Pickleball_fix_-_031221


PickleBall Fix: March12 ,2021

A great day for pickleball! Weather is perfect; courts are filled! Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the upcoming TPPC Annual Members’ Meeting on Wednesday, March 31 at 1pm. Later in the day are Donny’s 3pm and 5pm Round Robins. Play pickleball and the Club will be providing food in between. More details to follow.

Schedule

--Drills/Skills Addition. Due to increased sign-up for Drills/Skills on Wednesday from 9:30-11am, three (3) courts 1,3,5 are now available for sign-up on Den. Drills (Level 1) are on the 1st and 3rd Wed. and Level 2 on the 2nd and 4th Wed. Having an additional court enables more players to sign up and practice their skills!

--Skinny Singles Sessions. Two sessions are available for Skinny Singles. If you are interested and want to play in one of the sessions, contact Pieter Trappenburg (masspiet@verizon.com) to determine which session has availability and what level players should sign up for morning and afternoon sessions. Saturday Singles for beginning players will continue from 11-1pm on Courts 1-4.

Pickleball Safety

An important part of playing pickleball is keeping yourself and those you are playing with safe on the Courts. Two things can help with this: following court etiquette and wearing safety glasses when playing. --Court Etiquette. There are many aspects of pickleball that can and do affect play and the personal interactions among the Club members. A number of players have requested that new and seasoned members be reminded of court etiquette. What follows are mostly common sense, yet sometimes overlooked or underestimated in their importance in maintaining a positive and safe environment. Etiquette mentioned may just be a reminder for you; other newer players may not have been told about the following:

-- Call “BALL ON COURT” and add the Court number (e.g., 2) when your ball rolls onto another court. If a ball comes into your court, please pick it up and return it to the proper person. Ask the players on the adjacent court who gets the ball, and then hit or throw it back to that person as best you can. Conversely, if you are the person on the adjacent court who wants the ball back, please raise your hand or your paddle so they know who should receive the ball. Do not just smack it back without even looking where it is going. When we move to the new courts with fences between courts, this will not be a problem but for now keep all players safe by letting players know when a ball is on another court. --Announce the score, clearly and loudly before each serve. This is a PB Association rule.

--If you must walk across one court area to get to another, wait until the rally being played is over and then ask to “come through,” and walk briskly so as not to hold up the other game longer than necessary. --In the morning when tennis is being played on the court nearest the parking lot, walk around outside the fence, if possible.

-- Line calls are only made by the team on the side where the ball landed. If you think the call may be in error, politely ask if there is agreement of both receivers. If they agree, or only one saw it, it’s THEIR CALL. Accept it and move on, even if you disagree. Do not ask spectators for opinions on a call--we don’t need arguments over line calls.

--Compliments to your opponents or partner for a well made shot are always encouraged.

-- Don’t give advice or instruction to another player during or after a game unless it is asked for.

Finally, never back up to return an overhead lob. Injuries can often result. Turn around before trying to

retrieve such a ball.

--Safety Glasses. The best eye protection for pickleball players comes with the consistent use of protective eyewear. Cost is not an issue as safety glasses range from inexpensive to safety prescription glasses. Safety eyewear can not only protect your eyes, it can help you see better during windy, sunny, or cloudy conditions. Useful features include (but are not limited to) UV protection, lenses that seem unbreakable, and tough frames or a wrap-around elastic band.

Safety glasses must meet a higher standard of compliance regarding impact resistance than regular prescription eyeglasses. Characteristics of proper safety eyewear include those that are lightweight, well-fitting (no slipping), have good ventilation so they do not fog up, enhance vision with the least distortion, and reduce glare. Check out a few pointers and top picks at https://www.bellracquetsports.com/product-category/paddle-sports/pickleball/eyeguards-pickleball/. For more information, read the article https://www.bellracquetsports.com/why-eye-protection-for- pickleball-is-a-no-brainer/

Remember you have one pair of eyes. Protect them at all costs!

Coach’s Corner

Mel Kohlberg has added another play tip to Coach’s Corner at http://www.tppickleballclub.org/move_in_sync_with_your_partner.pdf. “Sync with your Partner” describes ways to move together with your partner both side to side and front to back of the court. This allows the team to cover the court more completely and not leave gaps for opponents to hit the ball through.

Enjoy this great weather and keep on picklin’

Marie Knowlton, TPPCP, Deb Howard, VP, Dave Dwyer, Treas., Bev Crane, Sec/Communications

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