Podcast · Sport

Senior Pickleball Tips

by Paddy Hunter-Murphy · English · Sport

This podcast focuses on senior pickleball players and supports them on their pickleball journey. Whether they are a total beginner or a 4.0 rating, we help them both improve their game and help them maximize on their whole pickleball experience. In this podcast Paddy educates, informs and entertains

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 22 min
Latest: 6 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026 · 18 min

74. Third Shot for Advanced Beginners - Pickleball

Advanced beginners need to try and master their third shot. Without it - they just won't improve. Simple as that. The third shot can be tricky - do you drive it or drop it? If your third shot drop isn't so great, what do you do? Just drive the whole time? In this episode Paddy unlocks the secrets of the third shot. When to drive When to drop How to decide between the two How to improve your third shot drop How your third shot will affect your partner How you should both react to a good/bad third shot It's all here in this episode. So buckle up and take a step towards improving YOUR third…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S1 · E73 · 29 Sep 2026 · 12 min
73. Third Shot for New Beginners - Pickleball
If you're a new beginner (upto a DUPR level of 2.4) and you're wondering what all the fuss is about - regarding this difficult 'third shot' everyone is talking about - then this is the episode for you! Paddy previously revisited the serve and the return for new AND advanced beginners together in the same episode - but he had a load of requests to do these revisits to the 10 essential shots as separate episodes. So here is the third shot for new beginners and the next one will be for advanced beginners. But, if you are at a higher level than new beginner - it is still worth listening to this…
S1 · E72 · 22 Sep 2026 · 18 min
72. Recycling Pickleballs with Millie Smythe
In this episode Paddy interviews Millie Smythe, an enterprising young woman who started a pickleball recycling company based in the UK. She plays in various pro leagues around the world and is currently 'living the dream' in a campervan on the Gold Coast in Australia. She has played all over SE Asia (especially Vietnam which she loves) and runs her company remotely from her van! Follow Millie's journey both in pickleball and sustainability, how she has cleverly mixed the two and is saving the planet at the same time! And find out how your club in the UK can help by collecting old pickleballs…
S1 · E71 · 15 Sep 2026 · 38 min
71. Return of Serve - Intermediates Pickleball
Paddy always says that the return of serve is THE most important shot in pickleball. Indeed the return is far more important than the serve as the returners have the advantage in the rally. So, if you're an low- or high-intermediate player, you need to press every advantage you can get from this shot. As an intermediate player you have a set of skills and you can use these skills to do just this - and make the absolute most of your return of serve! We've all come off the court and been beaten because we did not return well enough! In this episode Paddy explains again why the return is THE…
S1 · E70 · 8 Sep 2026 · 29 min
70. The Return of Serve - Beginners Pickleball
Paddy believes that the return of serve is THE most important shot in pickleball - at ALL levels. And this includes new and advanced beginners (2.0-2.9). Unlike tennis where the serve pretty much dictates the rally, in pickleball it is the return of serve that stes up the whole rally. With a bad return, the serving pair have the advantage, but with a good deep return this advantage goes to the returners. Paddy describes everything you need to know (as a beginner) about the return - ready position, how to get properly ready for that serve about to come to you and how to hit the return so that…
S1 · E67 · 1 Sep 2026 · 30 min
69. Pickleball in India with Bhushan Akut
Bhushan (known as Bhush to his friends) has done most things in Indian racquet sports. He represented India first in badminton, then tennis and now pickleball. He's in their 60+ team going to the World Cup in Da Nang, Vietnam shortly. An amazing sportsman, he also knows pretty much everything about senior pickleball in India where the sport has exploded. He chats to Paddy about how he got into pickleball and simply became addicted. He won his first tournament and basically just kept on winning. He plays all over the world including at the English Open and you will not see a finer player. he…
S1 · E65 · 25 Aug 2026 · 30 min
68. Road to my Singles Final - EO Pickleball
In this episode Paddy recounts his experiences of his run to the English Open (EO) final in the 3.5 65+ category. The EO at the NEC in Birmingham was massive with 3,500 competitors from 53 countries - a major event on the pickleball world calendar. He shares his thoughts of how he tries to be mentally tough on and off the court - what works (and what doesn't!). Listen to how he navigates his way through the tournament, how he deals with each opponent and what he focuses on when he's on court playing highly competitative singles. Paddy takes you through the early preliminary round robin and…
S1 · E67 · 18 Aug 2026 · 17 min
67. Friday Pickleball - New Partnership & the EO
