David Zapatka Often called the most important shot in all of pickleball, the dink is the critical shot aspiring players must learn to improve their game. The dink is a shot hit slowly and softly into the opponents’ non-volley zone, as close to the net as possible. If the opponent hits this ball hard, it…
Tag: Pickleball
Sports, December 2020
Let There Be Light!
Dave Parker With the growing demand for lighted evening pickleball courts, the Robson Ranch Pickleball Club decided to step up and make it happen! The club was polled, and a majority of the members supported the funding for lighting eight additional pickleball courts. After three years of planning, the lighting project was completed. Robson Ranch now…
Sports, November 2020
Relishing Pickleball: The Ready Position
David Zapatka One of the most common errors I see on the pickleball court is not being ready to play. What does this mean? Being ready to play means a number of things. It means being focused on the point at hand. Paying attention to debris on the court, listening to what someone is saying,…
Sports, November 2020
Pickleball Club Player Profile: Forest Bell
Dave Parker This month, the Robson Ranch Pickleball Club would like to profile Forest Bell. He loves the game and you can find him on the pickleball courts most mornings. Forest is Robson’s most famous chef, and is certainly our resident culinary expert. Tell us about your family and how you ended up at Robson…
Sports, October 2020
Pickleball Club Player Profile: Bob and Irene Romagosa
Dave Parker This month, the Robson Ranch Pickleball Club would like to profile a couple that are some of the country’s best pickleball ambassadors. Bob and Irene Romagosa are A-level players that travel the United States playing in pickleball tournaments. Not only are they great pickleball ambassadors, they are some of the country’s best referees…
Sports, October 2020
Relishing Pickleball
David Zapatka When your opponent hits the ball high in the air, above your shoulders, think overhead smash! The smash is one of the most fun shots in all of pickleball. It ends rallies with an exclamation point. Execute this fun, rally-ending shot using these seven steps: 1. Use many small steps to position your…
Sports, September 2020
Relishing Pickleball: Pickleball Bangers
David Zapatka Are you getting tired of playing the bangers? They have one strategy; hit the ball as hard as they can. They rarely hit third shot drop shots. What can you do? There are two options. The first is the punch volley, a volley hit hard and deep. The second is the soft volley,…
Sports, September 2020
Pickleball Club Player Profile
Dave Parker Beginning this month, the Pickleball Club would like to highlight some of our members. Our club is over 500 strong and includes young to old and beginners to advanced. No matter what, there is a passion for playing the game and improving every day. This month, we would like to highlight Nancy Fadrowski,…
Sports, August 2020
The Third Shot Drop. Why Is It So Important?
David Zapatka The third shot drop is a shot performed near the baseline that lands softly in the opponents’ kitchen. The shot is designed with one thing in mind—get your team to the net. The mechanics of the third shot drop are simple. The ball sails up into the air and drops into the kitchen…
Front Page, August 2020
Pickleball Skills Development
Dave Parker No matter what level a pickleball player is, there is always some skill to work on. The person at Robson Ranch Pickleball Club that oversees all skill development is Donna Henry. Donna is charged with organizing and developing skills development programs tailored to the needs of each level within the club. Clinics focus…