Boylston Parks and Recreation
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Pickleball Clinics!

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Pickleball Paddle and Ball
Join the Parks & Recreation Department and local Pickleball Instructors/Coaches Mark Anttila, Julie Graham, and/or Shawn Parker in the Hillside Gym to learn and/or improve your Pickleball game! Clinics are for novice to intermediate players - see specific clinic for level as not all levels will be offered during each clinic period. Clinics will be added as time becomes available!

All adults and teens 13+ are welcome. Each clinic is limited to 12 players that will be spread over three courts for each session. Sessions will run for four consecutive weeks, unless otherwise specified. Players will be grouped by skill level so they will be completing with players of a similar level.

Weekly topics will be altered and based on the clinic level and how quickly topics are learned, but here's a brief description of what can be expected during the novice clinics:

Week 1
Focus on the technical aspects of the game to get the players comfortable with the paddles, balls and court.  Work on consistency utilizing different drills and techniques.  This could be warm ups, volleys, dinks, serves and returns (drops or drives) and the discussion of why these technical aspects are important.
Week 2
Reinforce what we reviewed the first week, but now look to bring in some drill games that focus on these different technical aspects for improved consistency such as the transition zone and positioning.
Week 3
Bring together what we learned in Week 1 & 2 and start bringing in some of the tactics of the game to win more points.  This could be similar to understanding the progression of the game.  Deep Serve, Deep Return, 3rd shot drop/drive, Moving up to NVZ utilizing different tools and targets.
Week 4
Bring all of the above that we have learned into game situations and run a small round robin to see how much everyone has improved.

*Video links will also be provided prior to each clinic to demonstrate the skills to be worked upon.

Choose the appropriate level clinic for your level of play:

Novice Level 1 Clinic: 
This is for absolute beginner level players that have little to no experience playing this wonderful sport. We'll learn the basic skills such as serves, return serves, forehands, backhands, scoring and other fun drills in which will enhance your game. If you've never been involved in a clinic session (5 weeks or more) or a weekend boot camp clinic, this is for you. 

Novice Level 2 Clinic:
This session is for players who took the Level 1 clinic knowing the basic rules of serves, return serves, scoring, along with ground strokes, moving to the NVZ line, other drills and using Pickleball terminology is required to be in this clinic. You should also be able to keep dinking and volleys going for about 20 to 25 hits consistently. 

Intermediate Clinic: 
This session is for players who have been playing social competitively, been in 3.2 to 3.5 tournaments and would like to develop their skills. This will include placement, dinking with a purpose, stacking, team strategy, 3rd drop shots and drives, getting to the NVZ line efficiently, and knowing the Pickleball terminology. These are the basic skills needed. 

No equipment is necessary, as the Parks & Recreation Department will provide the paddles, balls, and Lobster ball machine. Dress comfortably, including sneakers, bring a water bottle and your desire to play!

About the Coaches:

Mark Anttila
Hello fellow Pickleball Fanatics, my name is Mark Anttila and I have been playing for a little over 4 years and have run the Boylston Hillside program for over 2 ½ years that includes Novice to advanced play for people who play in tournaments (3.5+) and want to have fun.  I am a USA Pickleball Ambassador, PPR Certified Associate Coach, Trained Referee, and a tournament player/medalist (3.5+, 65+). I have a passion for this game like Shawn and Julie, and I enjoy bringing that passion to other players that benefit from the physical and mental health of the game.  Our goals are similar and from a PPR perspective we try to improve on consistency of the technical aspects along with incorporating tactical aspects of the game for overall game improvement. 
anttilamark@gmail.com

Julie Graham
Hello, my name is Julie Graham and I reside in Paxton, Ma.  Since my retirement in 2020 I fell in love with this game of Pickleball and I am sure you will too! As a former volleyball player, I was excited to learn about this fastest growing sport! I am also a USA Pickleball Ambassador as well as a PPR Certified Coach and enjoy promoting the sport by teaching novices the fundamentals, rules, fun drills and where to play either recreational or tournament play.  I enjoy traveling to compete in tournaments and meet fellow
Pickleball enthusiasts. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions at
jgrahampball@gmail.com

Shawn Parker
Hi fellow players. My name is Shawn Parker and I'm a Pickleball instructor at Hillside Gym. I've been playing for about 8 years and instructing the last 3 years at places such as Greendale Y, Hillside Gym in Boylston, Concept Fitness in Gardner, Sterling, Bolton, Lancaster Community Center, West Boylston, Doyle Field in Leominster, the Boroughs Y and a few more places. My main goal of being an instructor is to show the fundamentals of the game and have fun. Novices to Intermediates is the levels I'll be introducing in these clinics. Any questions, my email is pickleballavenue002@gmail.com 

We hope you'll join us to learn more about this fast-growing sport!

* Adjustments and discounts will be applied during checkout if applicable. *

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