About
What is Pickleball?
Pickleball is a paddleball sport that is played by two to four players who hit the ball over the net. It combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis. Players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, much like a wiffle ball, with 26-40 round holes, over a 36 inch net. The court size is 20 by 44. According to seattletimes.com, pickleball began on Bainbridge Island in 1965 as a summertime diversion for bored kids and since has ballooned into a full-fledged sport for all ages. Pickleball is governed by the USA Pickleball Association – USAPA and the International Federation of Piayers-(IFP). It is the fastest growing sport and also includes Major League Pickleball (MLP).
As an official USAPA referee and certified trainer, I support pickleball excellence around the country. I enjoyed conducting the training for members of the Bristol Sports Plex with the owner, Hollie Lavinder. The Bristol Sports Plex is a great indoor facility so please check it out and say hello to Hollie if you are in the area. https://www.bristolsportsplex.com
5 Reasons to Choose RCP
1. To Get Better Faster
Rocket City Pickleball offers programs and customized strategies for all levels of play. All good athletes know that practice makes you better. The way you learn and practice is the way you play. Drilling and training is more important than playing because it allows you to perfect skills and strategies that you use when you play. However, in order to play correctly, you must practice correctly.
Most players do not become better because they play with others who do not play the game properly. In addition, they do not self-invest in training and coaching to become better. Our goal is to watch you, coach you, and help you self-correct. In addition, our tools and expertise will help you develop strong and repeatable habits and muscle memory through repetition so you can “Get Better Faster.”
2. To Avoid Injury
Improper hand grip, backing up to hit the ball, hard back swings, not protecting yourself from the ball are examples of recipes for disaster. This can result in serious injuries and accidents. Our goal is to teach you the proper techniques so you can have less injuries and more fun.
3. To Stay Healthy
Staying active is an investment in your health and the avoidance of timely and expensive doctor visits, added prescriptions, and a poor quality of life.
How much better would you feel with increased mobility, energy, less weight, more fun, better mental clarity, and a positive social outlet?
4. To Improve your Rating
Your pickleball rating should improve as your skills and strategies improve. We follow USAPA guidelines and can help you prepare for rating tests at all levels.
5. To Win Tournaments and Master Competitive Play
Whether you are playing singles, doubles, or mixed, RCP provides the tools and expertise to help you prepare and win. Our expert training in doubles play will set your team apart and help you dominate.
Contact us for State of the Art Training Camps and Clinics
Equipped for Your Success
We use our Pickleball Tutor, dinking board, and backyard, home
court advantage to help you
"Get Better Faster."
Trained by the Best
Most players have never been professionally trained so you have no assurance that you are being taught properly.
My intentional goal is to be taught to play the game correctly by the best players and trainers in the world.
ROBERT ELLIOTT – RATED BEST IN THE WORLD
Owner of Engage Pickleball
Director of Global Training – International Federation of Pickleball
Champion/Gold Medalist
US Open Pro Medalist
Rob’s philosophy is clear:
Teach what works now
Keep it simple and effective
Know what you are doing so you can self-coach on your own
Fix what’s not working
MEET THE PRO - STEVE KENNEDY
2017 National Champion
2018 TOC Champion
2018 Texas Open Champion
IPTPA Certified Pickleball Instructor
USPTA Elite Professional with 28 years of
experience. He's a National Champion and
multiple national medal winner in singles and
doubles. Steve is one of the top Senior
Professional Pickleball Players in the country.
Steve's passion is sharing the sport with others.
Harry Long – Pickleball Harry
Owner of Paddle Up Pickleball
(941) 999-0036
Charlotte County Senior Games – Gold 2021
Sports for All Forever USA AAU – Silver – 2020
Gulf Coast Games for Life – Silver 2020
Shark Bite Indoor Round Robin – Silver 2019
Sarasota Slam -- Bronze 2018
Harry’s training is transformative and empowering. His philosophies on how he serves, where to contact the ball, where to position yourself for effective play, and how to analyze your opponent will improve your game immediately.
John Callahan
Owner of Callahan PIckleball
USA Open Gold and Silver Medal Winner
IPTPA Certified - International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association
PPR - Professional Pickleball Registry
Certified Pickleball Professional
Scott Moore
Owner of High Performance Pickleball Academy
7-time Pro Triple Crown winner
21-time National Champion
Considered the best senior pickleball player of all time
Scott conducts first class clinics all over the world.
Learning From the Best
These top tournament winning players are my mentors and help me become better in all areas of Pickelball.
Success Mindset
The three important elements of Pickleball are mental, mechanical, and strategy.
