December, 2024 - Issue 6

Pickleball Plus wishes you and your family a happy holiday. If you didn't get all your shopping done remember to contact Pickleball Plus for all your pickleball needs. Not sure what they want? Pickleball Plus has gift certificates. Click the pickleball above for more information.

Shari's Tip:

The Importance of Footwork on the Court!

Many pickleball players think the shot or stroke they take makes or breaks their game. I disagree. I think the quality of your game starts at your feet. Footwork is an integral part of your game. Good footwork allows you to move quickly and efficiently on the court. One of the most critical benefits of proper footwork is that it can help reduce the risk of injury and prevent fatigue during long matches. It’s important to help maintain balance and execute various shots accurately. Be sure to keep balanced with both feet on the ground rather than tipping (tea potting) off balance to get to a ball. That is unsafe and typically results in a poor shot, anyway. Good footwork allows you to position yourself well on the court, react quickly to shots from opponents, and maintain stability during rallies. With proper footwork, you can enhance your mobility, speed, and shot placement, ultimately improving your overall performance on the pickleball court.

Footwork is something you can practice just like you do with paddle skills. Click the links below to get some footwork drill ideas. Here are some other tips.

• Warm-up before you play. Get your legs ready with some shuffles and lunges.
• Keep balanced with a wide base.
• Use a split step to allow yourself to move efficiently in any direction to the ball.
• Turn your hips so that your feet and hips move together. That also turns your shoulder and keeps the ball in front of you.
• Be sure to invest in a good pair of pickleball shoes. They can significantly impact your footwork and overall performance.

Good footwork is not only important for safety, but crucial for executing better shots. And remember, after you hit the ball, be sure to readjust your feet and paddle and get back to the ready position for the next shot. 

Must-try Pickleball Footwork Drills

Pickleball Footwork Drills

PG Pickleball Club

Annapolis Pickleball Club is a growing and thriving club. Their Mission is to serve the needs of members of all backgrounds, skill levels, and ages through programs, activities, and social options. APC advocates for the sport and works to ensure court access. It fosters fun, health, skills development, and competition. Click the link below to join APC for 2025.

Annapolis Pickleball Club

Starting in January South Bowie Community Center will be offering a 9 week beginners pickleball class "Learn to Play Pickleball"

Click the flyer for more information including registration information. Class will be taught by our own, Cynthia Myers. At the end of the last session a new session will start. Get your friends out there to learn how to play.

Here is the most updated schedule. Several of the community centers have adjusted and modified schedules for the holidays. They will be hosting day care programs for kids out of school.

All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. It is recommended that you call before you go. Especially this time of year with so many holiday activities going on at the community centers.

If you see any discrepancies or notice a site missing from the schedule, please let me know. Click the schedule to download for printing.

Save the Dates

Maryland Senior Olympics Pickleball Tournament

May 16 – 18, 2025

We look forward to welcoming pickleball athletes to our event next year! As a reminder, the 2025 Maryland Senior Olympics is a non-qualifying year!

More information coming soon on where and when to register, divisions, play schedule, and venue details.

2025 National Senior Games presented by Humana Registration

Online registration is open for all sports except Pickleball.

Registration for Pickleball begins on Thursday, January 30, 2025, after the 2024 qualification period ends to provide an equal opportunity for all Pickleball qualifiers to register for Pickleball events, which have entry limits in place.See you in Des Moines!

USA Pickleball Rulebook for 2025

USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body of American pickleball that formulates and interprets all the rules of the sport in a manner that preserves the traditional nature and character of the sport and the skills traditionally required to play the sport. All such decisions by USA Pickleball are final and not appealable. The purpose of the rulebook is to provide pickleball players with the rules necessary for recreational, social, organized league and tournament play. Some sections of this rulebook are designed to be used only for the conduct of USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments. A sanctioned tournament allows players to obtain a rating on a national or international basis.

You can see all the rules by Official Rulebook document below. To see the changes only, click the Rulebook Change Document. To see only the major changes for 2025 click here.

Major Changes 2025

Exercise Snacks

At any time you can go to pickleballtournaments.com, pickleballden.com or pickleballbrackets.com to search for tournaments by date or by state. Here are some of the local ones coming up.

• Chesapeake Pickleball Championship, January 4-5, 2025 - Easton, MD
• JOOLA Community Play at Life Time Annapolis, January 3-31, 2025 - Annapolis, MD
• 4th Annual Pickleballerz Open, January 10, 2025 - Chantilly, VA
• KCW Girls STEM Prog. Pickleball Tournament Fundraiser Jan.25, 2025 - Millersville, MD
• Paddle in the Burg sponsored by Harry's Ale House, Jan.25-26, 2025 -Fredericksburg, VA
• Cupid's Cup 2025 @ PickleRage Feb 15-16, 2025 - Glen Burnie, MD
• Ocean City Winter Pickleball Tournament 2025, Feb 15-16, 2025,- Ocean City, MD

Joola Magnum