Preparing for Battle: More Pickleball Tournaments in Florida

We’re leaving Nicaragua for a month, and I’ll be heading to Florida where I’ll not only be playing a ton of pickleball but also competing in some tournaments. Lately, my days have been filled with drilling sessions, and the focus has been on consistency.  I’ve been especially tuned in on two areas: getting my forehand dialed in and refining the two-handed backhand. Aside from drilling, here's my thoughts as of late.

Off the court, I’ve been watching a lot of pro pickleball. A few weekends ago I was sick with food poisoning, so I was stuck in bed. Luckily it was the weekend when they had the Veolia Bristol Open so I got to watch lots of live pickleball. I caught the men’s doubles final, which was a blowout match (still fun to watch nonetheless) and then the women’s singles where Parris Todd pulled out a 12-10, 12-10 win over Kaitlyn Christian. Then I watched the men’s singles final where John Lucian Goins got his first singles gold over Gabriel Joseph. This was probably the craziest men's singles draw we've seen in a long time. All the top seed players were eliminated, leaving the 15th seed and 19th seed in the finals. It was really cool seeing JLG get gold though.  I really like his unique style of hitting, almost like he’s scooping the ball with that heavy topspin, and it’s something I’ve been experimenting with on the court myself to see if I can shop-shot a few of those shots. Beyond watching PPA, I’ve also been enjoying the MLP playoff action. My favorite team has to be the LA Mad Drops, mostly just because Ben Johns is on the team, and he's the goat. I also enjoy watching Hunter Johnson play, I find both of these players interesting to watch for how they approach the game. 

We had some friends visiting us last week, and we played a lot of pickleball with them. I was mostly just playing games, which was fun, but now that things have quieted down I’m back into heavy drilling mode. Last night I was out under the lights on the court working through forehand reps, and then I was back out again this morning drilling with my Dad. Later today after using the cold plunge I’ll try to get in the gym for physical conditioning, and then it’s back to the courts tomorrow morning.

Another thing I’m going to do at these upcoming tournaments is record every single one of my matches. That means dusting off one of my old GoPros from my surfing days and making sure to have it charged up and with enough storage space. It’s not just about having the footage for fun, I want to use it for post-match analysis. I know being able to rewatch points, see where I made the right decision, and where I let opportunities slip will be crucial for growth.

That’s where I’m at right now: drilling hard, studying the pros, staying fit, and preparing to not just play but compete. Playing these tournaments is going to be a lot of fun, and I feel more confident each day.

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