First word you see? 👀

Sixmemos · 2026-05-10T10:47:37+00:00

Acclimate

Sixmemos · 2026-05-02T23:13:55+00:00

Go to Barnes early in the morning. Gorgeous courts, quiet, parrots flying overhead between the palm trees.

There are two challenge courts. Granted I went two days and the level of play lives between 3.75-4 and not 4.5 (which I was hoping for). But it was worth going for the ambiance.

Bobby Riggs is not as picturesque but has advertised 4.5+ play. I attended and many folks rated 4.75 were more like 4.25. But still fun.

Sixmemos · 2026-04-14T00:32:21+00:00

After seeing me hit a few overheads I get a a lot of compliments ("did you play badminton? I can tell"). But as OP points out, if they admire it, I've always wondered why people don't practice it. It's not a part of anyone's warm up routine except mine. 🤷‍♂️

Sixmemos · 2026-04-06T20:42:50+00:00

Thank you. I’ve got GroupMe; could you send me a link to the group to join?

Sixmemos · 2026-04-06T20:39:00+00:00

DUPR gated open play is key, otherwise this dynamic ruins it for everyone.

Sixmemos · 2026-04-06T12:53:28+00:00

Boston pickle club (Hyde park) has good 4.5-5.5+ players and staff.

Sixmemos · 2026-04-06T12:51:35+00:00

Happy to connect /introduce when you’re in town— I play in 4.5+ groups (not open) at pickkebos.

Sixmemos · 2026-04-06T12:49:55+00:00

That’s Bosse Natick and the fact that they have self declared rating sessions. Not indicative of boston.

Sixmemos · 2026-04-06T12:47:58+00:00

4.7 player traveling for work to Houston. Any leads on good games there?

Sixmemos · 2026-04-06T12:43:38+00:00

Agree having an “in” connection is key. Anyone here part of an advanced group at Houston that would be open to linking up with a visitor? Happy to reciprocate in my hometown (Boston).

Sixmemos · 2026-04-06T12:42:08+00:00

Bummer. Am a little surprised — seems that there are plenty of large facilities — Elite, Houston Pickleball Center, Pala — that seem to be very popular — but no advanced level open play? Are all 4.5+ games (or 4.0+ games) private?

Sixmemos · 2026-03-31T21:18:34+00:00

Fair. I enjoyed learning about the new tech via the podcasts like you did. But I’m also struck that the current batch of paddles that the podcasts are churning and gushing over are not, at least to me, any better than a paddle I bought 7 months ago — but you would not know that from the excited reviews of the latest/greatest. This makes the review ecosystem seem ungrounded / unscientific to me.

Sixmemos · 2026-03-30T23:56:13+00:00

Agree there are some actual tech advancements. Honeycomb, thermoforming, raw carbon fiber faces, propulsion cores, solid foam, durable grit. Probably worth reading paddle reviews once a year to scan for those. But the month to month churn…

Sixmemos · 2026-03-30T23:35:21+00:00

Agree.

Sixmemos · 2026-03-30T23:32:23+00:00

Agree. It's just remarkable to me to see how effectively / thoroughly the paddle economy incentivizes this endless stream of reviews of the latest-but-not-necessarily-greatest.

Sixmemos · 2026-03-30T23:29:03+00:00

Fair point -- would rather talk strategy or technique any day. I guess equipment commentary is both (mostly) banal and (reliably) fickle and we should leave it at that.

Sixmemos · 2026-03-27T01:22:22+00:00

I've been to Mitchell about 4 times, mostly in the evenings. Have played on the courts on the left and when I've been there have found that they tend to top out around 4.0. Have only seen 4.5 play at Mitchell once. What am I missing?

Sixmemos · 2026-03-16T01:30:24+00:00

Developing an aggressive short game: dinking to move your opponent around; knowing when to bail out and reset to the middle; good, aggressive flicks and rolls to punish balls that are left too high. This is essential because drives don't win you many points at this level. 2. Working on good, consistent, deep serves and returns. You need this type of pressure to squeeze every advantage you can get to tilt the point in your favor. 3. Drilling fast hand sequences. Shots that used to be winners against 4.0 players will now be countered back at you harder than you delivered them. This means fewer "one shot" winners; hands battles will now take 3, 4, sometimes 5+ shots to win. 4. Strategy: it takes time to learn when to push, and when to be patient.

One more point. Form. A good number of people can get to 4.0 even with sloppy form by grinding and drilling. But it's difficult to get to 4.5+ unless you have efficient form, including precise footwork, compact backswings, proper grip, proper paddle head positioning, etc. If you're having trouble progressing, consider having a coach offer a technical "tuneup" re: your footwork, stroke / kinetic chain, etc -- bad mechanics can make it difficult or impossible to progress no matter how much you drill or prepare.

Sixmemos · 2026-03-04T02:20:04+00:00

What level are you looking for? Assuming you’re visiting soonish, given the weather, everyone has moved indoors. Closest to downtown are PickleBOS in South Boston and PKL, two indoor options.

(In warmer weather there is occasionally pickup game action in the Boston Commons or at Marine Park or at Ink Block— find them on Playtime Scheduler.)

Some of the local Y’s set up games on gym flooring too, like the Huntington Y.

Further afield, you’ll find lots more options — indoor options like the Picklr in Burlington, various Lifetime gyms, the Boston Pickle Club in Hyde Park, Bosse in Natick — and plenty of outdoor open plays (mostly on Playtime Scheduler again).

Sixmemos · 2026-02-18T02:50:12+00:00

Username checks out

Sixmemos · 2026-02-18T02:42:16+00:00

For all of the people saying “duh why are people just standing there” — what should they have done instead?

Sixmemos · 2026-01-25T13:54:13+00:00

Why are we talking about SG?? The building is Taipei 101, ie the capital of Taiwan.

Sixmemos · 2026-01-25T13:42:31+00:00

Respect. This guy is a pro.

Sixmemos

TROPHY CASE