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5 BIG TAKEAWAYS from ‘The Pickleball Show’ BY CHRIS ALLEN E very week on “The Pickleball Show,” I’m fortunate enough to talk with legendary coaches and players such as Coach Mo, Deb Harrison and Gigi LeMaster, as well as up-andcomers bursting onto the scene like Mark Renneson and Sarah Ansboury. With so much pickleball wisdom flying around, it’s hard to keep track of all the valuable tips and advice these pros are serving up each week. That’s why I started keeping a private journal of my all-time favorite quotes from “The Pickleball Show” that I call “Big Takeaways.” Now, in this and future issues of Pickleball Magazine, I’m giving you a “sneak peak” into my personal collection of the most game-changing pearls of wisdom this dream team of guests has ever said to me. Let me know if they help your game as much as they have mine! Here are your first five: #1. “The most important thing in pickleball is to split-step every single time your opponent touches the ball — every - single - time. That could be 200 times a game. If you do that, you’ll be in a good, balanced, ready position and you’ll be a much better player.” -- Coach Mo, “The Pickleball Show,” Episode 5 (PickleballShow.com/5) #2. “If you feel you’ve been beaten in a diagonal dink contest, try to go to the nearest point of relief. Don’t try to go cross-court — just get the ball over, low, and back in play.” -- Deb Harrison, “The Pickleball Show,” Episode 11 (PickleballShow.com/11) #3. “Cover the line when the ball is being hit by the opponent opposite you; cover the middle when the ball is being hit by the opponent opposite your partner.” -- Prem Carnot, “The Pickleball Show,” Episode 9 (PickleballShow.com/9) #4. “Down the middle solves the riddle.” -- Wayne Muggli, “The Pickleball Show,” Episode 4 (PickleballShow.com/4) #5. “My one word for this sport is ‘patience.’ When you’re a 3.0 or 4.0 player, every shot looks like a kill shot.” -- Justin Rogers, “The Pickleball Show,” Episode 14 (PickleballShow.com/14)  • Chris Allen lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his lovely wife (and self-proclaimed “pickleball widow”) Jennifer. In addition to having the #1-rated podcast in iTunes’ Amateur Sports category, “The Pickleball Show” (PickleballShow.com), he’s also the founder of pickleball’s ultimate training event, Pickleball Summit (PickleballSummit.com). When not on the pickleball court, Chris teams up with Jennifer to help people over 50 turn their passions into profit online (InternetOver50.com). JUNE 2016 | MAGAZINE 27