It’s Gabe Time!
Exclusive look at my Pickleball Magazine article on Gabe Tardio
In this week’s Bite Size Pickleball newsletter:
It’s Gabe Time
It’s Not Quittin’ Time!
Holiday Gift Buying Season
Toon of the Week
IT’S GABE TIME!
Below you’ll find my article on Gabe Tardio which comes out in Pickleball Magazine today.
The other piece I wrote featuring Connor Garnett, Jaume Martinez Vich, and Augie Ge called The Power of Joy got pushed back to the January issue.
BTW, look at Gabe’s extension in the picture above! That is what you need to be shooting for, getting out over the kitchen line as much as you can and taking the ball as early as possible, with the backhand flick, as this will slice your opponent’s reaction time. Same thing in the picture below with the forehand. Bend your knees and root yourself into the ground, strong firm legs and thighs! Look at how Gabe has his thigh muscles activated. That’s you! No ham and cheese pizza necessary!
IT’S NOT QUITTIN’ TIME!
Sung to the tune of “Closing Time” by Semisonic:
Quttin’ time
Open all the doors
And let you pout into the night
Quittin’ time
You don’t have to go home
But you can’t pout here
I always loved playing that cover when my band was closing a set. Everyone pretty much knew it and some even sung along. But the lyrics above were based on a few games I played in last week. In the first, our opponents beat us, and one of them was a wee bit giddy over the victory, calling the score out with major emphasis, as if to say, “Yes, you’re currently losing!” Sometimes people tend to get giddy when they beat me. However, I take that as a badge of honor, and it’s all good, I get it.
But then came Game 2 when I figured out Giddy Boy’s partner’s weaknesses and we exploited them. We won about 11-7. In the rubber match, it wasn’t close, and at around 8-3, Giddy Boy just gave up entirely. He was done trying. Me: “Can you say the score a little louder? I can’t quite hear you.” j/k I didn’t actually rub it in his face, I just took note of his body language, and his demeanor, and it wasn’t positive.
Dude did it again, with a different partner, yesterday. In fact, when I later played with the same partner, a young guy, he asked me if it was okay if he tried stuff out. I had just hit two tweeners and was, like, “Bro, it’s rec play and you’re talking to someone who is hitting it between his legs, of course you can try stuff out.” Him: “Because that guy with the hat over there got mad at me.” He got mad because they were losing and lost. Not an encouraging-type partner to play with. Trust me, your partners play worse when you put this kind of vibe on them.
DO NOT QUIT. EVER. FULL STOP. Momentum can always swing in the other direction. Stop pouting and play the game out. Even if you don’t win, you owe it to your partner AND your opponents to compete every moment you’re on the court.
Remember: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. Here’s a live version of Semisonic rocking it Zoom style during the pandemic. If you want to take a trip down my music memory lane here’s a little animated video I did.
ATHLETIC WARRIOR BOOK GIVEAWAY
I sent pickleball pro Augie Ge a couple of copies, now it’s your turn. I am giving away 5 copies of my new book 11 Ways of the Athletic Warrior: A Guide to Peak Performance for the first 5 peeps who e-mail me their name and address, and who are willing to rate and review the book on Amazon. E-mail me at rick@bitesizepickleball.com if you’re interested.
HOLIDAY GIFT BUYING SEASON
There are so many cool gifts at my pickleball store. Please check it out if you’re looking to buy holiday presents for your pickleball loved ones. You can surf to the site by clicking here. Use discount code VIPcustomer10 for 10% off your purchases. All this goes out the window if you’re tapped for cash because you’re paying for a therapist.
