Welcome back,

There are only 54 days left until ThatPicklebalSchool launches on October 1st.

So many of you took the time to complete my survey, and I appreciate it SO MUCH!

If you haven’t yet, you still can!

Please take a few moments to fill this out and help me help YOU!👇

Today’s ThatPickleballSchool Newsletter includes: 😀 

1. Inspired by the Olympics! 🇺🇸

2. Updates on my Pro Journey 💪

3. VIDEO: 3rd Shot Strategy Masterclass 🤨

INSPIRED BY THE OLYMPICS

THE OLYMPICS ARE IN FULL SWING, AND I AM LOVING IT!

I don’t know if I’m getting more emotional as I get older or what, but I’ve caught myself tearing up multiple times watching the Olympics.

You see these athletes who have worked so hard for this BIG moment perform after doing so much work in the dark when no one was watching.

And you see the joy on their faces.

They’re beaming.

SPORTS ARE AMAZING.

They’re mean, and they’re scary. They have the potential to give us some of our highest highs and lowest lows.

I mean, how can you not be inspired by our guy Steve on the pommel horse, Katie Ledecky becoming the greatest Olympian of all time, Cole Hocker with the amazing comeback in the 1500m, or Simone Biles returning to Paris after she pulled out in Tokyo (btw, there's a great documentary about her on Netflix)?

I can’t help but watch and think, “I WANT THAT MOMENT.”

No, literally, I want to be in the 2032 Olympics.

I’m serious. 

But in the short term, I want that moment of working toward something with a group of like-minded people and seeing the fruits of that labor pay off.

One of the beautiful things about pickleball is that it doesn’t matter if you’re 8 or 80; this sport gives us all an opportunity to get out on that court, work for improvement, and maybe even enter a league or a tournament.

And the truth is, on this journey, we will all fail a lot.

We’re going to suck — a lot. 

And we’re going to question ourselves — a lot!

But I deeply believe this: With intentional work over a long period of time, we’ll all get to experience some really special moments on court.

This weekend, as I was getting emotional watching, it hit me that one of the reasons I’m building ThatPickleballSchool is to help people on their journey to their own special moments.

To help you through the lows, encourage you through the highs, and celebrate you when your moment comes.

Because I have good news for you. It’s coming 🙂 

UPDATES ON MY PRO JOURNEY

Whew!

It was a whirlwind day yesterday at the PPA Kansas City. I’ve got good news!

I qualified for the Main Pro Draw in both Mixed Doubles and Men’s Doubles.

5 total matches, over 3 gallons of water (and electrolytes), and 1 full body cramp that put me on the ground making weird noises. 😂

In mixed doubles, Christa Gecheva and I got through our first round without too much strain.

But the 2nd round was a different story. Take a look at this scoreline:

Last week, I talked a lot about closing out matches, and it felt really good to pull this one out in a tight match at the end.

In Men’s doubles, I was back at it with Tanner Tomassi, and we battled through three matches to qualify.

The first was relatively easy.

But the 2nd and 3rd were tough. Take a look at the 2nd round score:

The picture below was taken after we won that second-round match. Five minutes later, I stood up and immediately cramped. I’ve never experienced that in my entire life.

Suddenly, I couldn’t walk and was on the ground making funny noises, trying to alleviate the pain.

I was able to work it out before our 3rd round, and thank god I did.

Our 3rd round was another tough match.

I plan to share more about what happened in these matches next week when I have more time to do it justice, but I’m up early preparing for the Mixed Doubles Main Draw today!

If you’re at the tourney this weekend, come say hi!

LEVEL UP YOUR THIRD SHOT DRIVE

In case you missed it, I released a new video this week, and it’s all around 3rd shot drive strategy!

Inside, you'll learn...

1. The primary intent of your drive (most people never figure this out) – at 0:23

2. The one target you must use immediately – at 0:56

3. Why constantly chasing the “shake n bake” can hurt your team – at 4:21

4. The mistake even many pros are still making – at 6:39

5. The “secret spot” I learned just 3 months ago – at 8:19

Click below to watch 👇

Hopefully, the next time you hear from me, I’ll be a PPA Gold Medal Winner. 🥇😎

Until next week,

Kyle