Pickleball Fundamentals offers detailed descriptions, drills, gamelike activities, and photos so readers can quickly master the sport's essential techniques: groundstroke, serve and return, volley, dink shot, overhead smash, lob, and drop shot.
Beginners and intermediates wanting to learn the basics. High school PE classes, college recreation classes, retirees. Instructors who teach pickleball to PE classes, park districts, community centers, pickleball clubs, and community groups.
The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) originated in the mid-1980s and became the official governing body of pickleball in 2005. Its mission is to promote the growth and development of pickleball throughout the world. This organization provides players with official rules, sanctioned tournaments, rankings, promotional materials, and training. The number of dedicated pickleball courts in the United States is increasing 50 percent each year.
Mary Littlewood taught physical education and coached various sports at the university level. She was head softball coach and head volleyball coach of the NCAA Division I program at Arizona State University.
After retirement, Littlewood discovered pickleball. She began competing in the Arizona Senior Olympics, Huntsman World Senior Games, and other tournaments, earning several gold, silver, and bronze medals. This success merged with Littlewood's enthusiasm for the game and education, leading her to teach pickleball in clinics all over Arizona.
She wrote The History of Women's Fastpitch Softball: The Path to the Gold, published by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. She also is the author of Teaching for Success in Pickleball, Drilling for Success in Pickleball, and Pickleball: A Guide for Teaching. She published From Rags to Riches, a memoir of her experiences at ASU from the pre- to post-Title IX years. Littlewood currently writes a Coaching Tips column for her pickleball club website.
Introduction
Chapter 1 Warming Up and Stretching
Chapter 2 Ready Position, Grips, and Ball Control
Chapter 3 Forehand and Backhand Groundstrokes
Chapter 4 Serve and Return of Serve
Chapter 5 Volley
Chapter 6 Dink
Chapter 7 Overhead Smash
Chapter 8 Lob
Chapter 9 Drop Shot
Chapter 10 Shot Selection and the Mental Game
Chapter 11 Strategies for Doubles and Singles
About the USAPA
About the Author