The time immediately preceding or following a large pickleball tournament turns out to be a great time to take pickleball lessons. When the pros are coming to town to play in an event, they frequently give lessons or clinics to make the trip more financially worthwhile or viable.
Park City, UT is only about an hour away from Brigham City, UT where the Tournament of Champions was held. Due to the beauty of Park City, and the large number of players in the pickleball community, it was a great choice for some of the pros to take a side trip to visit and to offer their expertise.
As soon as the message went out that Daniel Moore would be teaching a clinic, Ky and I signed up immediately. The classes are kept small - only 8 students per lesson. Our session filled immediately, so another 8 person session was added which also filled immediately. Daniel's father, Scott Moore agreed to do still another clinic the next day for the large demand.
In Mexico just a short while before the pandemic struck, I had the pleasure of taking a clinic from Scott Moore, Daniel's dad. It is fortunate for the pickleball world that Scott introduced Daniel to the sport and that both are so talented and accomplished.
Daniel was born in Atlanta, GA and moved to Japan with his family when he was 7. He has lived in Colorado Springs, Los Angeles, and Nairobi, Kenya. His home is in Japan, but while the pandemic is still in the picture, he is staying in the US due to Japanese rules on returning.
Daniel is a 9-time national champion and professional pickleball player. After playing collegiate tennis at Azusa Pacific University and living in Kenya, he started pickleball in 2014. After working as a travel guide in Japan, Pickleball Trips, a Moore family business, was born out of a desire to take pickleball players to world-class destinations. Daniel started pickleball in Japan and Kenya, as well as helping launch in China. He has taught in over 15 countries!
In the clinic, we went over a few of the 10 pickleball fundamentals which the Moore's have encapsulated in to on-line teaching. They can be found and studied on-line at https://www.highperformancepickleballacademy.com/. If you don't have a pro in your area, this might be a good option for you. I have not yet taken the course, so while I imagine the content is excellent, I cannot yet personally comment on it.
We also went over some things that I don't think are covered in their course, and that is the beauty of taking lessons with pros, especially in small or private groups. If there are things you know you need to work on, a good instructor will help you with those things and not stick to a set of pre-scripted lessons. When Daniel asked what we especially wanted to get out of the clinic, several of us said we wanted work on defense and others said returning lobs.
Daniel is an excellent teacher. He is personable, fun, and encouraging, and the evidence of his skills on the court are apparent when he is talking about why we were going to practice certain drills, explaining them, and then expertly showing how to do them. The pros always seem to make things look so easy, and even the tough skill he taught us in the drill seen here in the video looks easy when he does it, but it is one of the toughest shots to make.
Have you ever watched Simone or Ben return shots that you never imagined that they would get? How about points by the Waters duo or Irina Tereschenko that seem to go on forever because what looked like a sure put-away was dug up somehow over and over. If you want to see how they do it and what you should practice to be able to get at least a few of those back over, watch this great video. Be sure to watch all the way to the end, because there are good lessons up to the very last sentence!
If you're interested in travel, and want to combine it with pickleball (we all understand that it's hard to take a break), take a look at the Moore travel company website:
I must confess that I had another birthday. My gift request when Ky asked me what I wanted was 12 lessons with pros in a year. This is only lesson 7 of 12. I didn't reach my goal, but that's okay with me. I'm still planning to collect my other five lessons! It has just taken me longer to digest and practice concepts and skills learned in each lesson. They always have way more content than what I post in these blogs.
If you have been playing for quite a long time and wonder why you are not improving, as always, I recommend a lesson with a pro. Here's why:
And if you are quite new to pickleball, don't just rely on friends who have been taught by friends of friends to learn the sport. Don't simply ingrain bad habits. If you have the opportunity to take a lesson with a qualified pro, it is my belief (and I have proof) that lessons with pros, AND practicing what they teach you will improve your playing.
We are currently on a lengthy road trip in the NE of the US for fall leaf colors. I will be posting another blog devoted to our trip, all the pickleball stops, and our pet sitting gigs. Please sign up for my blog posts if you are enjoying them so you don't miss one. Please invite your friends who might enjoy it as well - thanks! :-)
Hugs to you all from North Hampton, New Hampshire!
Check out my video portfolio for some drone shots of pickleball courts, travel destinations and more at:
P.S. Each blog I like to share a pickleball item that I really like. This month the Amazon Affiliate link to something I love to use while drilling might look a little goofy, but it is really handy. I highly recommend the Tourna Hipster Ball Band to practice efficiently! It easily holds 4 - 6 balls.
