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Happy Thanksgiving!

Just 10 more days until my book, Pickleball in 60 Seconds, officially ships out on December 9th.

Over 1,000 books have been ordered already!

If you’re looking to do some extra holiday shopping this weekend…

👉 Order from Amazon

👉 Order from Barnes & Noble

😊

I’m so thankful for what pickleball has done for me, the people I have met, and the lifelong bonds I’ve formed with countless people.

It’s crazy has quickly your life can change when you’re intentional about what you want!

Now, let’s get to this week's video:

Top 3 Mistakes with Backhand Dinks

Dinking doesn’t happen as much in today’s game as it did just a few years ago. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important.

In fact, it might be MORE important now since it happens so rarely.

Here are 3 mistakes I see again and again when players are backhand dinking. Taught to you. . . in Under 60 Seconds.

This past week, I played in the US Nationals tournament in San Diego with a partner I'd NEVER practiced with and had barely even spoken to before.

My partner was Mario Barrientos, a fantastic player who usually ONLY plays men's doubles. He travels quite a distance to play one event, so going into it, we knew we had better make it count!

We made it all the way to the semi-finals. Needless to say, this was a GREAT run for first-time partners who had never practiced together.

I want to share how I approached this tournament strategically when competing with someone I had no prior experience with.

Before our first match, we discussed our strengths and weaknesses, then formulated a game plan around them.

The most important part? Keep it VERY simple.

We played super disciplined pickleball with minimal chaotic points. Since we were unfamiliar with who takes what ball, we made sure to exaggerate our communication—loudly calling "YOU" or "ME" on every single ball, whether it was a dink or a drop.

Second, we played "respect the X" at the kitchen line instead of saying forehand in the middle (since we’re righty/lefty, both of us have forehands in the middle). So, even when the ball is cross-court from me, I stay in it. Same with him. This way, we knew who should be hitting the ball much earlier.

If anyone tells you it’s always “forehand in the middle,” send them one of my videos on Respect the X.

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Lastly, if we sped up the ball, we took into account the triangle effect.

What does this mean?

Since we'd never played before, I knew Mario didn't know my tendencies like when or where I like to speed up. So whenever I sped up the ball, I made sure the opponent's counter would come back to ME, not to Mario.

This way, he'd never be caught off guard.

The way I did this is when I sped up off my backhand, I'd only go down the line, because I knew the next shot would come back down the line.

Then, I avoided speeding up through the middle of the court because that shot would theoretically come to Mario.

If you’re playing with someone and you aren’t sure how they play, take 2 minutes and just set a base game plan. It’ll help you SO much, I promise.

✌️

-Tanner

PS. I don’t know what it takes to be a “best seller” in the book world. But, I do know that with over 1,000 pre-orders, I have a chance!

If you’d like to help me show the world how awesome pickleball is, please consider picking up a copy!

You can pre-order Pickleball in 60 Seconds, and it should arrive in plenty of time before Christmas.

Also, you get access to some cool bonuses when you pre-order!

Especially if you order at least five copies!

🦃 Pre-order 1 book and you’ll get the FREE Video series.

This is a companion to the book and shows you exactly how to execute everything I talk about.

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 Pre-order 5 books and you get the video series, one autographed copy, and are entered into a drawing to win a CRBN Paddle (valued at $280)

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 Pre-order 10 books and you get all of the above plus a FREE live virtual match breakdown by me on an invite-only live stream.

ALSO, if there are any club managers or owners reading this and want me to host a clinic, hit reply to this email and let’s talk! I’d love to figure out a way to work together!

If you want to pre-order 🙏, click one of the links below:

👉 Order from Amazon

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👉 Go to my site to order from other sellers (at bottom of page)

THANK YOU!

BTW - if you do pre-order, let me know!

Hit reply to this email.