RCP can help you "Get Better Faster" in all three of these critical areas.
Mental Toughness
As with any competitive sport, or accomplishment in life, you control your desire, work ethic, commitment, and ambition. That is why mental toughness is a strong area for me as an engineer, CEO, and empowerment thought leader..
Unfortunately, when I referee, I see first-hand how teams implode and lose confidence when they error or do not support their partner. Many of these teams have better skills but they lose confidence, focus, and become intimidated or over-whelmed.
We intentionally drill to reinforce mental toughness and proper preparation. We also help ensure your self-talk is always positive while we help you master the skills with consistency.
This mental preparation will allow you to compete with and beat others players who have been playing longer because you will be better prepared and more motivated to win.
Mechanical
Proper preparation provides confidence that your teammate feels and that your opponents fear.
My biggest fear was unlearning bad habits because bad habits are hard to break.
My goal is to build on a firm foundation of proper pickleball techniques and strategies.
RCP focuses on fundamentals. This means that you are performing the technique properly and that you may have to unlearn some incorrect habits in order to build consistency into your muscle memory. This is where many players get stuck because they do not have a qualified coach to help them self-correct. This requires a commitment, but once you correctly master the fundamentals, you will win more rallies and have more fun. You will also discover that patience combined with consistency will cause your opponents to make more errors.
Strategy
Our goal is for your skills and strategies to converge. As a Dynamite Doubles Certified Coach, we know where to intentionally place each ball and how to execute Doubles Play that crushes the competition.
A Dynamite Doubles coaching certification requires the completion of hours of online courses, quiz completion, and additional training before you can attend Helle Sparre’s live clinic to test your skills and explain the concepts in order to become certified.
As a Dynamite Double Certified Coach, We take your pickleball success very seriously. We stay on the cutting edge of this quickly evolving sport to customize training solutions
that help my students “Get Better Faster.”
Continuous Training
Pickleball is a fast growing sport and the rules change often. That is why continuous training is critical. I enjoyed the Alabama Open Clinic and the Real Time Line Judging and Referee Training. The highlight was when my friend Randy who is also a Doctor in his seventies won gold in doubles against competitors in their fifties.
The RCP Difference
These are Five Core Goals and Values of RCP that will help you "Get Better Faster."
Own the NVZ
You and your partner should build an impenetrable wall.
Your mindset should be that the NVZ is the one yard line and nothing gets through.
After you receive the serve, you should move quickly to meet your partner at the NVZ.
Make sure you hit deep shots to keep the serving team back because they are not invited to the kitchen.
Make sure you approach the NVZ based on the Dynamite Doubles strategy when you are serving or returning so you can build that double door wall at the NVZ together.
Communicate
Most shots are won down the middle so communication is critical.
Call every ball. Let your partner know whether to play the ball or to let it bounce.
Strategize
Determine your strengths and challenges
Assess the strengths and challenges of your competition.
Play with Absolute Integrity
Pickleball is a courtesy game and the opposing team always calls in or out
without question.
If you are in doubt, always yield to your opponent. Work hard to play balls before calling them out and never be known as the player who is dishonest or controversial.
Instead of focusing on the point, focus on becoming better and reducing your unforced errors.
Stay humble, compliment and support your partner, keep your energy and attitude positive at all times.
Keep it light
The shortest distance between two people is laughter so Make it Fun!
Meet Sandra Brazelton
CEO, MBA
I was fortunate to grow up playing many sports including basketball, softball, volleyball, track
and field, and racquetball.
My husband and I were avid racquetball players and our daughters are collegiate athletes and
coaches.
I see pickleball as a sport that I can enjoy at my own pace for many years.
After playing, observing, studying the sport, and participating in tournaments, I realized there
was a tremendous difference between those who play Pickleball correctly and those who do not.
My biggest fear was learning the game the wrong way because bad habits are hard to break and they result in less fun and more injuries.
My engineering discipline and curiosity kicked in so I became a student of the game and invested in my skills and knowledge so I could be trained by the best players in the world.
I also invested in online courses, facilities, and equipment to provide you with the tools and
coaching needed to develop muscle memory and reactions based on correct skills and strategies.
Our Rocket City Pickleball training system provides the tools, training, and confidence to help you "Get Better Faster." As a USA Pickleball referee, I observe players of all ages and skill levels. Therefore, our program can meet you where you are with virtual and in-person coaching.
There are many locations around Huntsville, Alabama and around the country that allow you to play pickleball every day. I also play and train when I travel for business or pleasure.
RCP can help you connect with other players for recreational or tournament play so you can enjoy the pickleball lifestyle.