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.

I took a lesson about volleys. It was about how to position myself, posture and most importantly how to use the paddle to the most advantage. Brent spotted various ways to improve paddle technique in regard to position, angle, readiness – all to the benefit of everyone at the lesson. He was observant of the ways all the players vollied and passed on the corrective measures to all the players. It was very informative and helpful to all of us. Brent is experienced at pball and coaching and cares about the progress of the players he coaches. These lessons are a big part of why I belong to the Cedarbrae club. I will use these volley techniques for future games.

Hi Coach

Great session this morning!

1. What did I learn in today’s lesson?

Today’s session was slow volley practice. The focus was ready position, tracking the ball with my racquet, and slooooowwwwwing down. Mindfulness in pickleball???!? What?!?!??

2. Impressions and/or experience?

This was a practice session and so we started with the 30 minute structured warm-up. I love to start this way. Always a challenge and just so beneficial to be trying to do very specific things that start simple and progress in complexity. The middle 30minutes of slow volley practice was excellent for breaking the skill down and getting needed repetition. And then the 30 minutes of modified game play helps me to integrate the developing skill into game-like situations without getting completely out of control. Soooo satisfying to experience the improvement that occurs from the start of practice to the end.

3. Describe the quality of the lesson.

Excellent. I learn so much every time!! Even in repeating the same lessons Coach reads where I’m now at and we build from there.

4. How do these lessons influence my decision to be a member of this club?

The lessons are keeping me at Cedarbrae at the moment. I’m about to rejoin game play and curious as to how that will go. Fingers crossed the game play sessions also feel fun and positive and welcoming.

1. What did you learn in today’s lesson?

In the Volley lesson I learned what I need to focus on in order to improve my volley skills; more specifically I learned what to do with my body position in order to have more control over my volleys and I was guided on my inner game with volleying.

2. Please describe your impressions and/or experience.

Brent is very organized and offers coaching in a staged way that helps to develop the skills needed for the specific idea we are focused on. I felt he met everyone where they were at and still kept the group together for all the drills and activities.

3. Please describe the quality of the lesson.

The quality of the lesson was excellent. We started with simply practices that evolved into activities requiring more attention and detail to volleying. Each person got individual attention without interrupting the flow of the lesson.

4. How do lessons influence your decision to be a member of our club?

The lessons make a big difference in my decision to be a member of the club. It is important to me to have lessons and a coach as I continue to play…. I want to see myself improve and the lessons make a big difference in that regard.