Hey Team! 🙂

I’m coming off one of the greatest weeks of my pickleball career, and I could not be more excited to share some behind-the-scenes of that week with you! 😁

At the bottom of the newsletter, I included a recap of the APP Tour Newport Beach Open, in which Kyle “ThatPickleballGuy” Koszuta and I took home fourth place! 🏆

It was an unbelievable experience, and you can relive it with me online this Friday at 5 PM EST.

Look for “JOIN THE WATCH PARTY” below to learn more!

In today’s email:

• 🤫 EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: How to hit a forehand drive

• 👀 JOIN THE WATCH PARTY 🎉

• ⏱️ Get your 60-second fix

• 🏖️ A recap of the APP Newport Beach Open

Let’s get to your exclusive video!

How to Hit a Forehand Drive

This week’s exclusive video is about one of my favorite shots in all of pickleball: the forehand drive. ❤️

It’s one of the foundational shots of the game, but so many players do it poorly. 🤦‍♂️

Except for you. Because after this video, you’ll never hit another bad forehand drive again. 😉

Here’s how to execute a perfect forehand drive:

👇 Paddle down, NOT sideways 🫱

The first mistake I see many players make is holding their paddle sideways 🫱 instead of down ⬇️ . The problem with holding it sideways is that you will never be able to generate topspin on your forehand drive with it that way.

Instead, you want to point your paddle face down and prepare it as the ball comes your way.

🚣‍♀️ Swing with both arms

The next most common mistake is that players only swing with one arm. This is a HUGE mistake because it limits the amount of power you can generate. 🙈

You want to pretend that your arms are like one unit 🤖 and swing with both of them together. This will force your shoulders and waist to turn with the swing and help you drive the ball hard without overswinging.

🏌️‍♀️ Finish over your shoulder

You should finish your drive with both hands over your opposite shoulder like you’re answering the phone 📞. This ensures that you put an arc on the ball instead of hitting it flat.

Many players worry that this will cause them to overhit the ball, but the opposite is actually true. You’ll hit a fantastic topspin drive that will give your opponent fits. 🔥

🔔 Practice

In the video, you can see me practice my forehand drive even though I’m by myself. Grab some balls, stand at the baseline, and practice hitting your drive to all parts of the court. 🎯

With a little practice, you’ll be hitting perfect forehand drives in no time! 💪

How to Stop Getting Chicken Winged 🐓🍗

Chicken wings belong on your plate 🍽️, NOT in your pickleball game 😂.

Watch this video to learn how to stop getting chicken winged…

IN UNDER 60 SECONDS 👈

A Tournament to Remember

APP Newport Beach Open was a tournament to remember, to say the least.

In the qualifiers, Kyle “ThatPickleballGuy” Koszuta and I only gave up six points in three games. We won our qualifying matches 15-1, 15-3, and 15-2.

We breezed through our first match in the Men’s PRO Doubles MAIN DRAW on Saturday. 💨

Heading into the second match, Kyle and I knew we would have to play a near-perfect game to defeat Rob Nunnery and Erik Pailet, the #1-seeded team.

We lost the first game 12-10, but then won the last two 11-9. Funny enough, we were down ALL three games big and made a comeback in each.

We won the round after that, putting us into the semi-finals.

It was a sight to see. 🤯

It was my first time going that deep in an APP Tour tournament and playing on Centercourt.

The crowd around us was huge, but I focused on the match and did not let anything distract me from the moment. 🤨

We ended up losing in three games and taking home fourth place. But I took away SO much from this experience, and I’m pumped for the next one.

What it was like playing with “ThatPickleballGuy”

What stood out most about Kyle is that you can tell immediately that his brain 🧠 thinks differently than most other players. He is the DEFINITION of playing chess ♟️, not checkers.

He is an analytical thinker and excels at decision-making and strategy throughout a match.

I’ve never played with a partner like that before.

Though it was our first time playing together, I knew that when he hit the ball, it was very calculated and ALWAYS the correct shot. There were no bad or impulsive decisions in his game. 😎

Secondly, his hands are next level. 🙌

We established a game plan early and stuck with it the entire weekend. 🔥

The plan was this: if we get attacked, since I’m lefty, neither of us should ever flip open to our forehand when getting attacked straight on.

For example, if someone is attacking me, I sit backhand and trust that Kyle will cover the middle and over my shoulder.

Vice versa when Kyle is getting attacked. 🤝

You can see this strategy in one play here:

We both trusted each other, and it was deadly. 💀

Thank you to everyone who reached out and said hi at the event and sent great energy my (and Kyle’s) way. We needed every bit of it, and we look forward to our next event together in Kansas City.

Til next time! 👀 😁✌️