To my students and teachers, both past and future, all along the way.
Acknowledgments
As I sit to write this piece my thoughts go down memory lane, thinking of all the people Ive met, chatted with, picked their brains, and shared some hearty pickleball moments. It feels a little daunting to name all of those wonderful people who have impacted my life. So I will start by saying thank you from the bottom of my heart to those unnamed who have been part of my pickleball journey.
Here, I will try to mention some individuals who have had a particularly powerful impact on my pickleball journey.
First and foremost to my wife, Wendy, for being the love, the mother and my partner (in pickleball and in life), and for her constant support in every domain of my life. I give her ninety percent of the credit for bringing my teaching into the written world, both online and in this book. She is the woman behind everything. Thank you, sweetie.
To Sue Woodward for always being my business manager, my biggest advocate, and for your unbridled creativity and trust. You keep pushing me to excel. Thank you for the confidence.
To Ron Beachy, the man who relentlessly goaded me into learning this crazy game and later invited me to Nationals.
To Jim Schiller, for pushing me to step into my purpose as a coach and for coining the name "The Pickleball Guru."
To Lethia Owens for the encouragement and prodding that helped me make the mindset shift from being a reluctant coach to developing a flourishing business.
To my father-in-law, Don Garrido, for his unwavering support of our entrepreneurial endeavors.
To my buddy, Billy Jacobsen, for being a friend, supporter, someone I could share my thoughts with and who always makes me laugh.
To Kevin Curley for being a committed member of Team Guru.
And, to Cliff Pelloni for being the promotional guru behind this book.
Foreword
I first met Prem Carnot and his lovely wife Wendy six years ago at the very first ever Open Nationals in Surprise, Arizona. We chatted for a while and discovered we lived about two hours from each other in Washington state. We made arrangements to visit him at his home.
It wasnt long until we both realized our mutual love for racket sports in general and pickleball in particular. Since Im deaf and cant converse on the phone, I was excited to discover that Prem was someone who would set aside the time to read and write extended emails. Over the years, we have become really good email buddies, talking sports, life, relationships, and countless jokes.
We often meet up at pickleball tournaments and Prem always has a keen observation or very interesting point to make. He has a really good eye and feel for what is happening during a pickleball match.
Over the years he has developed the ability to watch and observe your game and to instantly tell you what you can do to get better. Since Prem has an easy-going, laid back personality and is always smiling, people are easily drawn to him, which makes him an especially good fit for coaching.
Since he decided to become a full-time pickleball coach two years ago, he travels the country giving clinics everywhere. From these clinics Prem has learned a ton about coaching and about how people think when they are playing the game of pickleball. Hence he has written this book.
I really enjoyed reading Smart Pickleball and there is lots to learn from it. Use Prems book to learn from and add to your game. Sometimes one tiny bit of information can change your game like magic for the better. Im sure every player, from beginner to advanced, will find something in Prems book to greatly improve your game. After all, isnt continuous improvement what life (and pickleball) is all about?
Sincerely,
Billy Jacobsen
Billy Jacobsen has been playing Open level pickleball tournaments for 33 years. He has won over 70 Open Singles tournaments and 60 Open Doubles events. He has won Gold Medals in both Singles and Doubles in the US National tournament as well as the Canadian Nationals. He lives in Lake Tapps, Washington.
Why I Wrote This Book & How You Can Make the Most of It
I wrote this book in response to the many requests (and a few demands!) that I put down in writing all the tips, strategies, drills and information that I share in my Pickleball Guru Academy clinics. People asked to be able to take it all home to read, review, and practice.
For nearly two years I have published a monthly email newsletter (you can subscribe by going to my website, www.ThePickleballGuru.com ) where I share articles and blog posts about pickleball strategy and etiquette.
This book includes nearly all the articles published on my website, as well as most of the information I share in my introductory clinics, and more.
So why am I giving you practically ALL of my secrets right here?
Heres why
Why Im Giving Away Virtually All My Secrets
There will be a few of you (admittedly, the minority) who will devour every single page of this book, and then get a buddy and start putting into practice every recommendation in this book, chapter by chapter, drill by drill.
You are the appliers. Youre the players who inspired me to share every single secret. You know when youve found a good thing, youre committed to improving your game, and you know that just reading about what to do isnt going to be enough. You know youve got to practice, practice, practice.
My secrets are for you.
On the other hand, the majority of readers will most likely read this book, maybe take a few notes, and walk away with one or two learnings that theyll try to implement next time theyre on the court if they remember (and considering some peoples memory issues, thats a big if!)