Planning a pickleball social event? Here's some tips to get you started

As a USA Pickleball Ambassador, and as a tournament director and instructor, I often get asked to help someone run a social pickleball event.

Examples of events include birthday parties, bridal shower/bridesmaids’ getaway, family reunion, a couples' mixer event and even corporate conference social events (I did this last year for a computer company at Demuth Park).     Fundraisers for a good cause are another example. I am doing one for the Chamber of Commerce Palm Springs in November.

Pointers as host/hostess

** Do you have courts reserved for your event to accommodate the number of players you are inviting?

** If the courts are public, did you do a facility use permit, providing insurance?  The city will post signs reserving the courts for your event when you finish the paperwork.

** If the courts are in an HOA, do you need to reserve them for the time of your event?

** If the courts are at a private venue, do you need to reserve them for your group at the time you desire?  Is there a cost?

** Do you have a certified tournament director, or instructor running the event for you, who can provide you with insurance?  Do you have someone who is CPR certified?  Do you have an AED?  First aid?  Ice, water?

** Who is providing refreshments, chairs, shade, balls, prizes?  How much will you need?

** Do you have tables? (At the bridal shower group, we had to have a table for the mimosas)

** Parking:  is there enough close to your venue that it is not a problem? Accommodations for disabilities?

** Are there bathrooms close to the courts that need to be unlocked?

** Noise:  Will residents in a club or HOA be bothered by the noise, depending on what time of day you run your event?

** If on public courts, are you allowed to serve alcohol?  Can you have music with a sound system?  Is there a clean-up deposit/fee?

** Are you hosting different skill levels? I am running a beginner drill event at the same time as a round robin event for those who already play on June 1 for a 50th birthday party.  I have someone coming to run the tourney while I do the drill class.

** If you have various skill levels who need instruction, how many coaches do you need?  How many players?  How may courts?

** If you are running a tourney, make sure the organizers know the maximum number of players for the number of courts you have at your disposal.  I recently ran an event, where we had eight courts, and we had a max of 48 players for the rotating event, and 24 teams for the fixed doubles event.  The organizer allowed over 110 players to register so we had too many players.  I figured it out, but it was a challenge.

** Make sure you know what your invitees want. Maybe they do not want to play in a competitive situation.  Maybe they want to play, but do not want to drill/learn.  Maybe they are just there for the party, so they will just watch.  This is important.

Reach out to me with questions, suggestions or comments.

SUMMER ROUND ROBIN: Our first indoor event is Saturday, June 29 at the Salvation Army Davis Center in Cathedral City. Email me to enter at mgbarsaleau@gmail.com

Coach Mary's Tip of the Week

Check out the two-handed backhand for dinking and resetting.  Expand your horizons.

Be sure to watch all three videos to see the experts demonstrate and explain the advantages of adding this skill to your toolbox. My students worked on this this week, and some of them are now committed to using two hands.

** First, Zane Navratil offers a short video. He defaults to two hands to start in ready position, but then if the ball is too soft, he can switch to a one-hander to reach 5-6 inches closer to the net to get to a shorter dink.

He says he has more stability and control with two hands.

Note:  You need to incorporate more bending, more hip turn and more shoulder turn with the two-hander.

** I do not use Riley Newman for my videos regularly, but for this one, he demonstrates some key points.

Notice on his grip where he places his hands and his thumb.

Riley emphasizes a short backswing and contacting the ball low, then finishing high to create topspin.

This is really important. Riley says to take the ball inside your outside knee.  Do not let the ball get past you.  Move laterally so that you are contacting in front of your body, between your knees.  Be sure to get hip rotation.

** In the third video, Jordan Briones offers instruction on the two-handed backhand reset volley.

You will note it's important to get into a good, low split step. Open your paddle face toward your target. Contact the ball out in front of your body. Lift up with your shoulders and stay balanced through the shot.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Planning a pickleball social event? Here's some tips to get you started