How to exploit a team with bad chemistry

Pizza delivered to the bench. Can pickleball make you a better investor?

August 12, 2024

Pizza sales went through the roof last night. We’ve seen players hold their paddle or water bottle in a post-game interview, but Gabe Tardio is starting a new trend altogether.

Find out how he made his first men’s doubles title even more satisfying below.

In This Issue:

🧑‍🔬 How to exploit a team with bad chemistry
📈 Can pickleball make you a better investor?
🏆 Results from the Selkirk Kansas City Open
 

Grab a slice.

Send Them to Couples Therapy

We often offer advice on finding your opponent's individual weaknesses. For example, if someone has a poor backhand or if it's more advantageous to return to one person over another, then it makes sense to aim for those areas.

However, another element rarely discussed is finding a weakness in a team.

Two Common Team Weaknesses

Here are two weaknesses to consider exploiting when trying to find an advantage against your opponent.

No. 1 - They don't communicate 🤷‍♂️
Communication is one of the easiest ways to improve playing with your teammates, yet so many people don't bother to even try — especially in rec/open play.

If you notice that the two people you're playing against aren't talking, your path to victory is through the middle of the court.

You should hit every return, dink, and drive to the middle of the court — aim for the center line even and let them fight over it. You’ll guarantee yourself some free points and likely the match.

No. 2 - They don't move together 👯
Another common mistake teammates make, especially those who don't play together regularly, is not moving together. This applies vertically — where one player moves toward the NVZ line while the other stays back — and horizontally — leaving the middle or side wide open when one player is pulled out wide.

If you notice that your opponents aren't in sync, you should have plenty of open holes to hit winners.

To do this, focus on moving one opponent around (the better player of the two) to make the hole left by their teammate even larger.

How to Prevent Weakness in Your Team

You must do your part to ensure that your team doesn't fall into these traps. Two things you can do to combat what’s mentioned above:

No. 1 - Be a constant over-communicator 🗣️
Saying simple things like "Mine," "Yours," and "Go" or "Watch" can keep your team from fighting over middle balls and giving free points away.

No. 2 - Pretend you're tied to your partner 🔗
To help you and your partner move better, pretend you're tied together by a rubber band. Don't let it get too taut or too loose.

What’s Catherine Swinging?

Big shoutout to Catherine Parenteau for snagging gold with ALW at PPA Kansas City! It's always great to see top players in action, showing us how it's done. Did you catch what Catherine was swinging on the court? It was her signature Selkirk Vanguard Power Air Invikta paddle—truly a game-changer.

Catherine’s signature model is tailored to her style of play, combining the latest in paddle technology with a design that maximizes control and power. The FiberFlex+ Fiberglass face and X5™ Polypropylene Polymer Core not only provides a soft touch and minimizes vibration, but it also enhances responsiveness, crucial for those high-pressure moments. And the extended reach? Perfect for those crucial saves and powerful returns.

Catherine’s paddle isn't just part of her gear; it's part of her winning formula. And if it’s helped her secure gold, it might just help you elevate your game too. Congrats again to Catherine and check out her winning signature paddle.

Can Lessons Learned in Pickleball Really Make You a Better Investor?

The benefits from pickleball are both physical and social.

Any activity such as pickleball that increases our heart rate and gets us moving around supports physical strength, agility and can even sharpen our mental clarity.

Pickleball is also quite social. Not only do players often talk during the game and share tips, but new friendships may develop.

Whenever we engage in a repeated activity such as playing pickleball, we tend to develop new habits. Pickleball players may find themselves drinking more water, stretching more often, and getting more quality sleep. The effects of these positive habits are not limited to pickleball; they spill over to other parts of our lives that may include relationships and how we make decisions.

In that sense, lessons learned playing pickleball are very applicable to money and investing. Whether it's working with a coach, eliminating the "noise" or identifying the right strategy, David J. Miller, ChFC®, CFP® from Morgan Stanley explains the similarities between pickleball and money management.

It’s a Pizza Party in Kansas City

Gabe Tardio coined a new celebration while earning his first PPA men’s doubles title yesterday. The 18-year-old was enjoying pizza DURING his gold medal match and finished the slice in his post-game interview.

Federico’s Doubles Game 
Federico Staksrud climbed the pickleball mountain and surpassed Ben Johns in singles points this year. But he’s not just a singles player anymore. Yesterday he won his second men’s doubles gold in the past three events.

Staksrud and Tardio teamed up to take down Matt Wright/Andrei Daescu, the Johns bros, and JW Johnson/Dylan Frazier in the same weekend.

Second Time is Just as Nice For Garnett and Buckner
Connor Garnett and Brooke Buckner both brought home their second career singles titles in KC. Buckner topped Kate Fahey in three competitive games to win gold. Garnett and Tyson McGuffin traded blowout games, with Garnett coming out on top, 11-0, 2-11, 11-2.

Anna Leigh Waters Cleans up the Rest
ALW sat out singles in KC but still left with as much hardware as possible. She snagged double gold in women’s with Catherine Parenteau and mixed with Ben Johns.

A gritty performance from Jorja and JW Johnson pushed Ben and ALW to five games in the mixed doubles final. Even with the support of a hometown crowd, it wasn’t enough for the Johnsons to take down the best in the game.

After a month-long hiatus, the PPA Tour is now in full swing. Kansas City is the first of five-straight weekends on the event calendar.

Next up: The Bristol Open in Tennessee, which starts Wednesday.

PPA Kansas City Open Final Results

Get the 411 on CHUCK

We went to re-introduce you to your new favorite pickleball companion CHUCK!

He’s got 38 holes and a completely symmetrical hole pattern for guaranteed true flight. CHUCK can withstand extreme temperatures on both ends of the outdoor spectrum so it will not warp or crack.

Go ahead and play with CHUCK. Learn more about the GAMMA Sports pickleball and grab a chuckload today.

Challenger Level Teams Reload for the Stretch Run

After an uneventful Premier Level waiver period last Thursday, the Challenger Level teams were busy on Friday. We told you about the trades that occurred in Friday’s issue.

  • CA Black Bears claimed Chris Haworth and waived Mo Alhouni

  • FL Smash claimed Christa Gecheva and waived Tammy Emmrich

  • Bay Area Breakers claimed Martin Emmrich and waived DJ Young

  • Frisco Pandas claimed Tammy Emmrich and waived Alli Phillips

  • FL Smash claimed Donald Young and waived Yates Johnson

  • Atlanta Bouncers claimed Emily Cederquist and waived Angie Walker

The most notable claims here are Donald Young and Chris Haworth, who will make their MLP debuts in NYC. Both players come from tennis and are highly competitive in singles.

The bigger test will be if they can hold their own in the team environment and lead their squads to wins in doubles.

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