For the last year-plus, national publications have been catching up to the fact that yes, pickleball is a thing. Many of those articles, covering well-trodden ground and stating the obvious, have been met with eye-rolls from those of us who play the sport.

But if you’re interested in where pickleball is going professionally — and the deep-pocketed investors brawling over its future — this week’s Sports Illustrated long takeout, “‘Pickleball Is the Wild, Wild West’: Inside the fight over the fastest growing sport in America,” is worth a read. The battles going on now will likely shape how much pickleball we see in the Coachella Valley in the future, what players show up at what tournaments, what kind of prize money is at stake, and whether the sport makes the Olympics anytime soon.

The in-depth piece by John Walters details the meltdown of leadership at the International Pickleball Federation (which we’ve covered in this column — it’s the main body trying to get pickleball qualified as an Olympic sport) and its close connection with the USPA (the U.S. Pickleball Association, which puts on the Margaritaville Championships at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden). Walters also explains the International Pickleball Federation’s rivalry with the World Federation of Pickleball. If it all sounds a bit awkward, well, it is. Such is adolescence.

The article also digs into the rivalry between the APP (the Association of Pickleball Professionals) and the rival PPA (Professional Pickleball Association), and the upstart Major League Pickleball.  (If you’re keeping track, the PPA staged the Master’s Tournament at the La Quinta Resort in November. The APP, meanwhile, this weekend is hosting the inaugural New York City Open at Flushing Meadows this Memorial Day weekend, and has the Los Angeles Open coming up in late June in El Segundo.)  

Deep-pocketed men are pouring money into the sport. As Walters recounts, Tom Dundon, the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team, bought Pickleball Central — the large online retailer of pickleball gear — but maybe also the PPA tour itself (the details are murky). PPA requires top players to sign exclusivity contracts. Among those who have done so is Ben Johns. If you’re wondering why some of your players are not playing in one tournament or another, such deals may be the reason.

The Palm Springs City Council made it official on Thursday night: The Demuth Park Pickleball Court wall is not happening.

After spending $82,000 to design the wall — which was supposed to block off the wastewater treatment plant from the courts — players voiced concerns and objections about safety and expressed doubt that the wall would do little to prevent odors from wafting onto the courts. Hundreds took a survey, with 65% telling the city they didn’t want the wall, which was going to cost $231,000. The city put a pause on the project.

But to officially put the nail in the coffin, the city had to back out of the contract with the company hired to build the wall. Getting out of the deal required the city to pay $13,937, which the city council OK'd on Thursday night.

So, the total amount expended on the doomed project: More than $95,000.

The city council directed staff to identify landscaping options to visually screen off the pickleball courts from the wastewater treatment plant.

I have had quite a bit of time to review some of the things that students are frustrated with during my back surgery rehabilitation.  I am also watching plenty of YouTube pickleball videos. I would like to circle back to the third-shot drop this week.

To review, the third-shot drop happens after the returning team hits the serve back to you, and they are advancing to the net.  You, as the serving team, are attempting to hit a third shot in front of your opponent in the non-volley zone that is unattackable, so you can move to the net.

In my drill classes, many students will execute the third shot drop off a drill or off the machine, but when they get into game situations, they give up on it or will not commit to making a good unattackable third.  Since it did not help them set up the point and get to the net, it did not make them more competitive.  They often go back to the third ball drive instead. 

The main reason drills help your game is that they create muscle memory so that you can perform the skill repeatedly with success.  This is critical for beginners.  As you improve and gain confidence, you will want to try more advanced skills in game situations to build trust in the shot.  The more you practice in-game situations, the more you will advance your skills.  Why?  Because you need to work on the footwork and body positioning that comes when the ball is not fed directly to you.

Mistake 1:  Moving backward or not moving at all when you execute your third ball drop.  The contact on your paddle should be in front of you, with your momentum moving to the net.  If they hit a deep return, you need to move back quickly, and position your body so you can use your hips and shoulders to help your core execute the long dink (nickname for third-shot drop).

Mistake 2: Contacting the ball too close to your body, or on the way up (short hop). Footwork!  You must get your body out of the way with quick reaction to the return.  Take a short backswing, contacting the ball with your core, hips, shoulders, out in front.  Your momentum is forward with this push shot.  Your contact should be at the ball’s apex — the highest point the ball reaches as it is coming at you and bounces up and toward you.  Contact it on the way up.

Mistake 3: Trying to hit the third shot more like a groundstroke. This is more like a third-ball drive.  It would have to travel very low to be effective.  This is often seen at beginner levels.  To advance, you need to develop a good third-shot drop that is unattackable.

You do this by drilling.  Hundreds and thousands of third shot drops.  Have your drill partner move you up, back, side to side, with soft and hard returns.  Some players love to drill. Make your drills competitive and game-like. Spend time on a particular skill, then in games that day, work on it.  Be sure to watch this video from Briones Pickleball: youtu.be/oyZBm6ByvvM

Last call for my indoor round robin on June 5 at the Desert Sports Center in Palm Desert. Email Mary to enter at mgbarsaleau@gmail.com or call 949-939-4888 for more info.  All skill levels welcome

Have a question or comment? Email us at pickleball@desertsun.com