target on every shot. Hit about 20-50 balls in a row to each target. Make sure you ask first if you can use chalk on an outdoor court or tape on an indoor court. I use a variety of targets like pylons, cones and flat targets. 5. Break the game down and practice each section. a) Net Play- dinking, volleying, put away shots, blocking and resetting b) Transition Zone- third shots (drop, drive and speed drive [ lower apex and lands at the NVZ line], ground strokes volleys and resetting c) First three points of every match- Serve deep to the back 1/3 of the court (lob and drive serve) and practice placing to the forehand, body and backhand areas. Serve reception deep to the back 1/3 of the court (lob, drive and short) placing it down the middle of the court, to backhands (for both the right and left courtsand remember to practice for lefties) and to forehands. Work on returns with no spin, backspin and top spin. d) Lobbing, overheads and resetting- remember we should only be using offensive lobbing when at the NVZ 6. Work on accuracy and consistency- Only hit the ball as fast as you can be ACCURATE and CONSISTENT. Practice adding pace until you become ACCURATE and CONSISTENT at that faster pace. 7. Play points out doing skinny singles (half the doubles court) and do not keep score so you will try things that need improvement. 8. The game is just an extension of practice and practice will make you more mentally tough. 9. If you are a serious player, you will enjoy practicing efficiently and become a much better player. www.mantasport.com