So Long to My Girl, My Horse and My Hat
And what does this have to do with pickleball?
In today’s Bite Size Pickleball newsletter:
So Long to My Girl, My Horse and My Hat (yes, it has something to do with pickleball)
Are you making this common pickleball mistake?
Cartoon of the Week
“PICKLEBALL COWBOY”
Here’s a short song I wrote and recorded about a cowboy who’s found a new “love.” I’ve included the lyrics below for anyone who wants to sing-a-long at home!
I got in my truck
I left my girl behind
My horse in the barn,
Thinking I’d lost my mind
But neither of them had any idea
What I found down the road
100 miles away from here
A ball with holes
And paddle in hand
I’m no longer a cowboy
I’m a pickleball man
Oh they don’t know
What it does to a brain
Makes you somewhat insane
And the girl and the horse aren’t to blame
Whoa they don’t know
What the dopamine’s like
And the game makes it
Spike spike spike
And we wake up and we do it all again
My girl and my horse
Are upset of course
That a cowboy like me
Pickleball’s set me free
And I’ll no longer be wearing the hat
I said I’ll no longer be wearing the 10 gallon hat
And that, my friends, is where it’s at
And that’s what pickleball has begat
That I’ll no longer being wearing the hat
The End
Want to hear more? Search for the album “Blue Skies” by The Agreeables.
ARE YOU MAKING THIS COMMON PICKLEBALL MISTAKE?
A lot of folks seem to agree that they are making this common pickleball mistake. It was covered in one of this week’s Tips of the Day on the Bite Size Pickleball Facebook group.
That’s right. Take your time! I like to compare the concentration before a serve to how a basketball player lines up to shoot a free throw: there is always a dedicated routine. That routine usually has to do with focus, a nice calming breath, bouncing the ball to get some rhythm, and voila!
What about developing your own service routine for pickleball? FYI: You do have 10 seconds to serve the ball. Why rush things? Unless, of course, you like to make friends with the net a lot!
Cartoon of the Week
This was easily the most popular cartoon in last week’s Facebook group, it got quite a bit of rant and rave and review time. The question I posed was: Is the woman right in cutting the ball off—despite maybe pissing off her significant other, who looks like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
Speaking from my personal experience, I am pretty quick with my hands, and I try to cut a lot of balls off. When you’re able to cut balls off this decreases the time your opponent’s have to react. I especially love when my partner beats me to the punch and cuts a ball off before I can get to it.
Don’t be a total ball hog, but there is nothing wrong with cutting a ball off, IF you nail the shot! If you don’t, well then, you’ll probably get some vibes thrown your way. Here’s Johnny!
See the resemblance with the above cartoon dude? Can you say, “rampage”?
Enjoy your own rampage on the pickleball court this week! And a special “howdy!” to all the cowboys in the audience! “Yee haw! I love this game!”