Read My Reviews

Hi Brent!

Had an excellent lesson today on blocking banger shots. This is something I have struggled with for the past year. 10 out of 10!

I think I may now be able to see these shots with some new understanding after receiving your excellent tips concern these types of shots.

I really enjoy learning from you because you break down the components of the skill into manageable segments and you provide excellent suggestions and encouragement throughout the lesson that always help me to model the correct stroke we are working on. I feel you provide customized training tips for each participant in the group which is really an amazing skill to have. Other training sessions I have taken part in do not provide this type of individualized assessment and feedback. You are shown the skill and then you practice it or not…

I also really like the fact that I can review these lessons or practices with a link you now provide on Whats App after the lesson. This is an excellent way for me to review the skill and the drills to see how I actually am doing…have I been able to master the skill or where do I need to focus subsequent practice. Having the lesson drills available to me to review could potentially help me to go and practice these drills by myself either against the ball machine in this particular instance or with some friends before a drop in game.

The fact that these lessons and practices are available at the place I go to play pickleball is so convenient for me. In addition, meeting new people or seeing old friends in these sessions has real added value to me. I enjoy the opportunity to work with people learning new skills or reinforcing existing skills with people who are playing at the same club. I think it makes us all better players as well as more friendly with each other than otherwise would be the case if we just met to play the game.

In today’s lesson, I learned that you need to assess the banger’s shot trajectory to determine if they have most of their fast/hard shots staying within the court or if many would likely end up out of bounds if not for the intervention of my racket.

I loved that we were able to test our perception of these shots using the ball machines and practice blocking only those shots that were chin height or slightly below. I learned that one doesn’t have to hit every single shot that is fired at you. In fact, sometimes it is beneficial to let a banger’s ball exit the court without any attempt to return it.

I also learned that in order to not pop up a blocked shot, I need to have a parallel to the net backhand racket face with a slightly bent arm to receive the impact of the banger’s shot and that the racket should be out in front of me, not close to my body. My grip on the racket is also somewhat changed so that the face of the paddle remains flat and parallel to the net rather than open and tilted upwards as has been the case using the continental grip primarily.

I learned that I should be tracking the ball with my paddle tip pointing in the direction of the ball…not holding the paddle in a perpendicular upright ready position as this makes it harder to connect with these fast balls in a successful way.

I also learned that it isn’t necessary to hit the ball with force back to a banger which might result in an out of bounds ball being returned to them or a pop up happening that would make it easier for the banger to hit another hard shot. It is easier to just block the shot and direct it over the net and into the kitchen if possible. I loved that we were able to practice this type of blocking activity for a period of time thus solidifying the skill in my mind.

Already signed up for another lesson in early December.

Thanks for all your expertise Brent!

Lynn

Sent from my iPhone

Thanks so much for the time and effort you spent with us last weekend.

Your coaching style/leadership is exactly what the adult participants needed. You not only improved the game skills of some of the less skilled new beginners, but also contributed significantly to game of the more skilled players. Both Dana and I are just beginning our newly found (pickleball) sport. And we truly enjoyed our lesson and had tremendous fun while learning the basics of the sport.

You and your assistant coach Ayesha were positive and very inclusive considering the gaps between the skill and physical capability levels of the participating students.

Teaching by example is always very effective in demonstrating the rules as well as the game tactics. I have played, coached, and refereed Soccer for over 40 years. To be able to teach effectively, the coach must have in-depth understanding of the sport from the fundamental skills to advanced tactics and strategy. Some coaches have experience playing, but not all players make good coaches. Good coaches plan for the sessions/drills, they know the rules, and provide a simple, structured approach for the players to learn and enjoy the game. I observed all these in your coaching style.

I also observed that you enjoy sharing knowledge and have the confidence to share and seek player’s views at the same time as the more your students understand what they are supposed to do, the more they will enjoy the game while improving what they have learnt from you further on their own later.

Your splitting of the participants into different teams for practising the new skills made the class fun and challenging at the same time as the participants got exposed to various game styles and skill levels.

To recap, in my view , you displayed credibility, competence, respect and authority and explained instructions clearly with demonstrations. Coaching language you used kept everything simple and easily understood by all of us.

Thank you again.

We appreciated your time and dedication to teaching.

Will also do a google review tomorrow.

Today was a great lesson on how to ensure that no unexpected pop ups occur in a game.

We learned how to hold our paddle for maximum range of motion so that returning balls became easier to complete on a low trajectory. We also learned how to focus on the holes in a ball in order to increase accuracy of returns. Tips about how to stay low and not rise up when hitting the ball helped to change my frequent pop ups to infrequent ones.

We were encouraged to practice returns slowly and apply our new skill sets in a game situation.

As always, the lesson was well organized, delivered effectively, and broken down into concrete skill segments tailored to the group of participants’ skill levels. Coach is a thoughtful, intuitive instructor who helps move people’s skill level forward in a calm professional way.

I enjoy having the option to sign up for lessons and practices with people I play with on a weekly basis. These sessions definitely help create a friendly camaraderie among the participants at Cedarbrae Community’s pickleball program.

Thanks Coach!

Good evening Coach:

I really enjoyed the class this morning and will certainly use the information that I learned today as I play the game.

Today I learned a few things:

Keep the ball in front and watch it as it moves forward and lands.

Keep the hands soft and push the ball. Use the body.

I thoroughly enjoy taking these lessons with you. You are easy to understand with excellent demonstrations. It is a comfortable and safe space. There is no criticism of the student’s abilities just helpful suggestions. I think this training is top quality and something that I would like to continue.

I personally like the convenience of taking these lessons at Cedarbrae. As well, I have met a few new people who I have later played with at some of the self rated sessions.

I think that having the opportunity to take lessons at Cedarbrae is important. I myself want to continue to improve and learn. If I have to go elsewhere for these lessons then it may mean that I will end up losing my affiliation with Cedarbrae.

I really hope that your lessons and playing groups will continue!

Aura

Coach Brent is a superb Pickleball Coach. He is very observant and has provided me with specific instruction and information that has changed my game for the better. After each lesson I not only improve my game but have more fun playing. Thank you Coach Brent! I look forward to my next lesson with you.