President’s Report

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2022. I am pleased to let you know that the club now has more than 150 members and is the biggest club in NSW. Pickleball is booming on the Northern Beaches.

Our amended Constitution has been registered with the Department of Fair Trading following approval at our recent AGM. I recommend to all members to review from time to time the Club’s documents and policies which can be found on our website. Please make yourself familiar with the Club’s Code of Conduct policy.

If you play at Dee Why, you will have noticed that a proper kitchen line has been marked up on all courts. A big thank you to PCYC for having this work done during the Christmas school holidays. This will make a big difference to those who “dink”.

Every member will have different goals as to what they wish to achieve in pickleball. Some members are quite content to play the game at a social level whilst others have ambitions to represent our Club at a State and National level.

Following in the footsteps of overseas clubs and the larger clubs in Australia, the committee is committed to grading all players. In this way, members will be able to test their skills with members of the same grade.  Grading is also a tool to manage Club and inter-Club competitions. You will hear more about grading in the coming weeks.

The committee is also committed to providing help and assistance in improving members potential to play the game. In this regard, the Committee is delighted to have Pickleball Coaching Australia( PCA) as a new silver sponsor.  Please see more information about PCA in this newsletter.

The committee is aware of the need to look for new venues and in this regard,  the committee is liaising with the Northern Beaches Council which have been very supportive. A potential outdoor venue at Collaroy Plateau has been identified by Council. More detail about this venue will be available shortly.

John Fuller

Becoming a Better Pickleball Player in 2022

Sure playing more recreational games week in week out is fun, but if you want to get better it’s proven to be one of the most ineffective ways to improve your pickleball game. 

It’s no secret that if you want to improve, you need to practise. But getting clarity on the WHAT and HOW you practise the tactical and technical aspects of the game is the key to fast tracking your progress, no matter what level you are at. This is where specific pickleball coaching comes in.

If NBPA is the biggest pickleball club in NSW surely we should aspire to also be the best. Pleasingly there has been an extremely positive response from club members wanting to get better and constantly improve their game. As such, club member Ian ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson, and founder of Pickleball Coaching Australia recently ran his ‘Getting to 3.0 – Coaching Pickleball Clinic’. This coaching clinic sold out in just 15 minutes and was a great success with participants saying: 

• “A massive thank for today’s coaching session. It was an information-packed couple of hours and a lot of fun too. Many thanks” Gary

• “Great morning of skills. The 2hrs went so quickly, which means it was enjoyable.” Deborah

• “Learnt valuable information which I can’t wait to put into practice” Sandra

New Coaching Initiatives

As a result, more structured coaching initiatives are planned with Hutch and Pickleball Coaching Australia now becoming NBPA’s ‘Coaching Partner’ as Silver Sponsor of the club.

So moving forward, Hutch (PCI Accredited Level 1 Pickleball Coach) will be running a number of coaching initiatives. Some will be free for club members on a first-in, first-served basis, while others will be more intensive fundraising 4-week programs and/or private and semi private coaching.

Topics will include areas such as:

• Tactical and technical pickleball
• Smarter shot selection & decision-making options
• The soft-touch game (dinks, 3^rd shots & resets)
• Owning the non-volley zone (NVL)
• Training programs and specific drilling routines
• Putting it all together with game analysis & critiques

To be keep up to date and get early bird notification of new coaching opportunities as they are announced please register your interest.

Play Better While Saving More Lives

The good news is that all profits from Hutch’s pickleball coaching (and Selkirk paddles sales) go to his cause CPRfriendly.org which provides free community CPR education to help save lives.

So through Pickleball Coaching Australia you can now become a better pickleball player while also helping save more lives.

2022 Coaching Programs

This year Hutch will be running:

1. Coaching Blitz Weeks: Free for members and run quarterly from April, this will include a series of 2-hour clinics such as the recent ‘Getting to 3.0 Clinic’.

2. Fast Track to 3.0 (4-Week x 2 hrs) Program/s: At Beacon Hill (max. 8 players) currently scheduled for Wednesday afternoons. These will be paid fundraisers for CPRfriendly.org with special 20% discounts for NBPA members.

3. Drilling to 4.0 (4-Week x 2 hrs) Program/s: At Beacon Hill (max. 8 players) initially on Wednesday afternoon. These will be paid fundraisers for CPRfriendly.org with special 20% NBPA member discounts.

4. Private Coaching: At Avalon for 1-4 players. These will also be paid fundraisers for CPRfriendly.org.

Register Your Interest in Coaching

To get early bird notification on coaching opportunities and NBPA discounts, please register your interest today.

7 Surprising Ways Pickleball Benefits Your Brain

Find out how playing pickleball can keep the brain younger and much more!

P.S. There is an 8th way to improve your brain power: Do the crossword in this newsletter 🙂

Pickleball Venues & Sessions

The committee have been busy seeking out new venues for additional playing opportunities across the Northern Beaches.  We now have an additional session on Mondays at midday which is proving to be just as popular as the other sessions.

Many players are reaping the benefit of playing at different venues on the Northern Beaches. It not only helps to identify different playing techniques, but is also an opportunity to meet and form new friendships with like-minded people.  

A new venue has been identified at Collaroy Plateau (see photo above) with at least two courts to be line marked by NBC.  We are very grateful to the council for considering this venue for us. 

Other venues are on the horizon to ensure our growing membership has sufficient opportunities to play both indoors and outdoors. Locations under immediate investigation include Seaforth and Belrose.

A “Tricky to Understand” Pickleball Rule

Most of us are aware that it is a fault if your momentum carries you into the kitchen on a volley, but when exactly does this momentum end? This question is asked and argued about regularly.

Let’s say you just volleyed the ball and you’re standing there, windmilling your arms, trying not to let yourself go into the kitchen. Play continues for another five, six, seven shots (it doesn’t really matter how many!) before your partner puts it away for a winner. It’s now a dead ball.

And then, finally, you let your momentum carry yourself into the kitchen.

Don’t if you can help it, because it’s a fault!

Momentum ends when you establish yourself outside the kitchen. There is no magical time limit or bounce number, nor does it matter if the ball is dead. Momentum ends with you getting reset outside the Kitchen.

Download the complete 74 page USA Pickleball 2022 Official Rulebook for some light bedtime reading.

Do You Have a Pickleball Addiction?

We’ve all heard this many times: “I’m addicted to pickleball” or “You must be a pickleball addict”. Whilst some people say it jokingly, there are others who could have a problem without realising it.

When you do something too much, your life gets out of balance and there will be other areas in your life that are going to start suffering from that. The problem is that pickleball is so much fun that many people spend too much time on the courts and ignore warning signs that can lead to injury or ill-health.

If you find it difficult to stay off the pickleball court, you may benefit from the discussion in the above video or read the transcript here: https://wearepickleball.com/do-you-have-a-pickleball-addiction/.

It wouldn’t be too difficult to identify a few suspect addicts in our Club!

Player profile – Richard (“Dick”) Dewhurst

How long have you been playing pickleball? About 2 years on the calendar (take out Covid issues).

How did you first hear about pickleball? Through a friend in Brisbane.

What do you like about the game? The whole idea, fun, enjoyment, social and friendly and how quickly people can become proficient enough to play at some level and enjoy it.

Which other sports have you played in your younger years (or are still playing)? Most in the past: ice hockey (I am a Canadian originally), baseball, skiing, soccer, curling. Non-Canadian: Squash, tennis and golf.

How often do you play pickleball? I try for 3 times a week.

Thanks to Dick for sharing his pickleball experience with us.