#1013: Thomas Yelloweyes (IPTPA and PPR certified) of Night Train Pickleball in Oregon discusses how to decide if you’re ready in your personal PB journey to try a tournament? Admit you want to win — an admission he explains is tough for many people, but without declaring it there's no point competing.

#1012: As you get better, your strategy at the kitchen needs to change. The NVZ is not just a place to practice your dinks! It's where you set up winning shots for yourself and your partner. Different strokes for different folks: depending on whether you're a low intermediate player, high intermediate or an advanced pickler, your thought process at the kitchen needs to evolve, too.

#1002: Coach Leia Miller talks about how frustrating lobs can be and while they are rarely seen on the pro circuit, they can be a common weapon on the amateur court. She offers suggestions on how to keep them from rattling your cage, and even turn them against the lobber.

#1011: The beauty of PB is that it's played by a wide variety of ages. Coach Deb Harrison, who wins tournaments as a Super Senior, says age does matter... but maybe not in the way people assume. People say younger players have an advantage (leg speed, stamina) but seniors have their own advantage of PB I.Q.: anticipation of being ready for where/how the ball will come back to them.

#1010: Coach Leia Miller describes the shot after your serve is returned to you as difficult because you need patience, timing and finesse — without muscling the ball. The "unattackable” 3rd shot drop is how the serving team gets up to the kitchen without being nailed en route by the receiving team!

#1009: Coach Thomas Yelloweyes of Night Train Pickleball in Wilsonville, Oregon says the most important thing about the serve is not to dazzle (hoping ESPN is coming out to shoot a highlight reel of your killer serve!). Forget spin, slice and miles-per-hour — the serve needs to be three things: consistent, deep — it has to go in every time!

#1008: Coach Veronica Alteri has a potent two-handed backhand — watching her and the pros who use two hands on the paddle from the backhand side makes it look really intriguing. Veronica talks about what you gain and what you give up using a two-handed grip — and when you need to revert to a one-hander.

#1007: Coach Mindy Yoder points out the ways that we can undermine ourselves on the court (name calling ourselves lazy, stupid) and suck the fun out of the game. If you’re being harsh to yourself, Mindy talks about how to interrupt and change that thought process. Is there anything you can do when a partner is being unkind to him/herself since it affects you.