Paddy chats to 'Dan Friday' who runs Pickle Bros and now distributes Friday paddles to the UK market, and they announce a partnership, working together to promote Friday in the UK. Paddy already has a partnership with Friday US, but having a distributor in the UK is welcome news for UK-based people as it will prevent heavy shipping fees and the possibility of customs duty being added to the purchase. Dan explains his introduction to this crazy sport, how he became addicted and (after quite a lot of involvement in quite a few paddle brands) chose Friday to 'get his teeth into'. His company…
S1 · E66 · 11 Aug 2026 · 25 min
66. The Serve - Pickleball Intermediates
This is the second episode revisiting the serve - but this time for intermediate players. In time we'll revisit all the ten 'essential shots' focusing on beginners and then focusing on intermediates. We'll look at the return of serve next going right through to the reset shot. In this episode Paddy explains the step-up from being a beginner and what's expected with the intermediate serve. Where to serve, how to serve with speed or spin, maintaining your all-important serving routine, how not to be distracted with everuthing around you in tournament play etc..etc.. If you're a low or high…
S1 · E65 · 4 Aug 2026 · 22 min
65. The Serve - Pickleball Beginners
One of our very early episodes was about the first of our 'Essential Shots' - the serve. But that was sometime ago and it's definitely time for a revisit! But this time we'll look at the serve from a beginners' point of view (and the next episode from an intermediates' point of view). And indeed, in time, we'll go through each of the ten 'essential shots' through the lens of beginners and then intermediates - to narrow down more specific and relevant content for YOU. In this episode Paddy makes some suggestions to new beginners about what they should be focusing (and what they should NOT be…
S1 · E62 · 28 Jul 2026 · 16 min
64. Scoreboard IQ - Instant Pickleball Strategy No.6
To win more games it is essential to have a high scoreboard IQ. A very common mistake among senior pickleballers is that they play the same way throughout a game no matter what the score is. Paddy explains the importance of understanding what to do at different parts of games that you play in. What do you do at 6-7? At 8-8? At 1-8? At 9-2? Or even at 10-10? There are times to play it safe and there are times to 'go for it'. Understand how your opponents are feeling at different score points - and exploit these feelings. Paddy even shares his own high-pressure, tournament experiences. Learn…
S1 · E61 · 21 Jul 2026 · 17 min
63. Partner Communications - Instant Pickleball Strategy No.5
This is the fifth part of our series on 'Instant Strategies' where you can better your game by 20% (at least) by following these (non-technique) strategies. Here Paddy talks about the importance of communication between partners - whether you've never met your partner before or have a regular partner - the strategies are the same. He describes how you can both help each other to stay calm, focused and so win more rallies (and have more fun!). From simple things like calling the ball (when there is even a little bit of doubt about who should take it) to always encouraging each other, even…
S1 · E62 · 14 Jul 2026 · 16 min
62. VAIR - A Better Pickleball Rating System (with Rommie Maxey)
Part two of the interview with Rommie Maxey. He and Paddy concentrate on VAIR - a better rating system - with which Rommie is heavily involved. VAIR does many things - including levelling up players of different ages. So seniors can now play people much younger than they are - on a levelled-up rating. Also there are ratings for gender, mixed and singles at both rec and competition play. Therefore, you don't have to worry about your rating dropping when playing rec play. VAIR is already being used for the US Wheelchair Pickleball Association, US universities and colleges and various other…
S1 · E61 · 7 Jul 2026 · 21 min
61. Meet Rommie Maxey, Pickleball Champion & Entrepreneur
Paddy chats with Rommie Maxey - 6-times US National Champion, sits on six US national pickleball boards, involved in Olympic discussions, part owner of the Houston Hammers, coach to over 40 US national champions and over 14,000 recreational players. He is basically a 'Big Cheese in the Pickleverse' and (more importantly) a lovely gentleman. They talk about how Rommie became a national champion after playing for only a year and how the sport change his life and led him into a whole new world. But it's senior pickleball that drives him and they discuss its growth in US and worldwide, the…
S1 · E60 · 30 Jun 2026 · 20 min
60. Mindfullness - Instant Pickleball Strategy No.4
Instant Strategies are things we can all do with our game, which do not involve improving shot technique, that WILL DEFINITELY ENSURE YOU WIN 20% MORE GAMES (if you endavour to undertake all of them). In the fourth part of the series we look at mindfullness and discover the importance of goldfish (!!??). Mindfullness sounds like a fancy word. But it's very simple - it's all about being present in the moment. Paddy goes through just how important mindfullness is in pickleball - but, more importantly, describes how we can all be more mindful when we play. He systematically goes through…
S1 · E59 · 23 Jun 2026 · 19 min
