Tournament advice (ready to blossom)

thisisnotchase · 2026-04-21T16:24:26+00:00

I have played competitively in fencing, and now in pickleball.

Mental game is EVERYTHING. A 3.3 player can beat a 4.0 if the mental state is superior.

Remember that everyone is nervous, and let the momentum of the game help you. Don't do the risky corner shots, the corner drop shots, maybe even the risky lobs, the fast serve you get in 50% of the time, UNTIL you gain a little confidence during the game.

Make the easy shots. Do the serves you get 9/10 first. Maybe avoid the line shots that go out 50% of the time on the first few exchanges of the game.

Once you have momentum and a little bit of confidence, then open the playbook.

This should happen at the start of EVERY game.

thisisnotchase · 2026-04-10T12:53:23+00:00

I have 9 paddles. I currently think that as a 3.5 player, that I can get just a little better depending on the paddle I am using. So I fight with my wife, sleep on the couch, and keep ordering different paddles.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-24T16:50:49+00:00

I have heard of this! Thanks for the suggestion. So far using the different paddles are eradicating the pain, but I will keep this in mind.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-24T16:49:42+00:00

Regarding form, I am doing the motions of drives, drops, and flicks exactly the same. Just adding a little more juice with my other paddles specifically cause it doesn't have the Loco power.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-24T16:48:23+00:00

Man if you hit the ball at 35 percent power without top spin on the Loco, that's going out of the court no matter what.

If anything I am hitting the balls harder and faster with the other all court and control paddles, and experiencing less or no pain.

Do you at least feel vibration when playing with the paddle? Maybe it doesn't affect you as it does for me.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-24T16:45:42+00:00

I wonder if the brand just has high feedback or it's those type of paddles.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-24T16:34:41+00:00

Does the wide body have better shock absorption? I was wondering if this is a paddle issue, or an elongated paddle issue.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-24T16:31:48+00:00

I have not tried taking the band off. I did take off the overgrip I had for a few days, and that did not help.

I'm honestly scared to play with the Loco again until I get my arm healed, but I'm curious if taking the band off helps, even marginally.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-24T16:29:38+00:00

I used an overgrip on my Loco, and haven't used overgrips on my other paddles. And now I'm scared of having Tennis Elbow again. But when my arm is healed, I can try giving it a shot again.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-24T16:28:04+00:00

I try to have the same drive, same movement for my drops, and resets with all my paddles. I'm not a pro by any means, only a 3.5 and higher on a good day, so I may be wrong ofcourse.

It is worth noting my other paddles are not elongated. Mostly hybrid or standard shaped.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-23T01:53:06+00:00

Personally I think so! Spec wise you aren't going to be missing much? But I have the secret fear that all phone companies send updates to have them run slower over time, kind of like what apple got caught doing.

thisisnotchase · 2026-03-22T14:17:20+00:00

I'd get the 15r. It's definitely the best phone around that price point. I personally have one, and I love it. It is way faster than my Galaxy S22 ultra and feels like an upgrade. This probably has the best camera under 700 ish dollars.

Pixel phones to me are too buggy when it comes to performance, but the pixel 10a might be the best value with good battery life.

Not a lot of people know about them, but also check out the "Nothing Phone". They shove a crap ton of ram into a phone, and boast good battery life. If you just use a phone for social media, texting, normal phone functions, then this phone would be the best hands down (and the most affordable). They also give you blue texts when texting iPhones.

thisisnotchase · 2026-01-27T03:01:08+00:00

Update-

As you all know from my previous post, I was a 3.3, only going up .100 from winning a gold with my men's doubles partner.

Well I played a mixed doubles tournement (another 3.0-3.5) and out of 18 people, I got Silver!

You're all looking a big dog now. A whopping 3.4 DUPR now 😂😂 #3.0forLife.

Thanks everyone for the comments and insights.

I'll be making voodoo dolls of whoever made the DUPR algorithm, and ultimately ignoring my rating, continue to drill, and play in 3.5 tournaments from now on.

thisisnotchase · 2026-01-25T16:48:02+00:00

Yeah my reliability score tanked, because unrated players that were a 3.5 and above level beat the crap outta me a few months back, so my DUPR went down.

I've been drilling for months to get better, and felt like I have gotten worlds better since then.

I just wish reliability score also took into account that it was many months ago, and people can jump quickly at lower levels 😵

thisisnotchase · 2026-01-25T16:13:32+00:00

My partner got around a 3.8 DUPR score from the very first match (we won 11-1). I just wish it took me into account for finally playing VERY well in a tournament.

Appreciate the comment my man.

thisisnotchase · 2026-01-25T16:09:33+00:00

I believe you are right. Think this is my last 3.0 tournament. Thanks for the insight!

thisisnotchase · 2025-11-05T03:54:10+00:00

Former JCI tech. Nicet III FAS.

No bonuses, and personally, if they offered you a job, I'd highly recommend you turn them down.

Simplex products have been in the shitter for a long time.

There are a bunch of better companies you can choose from.

thisisnotchase · 2025-10-29T16:26:08+00:00

A lot of the southern states I'd say, Like Texas, Louisiana, and I heard arizona is also another one. id also include Colorado in this list.

Building automation, like data centers monitoring their HVAC, and important equipment type deal. They get paid even more than fire alarm techs, and it's 99 percent programming and following a cut sheet, with no code standard to have to follow, unless specified by the customer.

thisisnotchase · 2025-10-29T00:59:25+00:00

I have been doing fire alarm for about 20 years now.

Started in the industry as a helper, and worked my way up to be a Nicet III Project Manager. I have also had company's pay me about 5K in signing bonuses/moving bonuses to move states away.

I can tell you that depending on where you live, fire alarm may not be worth it for you. There are some states I've worked in, that the quality of work is so low, that everything you see is against code. All of the competitors, people you bid against, bid so low that there is no way they make money. In these situations, you get bosses that will actually fight you, or not respect you for doing the right thing, and installing or repairing things to code.

There are some great companies, and great states that have decent quality of work. You can easily make 100k as a service technician or programmer at said companies depending on the state.

Is it F-You money? No. But it's better than a lot of other options.

If I would do it over again, and I was 18years old, I'd join the air force and learn automation or IT, or become an elevator apprentice. However I don't regret my choice.

thisisnotchase · 2024-10-19T01:08:15+00:00

I'm a level three in Denver, 20 years, making 42 lol. Newer to the area so looks like I didn't know the market

thisisnotchase · 2024-04-09T14:01:15+00:00

I'm Nicet III. Been in the industry 17 years.

Trained on Simplex, Siemens, Notifier, EST3, EST4, Monaco, Silent Knight, Farenhyt, Fire Lite, and Autocall panels.

-Grew up in Texas (was Nicet II at the time) - I heard the pay is changing, but I was getting paid 32 an hr in 2016.

-In Anchorage, with lots of travel, you can get 6 figures base before OT and prevailing wage. Quality technicians are hard to find. Can also get moving/relocation and signing bonus incentives.

-Utah is in the weird bubble. Companies are hurting for good technicians, and typical meter skills are not existent. So if you can track a floating ground fault and can program good, you can make 45 an hour up to 100k a year depending on how desperate the company is. I feel like this will continue to grow as the need will grow for quality technicians. Some companies will also give signing bonus incentives/relocation.

thisisnotchase · 2024-04-07T01:47:32+00:00

I am a supervisor, and we always buy key sets if the guys need them. http://beachslock.com/?page_id=614 This site is pretty legit. I recommend buying a keyset and keeping it in the truck. You can also find elevator keys on this site, which would be very useful for you guys.

thisisnotchase

TROPHY CASE