Universal Rackets Weekly Update!

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It’s Ok To Lose Points In Pickleball According To Roger Federer’s Graduation Speech

Yesterday Roger Federer delivered an iconic graduation speech to Dartmouth University. Within his impactful 25 minute speech, Mr Federer said the following “In tennis, perfection is impossible. Out of the 1526 games of my career, I won almost 80% of those games. I have a question for you: What percentage of points won do you think I have in these games? Only 54%. In other words, even the best players in the world earn just over half of the points we play. You learn to tell yourself: I’m making a double mistake, it’s just a point. I came to the net and got flipped again. It’s just a point. Even a great shot, a comeback smash that ends in ESPN’s Top 10. That too, is just a point. That’s why I’m telling you this: when you play a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world. But when the point is behind you, it’s behind you. This mindset is really crucial because it allows you to be fully involved in the next and the next with intensity, clarity and focus. In life no matter what game you will play, sometimes you will lose. One point, one game, one season, one job, it's a rollercoaster with a lot of ups and downs and it's okay to doubt yourself when you're down and feel sorry for yourself. But your opponent doubts him as well. Don't you ever forget that. But negative energy is wasted energy.”

54% of points Federer won. That means he lost 46%… basically 1 for every 2 points. Now this quote above from Mr. Federer can be applied to anything in life, however for this newsletter’s purpose we will apply it to pickleball. Pickleball and tennis may be two totally different sports, however both have the same nerves and stress that racket sports come with.

Think how you react when you lose a point, when you miss into the net, when your opponent smashes the ball. Us pickleball players not only get upset for that point, but we allow it to travel into our future points (event games) affecting the rest of our match. Have you ever been up in a match, had one point go the opposite way and then in a blink of an eye you are down? It is because you let that “one point” get to your “whole game”. We have to understand that for every 1 out of 2 points you are “supposed to lose”. Now clearly the goal is to win every point, however next time you lose a point do not let it affect your next.

As Eagles star football cornerback Avonte Maddox said: “It’s all about how short your memory is, and mine’s short. … It’s about what you do the next play to make up for it. Definitely don’t let it dwell on me.”

In pickleball, you need to have a short memory, if you lose a point, quickly evaluate what happened and move on! The less you let your previous points affect you the better!

Click here to see Roger Federer’s Full Graduation Speech

Summer Programs Are Here!

Universal Rackets is excited to be offering programming in 23+ locations all over the PA/Jersey shore area including youth clinics, camps, adult clinics, social tournaments, picklepaloozas, fundraising events and more. As you're all in one inclusive pickleball and tennis community provider we are excited to have opportunities for everyone. We can’t wait to see you on court this season!

Click here to view all of our programs!

Summer Camps!

35+ Monday-Thursday youth pickleball and tennis camps will be happening all over the PA, Philly, Mainline and Jersey Shore area!

Click here to view all of our camps!

We Kicked Off Our Jersey Shore Programs Last Week!

Universal Rackets was excited to kick off our jersey shore programs in Sea Isle and Stone Harbor last week. Junior pickleball clinics, adult pickleball clinics, adult tennis clinics. Visit www.jerseyshorepickleballclinics.com

The Kitchen: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

The higher the level in pickleball you get, the more detailed you start to look at the kitchen. As a beginner, you just want to “get it in”, Intermediate you start to learn angles and go out wide. Advanced will learn how to utilize depth, middle and angles. See below for an in depth kitchen representation!

The Best New Paddle On The Market: Selkirk Amped Pro Air

The AMPED Pro Air pickleball paddle from Selkirk Sport offers the smooth, familiar feel of an all-court paddle, alongside the next-level technology necessary to dominate on the court. Did we mention the awesome color ways? Red, Green, Blue, Grey, and Purple! Make sure to use our promo code ADV-UNIVERSAL at checkout for a gift card with your purchase. Click here to order!

Click here to check out our first thoughts and impressions on the paddle!

Fit4Mom Couples Pickleball Night!

Last Friday we hosted a couples night for Fit4Mom West Chester/Glenn Mills. It was a great night full of pickleball instructor, games and matchplay. Interested in a special event? Click here to fill out our special event form!

Lesson of the Week: Why You Can’t Win Points Moving Up To Kitchen

Click here to view this week’s lesson

Thank you for reading and we can’t wait to see you on court!

-Universal Rackets