Sunday, April 5, 2026 (Court Day #922)
I took our corgi Pepper for a long walk this morning. It was already warm with not a cloud in the sky. When I got home, I asked my son Nicholas—who drove down to Santa Cruz for Easter and brought his girlfriend—if he or they wanted to play pickleball this morning. Nicholas mulled it over then decided he wanted to stay home.
My right knee was bothering me a little bit while walking, but it gradually got better as my walk went on. Giving it a little bit of a break would probably be a good idea, but the sirens call of pickleball is too strong!
With the abbreviated morning, I decided to go to Derby Park instead of the more distant Brommer Park. As I drove, I figured it would be less busy with it being Easter and all.
Derby Park
I pulled into the Derby Park neighborhood at 10:20 a.m. and parking was a challenge; there were cars parked up and down the adjacent streets.
I parked a block away. As I walked in, I discovered that part of the parking issue was some kind of party and/or egg hunt that was going on for kids in the park.
Nonetheless, pickleball was hopping—no pun intended!
Games
Sam and I played against Mike Berger—I think that’s his last name—and Derby regular Paul. We lost 6-11.
It was busy and there was a bit of a wait between games, but not crazy long.
Tony Sloss and I won 11-9 versus Sam and young Ryan. I’d never seen Ryan before, but Ryan is a very good player with hard drives and spin.
Tony and I teamed up again this time against Ryan and stocky Mark, who I see at Derby Park now and then. This was less a game of unforced errors and more a game of forcing shots that make your opponent uncomfortable. Ryan can really rip drives. Tony and I lost that game either 5–11 or 6–11, I can’t remember exactly. Still, it was a good challenging game. Tony and I both made shots that we would want to have back. Tony apologized to me and I apologized to Tony in that game. But still, I wouldn’t say we were played poorly in that game. It was just a good game. I would have liked a rematch, but that didn’t happen.
I talked to Ryan briefly as he was getting ready to go and when I asked, he said that he didn’t have any tennis experience but he played ping-pong. Yes, that quick hand-eye coordination helps. Ryan likes to put a very healthy amount of spin on his service returns. There was one time when I did a lob and with the spin that he had imparted on the ball, it sailed wide as a result—I can’t remember the last time I missed a lob wide of the court—deep, occasionally, but wide, practically never!
Last Games
Young Leo and I played against the guy named Mark and Ted. If I remember the score correctly, we won 11–1. Regardless, it was a very lopsided win.
For my last game, I told Leo that I would pair up with Ted. Leo signed up too and then we grabbed Mike (my second game with Mike) just as Mike came out from a game. I was expecting Ted and I to lose this one, but Ted played pretty well and we ended up pulling out a win 11–6. That was a nice surprise.
I asked Ted the time as we walked off the court and he said 12 minutes after 12. It was time for me to hit the road. Family Easter obligation awaited!
Monday, April 6, 2026 (No Play)
Former #1 juniors tennis champion Roscoe Bellamy on pickleball and how it’s so different than tennis:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWrYX4OETLp
Adjustable Paddle Weights
I thought this was interesting. An ad appeared on social media for a company that makes weights that attach to the edges of your paddle, but can be loosened and repositioned, then tightened in that new location:
Progression of Serving
Zane Navratil was interviewed about recent serve history in pickleball. This video is a year old, but is still current. For those new to the game—in the last few years—this provides some good insight on how the serve has changed:
Number of days on a court: 922
Number of total hours: 3,440.5
Number of paid coaching hours: 209.5
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