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Keeping the ball low on your serves and returns is a technique that requires a lot of practice, and even after you think you've nailed it, in many instances the ball falls short of the net by a hair, yes, very frustrating! Learning and mastering this technique will give you a significant advantage over your opponent, the key, in addition to the low serves and return is the speed of the ball, hard and in play, which makes learning the shot more difficult, but with practice, you got this, and a significant advantage.

Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 by three dads, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum in Bainbridge, a town outside of Seattle, WA. The three dads got together to discuss possible games they can come up with for their kids during the summer, and Voilà, pickleball was born. How did pickleball get its name? According to Barney McCallum, the game was named after Pritchard's dog, however, as stated by Joan, Joel Pritchard's wife “the combination of different sports reminded him of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” Thank you, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, for bringing the world this great game!

There is some controversy as to the word “pickle” in pickleball, it is generally accepted that in the summer of 1965, pickleball was founded by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Shortly thereafter, Joan Pritchard, the wife of Joel had come up with the name “pickle ball”, associating it with the thrown-together leftover non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races. However, years later, as the sport of pickleball grew in popularity, there was some controversy when neighbors of the Pritchard family said they were present when Joan Pritchard named the game after their dog, Pickles. Nevertheless, the Pritchard family including Joan has remained steadfast for decades that the dog “Pickles” joined the family a few years after and in fact named after the pickleball game.  So, it seems the name "pickleball" is associated with the thrown-together leftover non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races.

Why is the kitchen called the kitchen in pickleball? It seems no one is really certain why the kitchen in pickleball is called the kitchen, it is believed, however, that it may have originated and borrowed from shuffleboard. Shuffleboard also has a kitchen area, where if you land, you lose 10 points.

How is your serve, are you confident when you serve, or perhaps a bit nervous?  The serve is one of the best opportunities we have in controlling the game and rattling your opponent. We all remember when we started to play this game, our serve was a soft hit over the net without a second thought, not difficult at all for your opponent, that has changed, and advanced players realize that a well-positioned serve can have advantages throughout the game. How can we improve our serve? As amateurs, we also can learn the techniques of serving in a way that can make it difficult for our opponent. A good example is serving the ball fast, right over the kitchen at the baseline of the court, of course, the opponent will adjust quickly if this is the only serve you focus on, so you need to mix it up, another good serve is a short low serve or deep right at your opponent's feet. It takes practice, in our community we are all amateurs, but competitive, we take about 15-20 minutes before we start

 Happy New Year to all pickleballers everywhere!

When choosing a pickleball paddle, there are many factors to consider:  Grip Material Shape Size Weight According to Forbes, these are some of the best paddles:  Selkirk Amped Epic (Best Pickleball Paddle Overall) Head Radical Elite (Best Budget Pickleball Paddle) Prolite Bolt (Best Pickleball Paddle for Beginners) Paddletek Tempest Wave Pro (Best Pickleball Paddle for Advanced Players) Onix Graphite Z5 (Best Pickleball Paddle for Power) Joola Ben Johns Hyperion (Best Pickleball Paddle Upgrade) Nettie The Pendleton (Best Styled Pickleball Paddle) We recommend you ask your teammates about the paddles they use, and try them out, even though paddles look alike, there are differences that will impact your game one way or the other.