59. The 5 Don'ts - Instant Pickleball Strategy No.3
If you want to improve the number of pickleball games you win - then take up these instant strategies to increase the games you win (pretty much overnight) by 20% - or even more! This week we look at five things that Paddy tells you NOT to do. You may love to do these things, but they are detrimental to the number of points you are winning. Each one may bring you the odd point and you may feel great undertaking them but, in the long-run, in the context of the whole game/match, they will lose you points. So get to understand what these 5 'don'ts' are - stop using them in your game - and at…
S1 · E60 · 16 Jun 2026 · 17 min
58. Serving - Instant Pickleball Strategy No.2
Instant Strategies are things we can all do with our game, which do not involve improving shot technique, that WILL DEFINITELY ENSURE YOU WIN 20% MORE GAMES. In the second part of the series, Paddy talks about the serve. How you NEED to have a consistent serve that goes in 99% of the time and a good default serve. He explains why this is necessary and, very importantly, (as seniors) how we can achieve this. Paddy also talks about an interesting observation whereas the serve is only really a weapon at the advanced beginner and low intermediate levels - listen to his thoughts on this. A…
S1 · E57 · 9 Jun 2026 · 23 min
57. Consistency - Instant Pickleball Strategy No.1
'Instant Strategies' are things that you can do, that do not involve shot technique or talent, but are workable aspects that you can bring into your game immediately. By undertaking these Instant Strategies you will increase the numbers of games you win by 20%. That is not a guarantee (!!!), but Paddy believes that if you bring all these into your game - you WILL WIN MORE GAMES - at least another 20% more games! But beware, you will have heard many of these before. The trick is to not just know about these - but to really LISTEN to them and take them in. (Many of us seniors hear things, but…
S1 · E56 · 2 Jun 2026 · 25 min
56. Etiquette in Competitive Pickleball Play
Play in competition is quite different from rec play. The pressures are greater, the stress is enhanced, things sometimes spiral out of control. That's why we need an idea of etiquette - what's expected of us as senior competitive players. In this episode Paddy explains 13 tenants of etiquette while playing in competitive matches. He provides some examples from his own experience playing in tournaments, including asking his opponents if they want to be known as cheats or gentlemen! Find out what happened! Paddy explores mindfullness and how we can all benefit from understandng this a little…
S1 · E55 · 27 May 2026 · 20 min
55. Etiquette in Recreational Pickleball Play
The vast majority of us turn up to rec play (very, very few play solely competitively). So etiquette in rec play is SO important to understand. Rec play can be complicated, with 'paddle queues', local rules, understanding who plays with who - and when. So we need some courtesy with each other - and as seniors this shouldn't be too hard! Etiquette is the glue that sparks the magic of pickleball. It's what keep us grounded and enables all sorts of different people to play together and build community. In this episode Paddy goes through some of the key etiquette 'rules', sometimes with some…
S1 · E54 · 13 May 2026 · 14 min
54. Warm up & Stretch Down with Susan Cohen (Pro Motion Fitness)
Susan Cohen is back and this time talks to Paddy about the importance of warming-up BEFORE playing pickleball and stretching-down AFTER playing. They discuss actual exercises you can do for both - even in your car on the way to playing (don't worry what other drivers think!) and after you get home. Just 5mins before playing and then 7-8 mins after, will make ALL the difference to you maintaining your body. Which will keep you injury-free - there is nothing worse (especially as a senior) than pulling a muscle or straining a tendon somewhere that keeps you off the court for 5-6 weeks.…
S1 · E53 · 28 Apr 2026 · 31 min
53. Paddy chats to Tony Schneider - President, US Senior Pickleball
Tony Schneider has been the president of USSP for some 18 months and he chats to Paddy about how he got into the sport and his plans for the organisation. Tony describes USSP, its aims and its mission. Also listen to how he learnt the reset shot (the hard way!), what's in Paddy's coffee mug, the importance of partner communication and hear the two of them debate whether a little bit of 'nastiness' is possibly coming into the sport. If you're a senior, you play pickleball and you live in the US - you need to listen to this episode. AND you need to join USSP (see the link below) for only $20,…
S1 · E52 · 14 Apr 2026 · 21 min
52. Malaysia - a Pickleball Explosion
Paddy was in Malaysia a couple of months ago - and as always - when he travels he always has his trusty Friday pickleball paddle. Finding himself in Penang, Paddy hunted down some open play and joined in the fun. But what amazed him the most was the quality and dedication of the players. Malaysians have badminton and table tennis in their DNA - so pickleball is natural to them. So, Malaysia has taken to the sport instantly and spontaneously! Its been in the country for only seven years and it has taken off big time - and much of this was due to seniors introducing pickleball into their own…
