Nope! But have fun. Safe travels.

Haley (my daughter) and I are playing in Kansas City. This is my goal and really the catalyst for me getting back into shape. My first tournament since 2023. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll probably play 1 or 2 tournaments prior to it to prepare and get match tough.

https://pickleballtournaments.com/tournaments/the-kitchen-open-kansas-2025/find-player

I follow the tour casually. Really just keeping up with where they are playing. I really rely on emails and social media to hear who won etc. social media brings up the drama which just markets to the sport in general.

The thing that I’m really trying to understand both for myself and for the players that I coach is… After each match I want to understand why we won or lost. As you rise through the ranks the margin of error / windows seem to be tighter. I’m a big proponent of mental tennis. However if your process have a plan or process that you are trying to implement and it’s not working, then why? What is the other team doing that is foiling your plan? Understanding yourself and your partner and what you are doing well or not and then also what your opponents ate doing to foil your plans. Every time I play I want to know: Why did we win / lose? What did we execute well or fall short? What did our opponents do well? Where were we able to exploit their weaknesses? This is why doubles is so dynamic and fun / challenging. Each player brings his/her unique abilities to the table and how they integrate with their partner and the chemistry they have is huge.

After just watching myself on video I went back out to play last night and I was really focusing on getting my serve higher and with more shape. I ended up getting more opportunities either on shorter returns or total missed returns from my opponent. Also, I'm learning to drive my 2-handed backhand return by moving forward and driving with my legs more and seeing the topspin generated rather than my 1handed slice return all the time with an occasional 1-handed BH drive. Thanks Rob and Community.

@Rob Nunnery thank you Rob. It’s good to hear what’s going on in your head as you watch the video. So this is what I got out of your response video. 1. Don’t squeeze the middle too soon and get burned down the alley early. 2. Really get to that kitchen line. The way I heard it in my head is to make my movements sharper. I do tend to get a little lazy coming in when my partner is hitting. This is true especially in Rec games. 3. The way you practice is going to be the way you play in tournaments. You play how you practice. So I’ve gotta sharpen up my movement. This will get in their head a little bit also and put pressure on them to make good shots or in their mind even greater shots. I’m going to share this with Haley too. Side note: I did have 2 meniscus surgeries in 2023 and haven’t played a tournament since 2023. No excuses. I take full responsibilities for my own actions. My legs / knees are getting stronger! I’ve been working out everyday for the last two weeks working on my fitness and nutrition. 4. Thank you so much for your feedback. With your feedback it gives me the utmost confidence in knowing what to train and how to train rather than just thinking what I’m doing is correct. 5. You’ve given me confidence in preparing for my first comeback tournament since 2023. Rob, I actually played against you and John Cincola at the Oasis in Rockwall, TX. I think it was your first time to play with John. You guys smoked us. It was a privilege and a pleasure to be on the same court with you and John. It’s a moment in my pb career that I’ll never forget! Thanks for the memories and it’s a privilege to be part of this community that you created with the people in this group. So, thank you. I look forward to our journey together. See you in the courts!!! Mike Alcott