IT’S ALL FOR SHOW
I finally clicked on the advertisement for the “Pickleball Slam” that will premier April 2nd in Hollywood. I’m not sure why I did except that I kept seeing it advertised on my favorite social media sites. Four absolutely amazing athletes from past tennis fame will compete for $1M in prize money. I’m not sure any of them need the money; maybe they will dig wells and provide clean drinking water to people in Sudan with the money? Then, why the show? What will people gain from the spectacle? Why would someone pay a premium to watch amateur level pickleball on display? Maybe the viewers expect these powerhouse sports personalities to be goofy and trash talk for the price of admission. If it’s taunting and chest thumping after running a few feet and slamming a pickleball to the ground they want, we have the professional pickleball leagues for that. I can watch that on YouTube for free. Indeed, the unsportsmanlike conduct is so out of hand and clownish that MLP refs now have a card system to penalize the over the top, ridiculous antics of some of the players.
I suppose that is pickleball on TV. Oh, the good old days back in ´14 when there were fewer outdoor courts in my city and they were always empty, even in the evenings after school let out. Indoor courts were still a dream. It didn’t feel like a show back then. It felt like the pros were people like me: approachable, respectable, and real. Not today; it´s the ratings that the promoters want. It’s the show, the spectacle, the drama, and the more the better. I guess that is the reason that I am not going to pay to watch the “Slam”, even if it is some of the greatest tennis talent on the court.
THE REAL SHOW
I don´t watch professional pickleball sessions for the drama; I watch to learn how to play pickleball better. Like all die hard addicts who want to improve their performance, I will watch hours of YouTube videos of the greatest player of our time at half or quarter speed. In fact, the best player in the world isn’t dramatic and ridiculous when he sets up the put away or performs unworldly touches on the ball. As I study the game and learn more and more about the chess game and the price of improved performance, I am in awe of the real show. At Coaches Corner, we encourage our students to only watch the greatest, most winningest, player ever. This is the show that all players who want to play better must watch. Then we must imitate every aspect of the Master´s game from paddle grip, court position, to footwork, and how he performs each stroke. Everything.
The real show is watching the Master dispatch new talented players who are stronger, faster, and quicker. There are a great number of people who are waiting with anticipation for someone to dethrone the King of Pickleball. I love to watch the Greatest as he shrugs off the chest thumping and screaming theatrics of his opponents, and with the grace and the calm demeanor of a Master he sends his opponents away wondering, “What do I have to do to beat this guy?” The answer to that question is the subject of intense study, analysis, and discussion at Coaches Corner. That is a topic for another day and could be the subject for numerous blog articles or even books.
HOLLYWOOD DISTRACTIONS
It is curious to me why they picked Hollywood as the backdrop for the Pickleball Slam? Perhaps because it is the entertainment capital of the world. If you are seeking to be entertained by watching some amateur pickleball play and possibly some theatrics, it might be what you are looking for. Maybe I´ll be surprised. What if one of the tennis legends pulls off a masterful performance worthy of an immediate challenge and match-up with the pickleball GOAT? Now that would be a show worth watching, and I definitely would catch it on YouTube to study in quarter speed every detail of the Master´s performance.
-ZenLen
Peace, love, pickleball