S1 · E51 · 26 Mar 2026 · 34 min
51. William's Story - from heroin to pickleball
This is the Story of one of our members - William Clelland - who dragged himself out of the Glasgow drug dens with the help of this amazing sport. Listen to his story of drink, trouble with the law, prison, heroin and deep dispair. Until one day, it all changed for him. Be patient with his strong Scots accent - don't worry, after 5 mins you'll get used to it! This is in total contrast to our episode a fortnight ago - when we met Lee Whitwell, the world #1 senior - but that is what Senior Pickleball Tips as all about. Pickleball is about PEOPLE - and William is one of those people - just like…
S1 · E50 · 17 Mar 2026 · 40 min
50. Lee Whitwell - World Pickleball No.1 Senior Female chats to Paddy
Wow! What a 50th episode we have for you! Paddy chats to Lee Whitwell, the world No.1 Female 50+ pickleball player, US Next Gen coach, businesswoman and all-round bloody amazing person. They discuss her early introduction into tennis then pickleball (in Gibraltar and England), what advantages are there to being a leftie, misogeny in the pickleverse (actually not that bad!), her book "The Third Space Effect: How Pickleball Became the Place We Belong" and her philosophy about the sport. Also we are SO lucky - because Paddy manages to get some seriously valuable tips for the 10 Essential Shots…
S1 · E50 · 17 Mar 2026 · 44 min
Lee Whitwell - World No.1 Female 50+ chats to Paddy
Wow! What a 50th episode we have for you! Paddy chats to Lee Whitwell, the world No.1 Female 50+ pickleball player, US Next Gen coach, businesswoman and all-round bloody amazing person. They discuss her early introduction into tennis then pickleball (in Gibraltar and England), what advantages are there to being a leftie, misogeny in the pickleverse (actually not that bad!), her book "The Third Space Effect: How Pickleball Became the Place We Belong" and her philosophy about the sport. Also we are SO lucky - because Paddy manages to get some seriously valuable tips for the 10 Essential Shots…
S1 · E49 · 3 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
49. High-Intermediates (3.5) - 10 Essential Pickleball Shots with Coach Jeff
Okay, okay I know - this is OVER AN HOUR LONG!!!!! BUT - we've moved to high-intermediates (3.5) so there's more to to talk about. More ways to hit these essential shots. So many potential serves - which should I do? Do I do a 3rd shot drop or a 5th shot drop? What can I do if my backhand drive isn't as good as it should be? Is it good to 'Shake & Bake'? How do I prepare properly for a re-set shot? What do I need to do to try and get to 4.0? I was going to cut this into 2 or 3 episodes - but decided to keep it as one to avoid muddling it with the 10 essential shots for other ratings. So…
S1 · E48 · 17 Feb 2026 · 46 min
48. Low-Intermediates (3.0) - 10 Essential Pickleball shots with Coach Jeff
Okay, okay - yes, this is a full 45 minutes! Yes, it's long. But this episode is FULL OF AMAZING INSIGHTS AND TIPS for low-intermediate players (at around 3.0). Maybe listen to it in 2 or 3 stages - but listen to it you must! Coach Jeff (Limitless Pickleball) & Paddy go through the ten basic shots and what you should be doing at the 3.0 level. The serve, return, third shot, forehand & backhand drives, lob, dink, smash and the (all important) reset shot. They discuss each shot in some detail - what to do and what NOT to do! But don't worry it's not super-serious, they also have a bit of fun…
S1 · E47 · 31 Jan 2026 · 22 min
47. Meet Karen Mitchell, Co-Founder and Chair of Pickleball England
Karen Mitchell is an absolute star in regard to pickleball in England, and indeed throughout the UK. After starting to play the sport (beware putting your bins out in sleepy Sussex villages!!) she saw the need, together with Frank Arico, to organise pickleball in the country. So they started Pickleball England in 2018 to promote the sport, organised a tournament (with about 320 players) and, as they say, the rest is history. The last English Open (largest tournament outside North America) had 2,350 players - with senior categories in 5-year cohorts from 60+ upwards (Paddy played in the 65+…
S1 · E46 · 13 Jan 2026 · 39 min
46. Advanced Beginners (2.5) - 10 Essential Pickleball Shots with Coach Jeff
If you're an advanced beginner (2.5) this is 38 minutes of pure gold. You're probably thinking "Whaaaat? THIRTY EIGHT minutes???" ... then remember you are a senior and (unlike many of our younger generation) you have the patience to do this...!!! Paddy and Coach Jeff (Limitless Pickleball) take advanced beginners through the 10 essential shots they need to know about - from the serve, return, third shot, through to the forehand and backhand drives, and then the dick, lob, smash and the (all important) re-set shot. All from the perspective of the Advanced Beginner. We know this is a long…

About Senior Pickleball Tips

Senior Pickleball Tips is a English sport podcast from Paddy Hunter-Murphy. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Paddy Hunter-Murphy
Language: English
Category: Sport
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 22 min
Latest episode: 6 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1782097463
Rights: 2024

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