Pickleball Magazine 1-6 | Page 51

Cup of Joe How does this impact the sport? In tennis, topspin allows tennis players to hit harder and still keep balls landing in the court. In pickleball, we rely mainly on gravity to bring the ball back down into the court. What does this mean to pickleballers? It means that the lack of topspin limits the amount of power you can hit on all shots (except high volleys and overheads). This lack of topspin alongside the “kitchen rule” makes control more important than power. This results in two things: First, it is a gender equalizer; and, second, it is a power neutralizer. These are selling points for pickleball because there is a wider range of players that each of us can enjoy playing with. And that, my pickleball friends, is a good tradeoff for spin! • WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES? SPIN and PICKLEBALL BY JOE DINOFFER B all sports have many things in common. One of them is the effect of ball rotation on the sport. Baseball has curve balls and football has spirals. In bowling, basketball, soccer, and even golf, the effective use of spin has its connection to successful performance. And, in table tennis and tennis, although multiple ball spins are possible, topspin has the most impact. What about pickleball? Compared to tennis, pickleballs do not spin very much. Why? Because the balls are much harder than tennis balls and there are no strings in pickleball paddles to grip, grab, and create spin. Joe Dinoffer is a master professional in the USPTA and PTR, has written seven tennis books and 22 DVDs, and has appeared on the Tennis Channel. His company www.OncourtOffcourt.com manufactures training aids for pickleball and tennis. He brings that experience and passion to pickleball in this regular column of Pickleball Magazine. ow do you get into “the zone”? Athletes use numerous techniques to get into the correct headspace for competitive sports. Many socalled experts will claim they’ve discovered the best way of getting into the zone, but few can prove they have the psychological training and experience to understand players’ thought processes. A new book about pickleball by USAPA Ambassador Neil Schulenburg Ph. D. MIND GAME MINDGAME H It’s all about the mental aspects of effective pickleball Many Neil P. Schulenburg, PhD, does have that expertise. play.  In Mind Game , he his training in psychotherapy to help tennis and pickleball playersis believe that 80 to 90 % uses of pickleball performance is about what improve their mental game. happening regarding mental function.  Some of us have a good net Over eight million people enjoy playing tennis every year, and game or a good ground pickleball game,isbut how many of us are confident in also catching on in American culture. Both are games of that 80 to 90% area of mental performance? Not skill, and mastering sports mentality is just asmany! important in tennis and pickleball as technique and strength. Don’t be left behind. Discover this If you agree, you are invited  to build  your game in this groundbreaking strategy for reaching the zone! all-important area with a copy of this new book entitled Mindgame. “ “When I read this book, I found that I couldn’t put it down.  I could really relate to this.  I found  things that I hadn’t considered before.”    -Frank Solana, Tennis Professional  St. Simons Island, Georgia “ “The serve was the weakest part of my game. I would love to play, but when it came time for me to serve I felt tremendous pressure. I hit way too many serves out. After using the techniques outlined in this book, the serve became one of the strongest parts of my game. A spectator recently told me, “When you’re serving, you’re so consistent you look like a machine out there.” …That’s no machine, that’s the real me”! - Pickleball and Tennis player, St. Simons Island, GA “ Recommended by Kyle Yates, winner of the 2016 U S Open Pickleball Championship. Neil P. Schulenburg “ A Quantum Performance Leap for Competitive Pickleball and Tennis AVAILABLE AT WWW.MINDGAME.GURU DECEMBER 2016 | MAGAZINE 49