Pickleball: PPA Masters will bring Johns, Waters, Newman and others to desert Jan. 12-15

More professional pickleball is coming to the Coachella Valley, with the Carvana PPA Masters at Mission Hills kicking off Thursday and running through Sunday, Jan. 15.

Some of the world’s top pro players, including Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters, Riley Newman and Catherine Parenteau, are expected to play. Johns will also play doubles alongside his brother, Collin. The event is billed as a “Wimbledon-esque” tournament featuring all-white apparel.

Thursday’s pro events will be men’s and women’s singles. Friday is mixed doubles, Saturday is men’s and women’s doubles and the championship is Sunday. There’s $238,314 in prize money for the pros, but there’s also action for amateurs as well.

A Round Robin Scramble for players rated 3.0 to 3.5 is set for 5 p.m. Thursday. The cost to enter is $15.42 and no partner is needed. Entrants will play four rounds of 12 minutes, each with a different partner and against a different pair of opponents.

For more advanced amateurs, there’s a “Best of the Best 4.0+” on Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The cost to enter is $33.93. The format is three hours of continuous play with three rounds. The first round is a “sorting round” where each player will play a game with the other players in your initial group. The groups for the second round will be determined on where you finished in the first round of games.

For Round 3,  the top two players from each court move up and the bottom two players move down.

The top player on the top court after the third round will be crowned “The Best of the Best."

A four-day grounds pass is $80, courtside is $130 and VIP pass is $700. Less expensive single-day tickets are also available. To sit on championship court, a courtside or VIP ticket is required.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/ppa/events/ppa-masters-53187. The competition can also be watched on the Tennis Channel and Carvana PPA TV.

Coach Mary’s tip of the week: How to get quick hands?

Pro pickleballer Simone Jardim continues to amaze me with her simple, short instructional videos, and how she brings in guests to help her that have great ideas and drills.  This week, I’m recommending one of her videos that she made with Phil Metz, an instructor at Peak Performance Pickleball Academy. Though it’s not one of her most recent videos, it’s very relevant to what I have been working on with my students recently.

First, in ready position, many players keep their paddle to the backhand side a bit too much.  For me, I tend to keep my paddle straight up, pointed at my opponent.  Phil and Simone suggest that if you are looking at a clock, your paddle should be pointing at 11 if you are right-handed.  This favors the backhand side for blocking, resets and dead drops, which are easier on the backhand side.  It also allows you to quickly move your paddle to the forehand side since you are not favoring the backhand too much.

Next, Phil and Simone move into the kitchen to volley.  Since they are closer, they cut down on extra movement, and they must keep their paddles in front. 

Third, to work on keeping the body quiet, and thus more controlled and efficient, Phil has Simone put a wristband on her head while they volley and she tries to keep it there.  This cuts down on bobbing, lunging, reaching, bouncing, etc.  Everything in pickleball needs to be small, quick and efficient, since the game is getting faster and faster. Be sure to watch this video several times! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZFKnYaVVnk

To my students, be ready to balance something on your head in drills in 2023!

Another quick suggestion for players who want to improve:

One of my students, Steve, purchased a tripod that has a Blue-tooth remote with it.  You can put your cell phone on the tripod and use the remote to turn it off and on to record your play.  This is a great way to see what you are doing right and wrong with your backswing, footwork, follow-through, paddle position and balance.  Get out there and drill in 2023!

Quick note:  The Paddle in the New Year-Round Robin has been postponed to this Sunday, Jan. 8.  Email me at mgbarsaleau@gmail.com to enter.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pickleball: PPA Masters will bring pros to Rancho Mirage Jan. 12-15