PFA Players Ranking Criteria

by Mike Melendez | Aug 2, 2017 | Informational

As communicated in my earlier Post, below is the PFA players ranking criteria. These are not perfect but we have to get started with something and build on it. We shared our criteria with some of the paddleball directors in the game and they agreed with it. As I mentioned on my previous post, our number one goal is to put in place a process that is fair to EVERYONE and helps us organize the sport and move it forward. Again, this criteria we have adapted is not meant to be Paddleball Global Ranking System. But we hope with tournament directors, and others, constructive input it can become the official Paddleball ranking system. The criteria applies to both SMALL & BIG BALL. The ‘A’ list below is only for SMALL ball. We will be publishing the Big ball ‘A’ list next week.

Once an A player always an A player:

Out of respect for the hard work and dedication that it takes to become an “A” player, the PFA’s position will be that once a player attains an “A” ranking, they will keep that ranking. However, we recognize that skill levels may decline and want to afford players a chance to compete against fair competition when possible. For that reason, we are adopting the following rule with respect to “A” player rankings.

1. If a player has attained an “A” ranking, they will keep that ranking. However, if the player has not placed in an open tournament in the past five years, that player may petition the PFA to be downgraded to a B ranking.
2. Each petition will be reviewed by a PFA appointed rankings committee that will evaluate the player on a number of factors, including current skill level, recent tournament performance, injury history and any other factors deemed relevant by the committee, including fairness to the other competitors and competitive balance.
3. If a petition is approved, the player will be permitted to play in B tournaments and will have to re-earn an A ranking.

Players ‘B’ to ‘A’ criteria – Any combination of the below will automatically earn a player an A ranking.

1. Won 2 B tournaments
2. Finalist in 3 B tourneys
3. Won one “B” tournament and finalist in an OPEN tourney
4. Finalists in 2 OPEN. Tourneys
5. Won an OPEN tournament

Sanctioned Tournaments – Tournaments will have to be sanctioned in order to count towards ranking. Sanctioned tournaments requires a minimum of 16 teams.

Non Sanctioned event tournaments:

1. Out-of-Hat
2. A/B
3. Invitational

Tournament seeding will be based on calendar year results

Small Ball ‘A’ Players Ranking below(List will b adjusted as more players are identified, I’m sure I missed players that should be included):

Paddleball Head Referee & Lines-Person Workshop

by Mike Melendez | Jun 22, 2017 | Informational

We are all set to kick off the first session of our Referees & Line-Person workshop. The workshop will take place at Colucci park in the Bronx on August 6, 2017 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Refreshment will be served for the participants in the workshop. At this time 12 individuals have registered for the workshop. If you are interested and can make it please submit your request via the website blog’ comment.

Reminder,  the objectives of the workshop is to make sure we all read the PFA’s paddleball rules version and interpret them correctly and spread the word across the paddleball community. More important, make us all better Head Referees & Lines-Person and help us improve the quality of tournament officiating!

                     WE GOT NEXT!

Thanks
Mike

Paddleball Hall of Fame

by Mike Melendez | Nov 1, 2016 | Informational

The Paddleball Family Alliance will be inducting our first player into the Paddleball Hall of Fame on 1/14/17 at the start of our 3rd Winter Paddleball Classic Tournament to be held at Zerega. Because of the limited amount of time that will be available on that date, we have decided to just induct one player. In future inductions we plan to induct five players at the time at special dinner events. We are happy to report that Howard Hammer will be our first inductee. Many of you might not be familiar with Howard. He retired from paddleball as one of the pioneers of the game and one of the greatest champion of all time. You will learn more about Mr. Hammer in the upcoming months.
HE GOT NEXT!

The Mental Game – Learn the role your mind plays in making you a champion or just improving your game.

by Mike Melendez | Oct 12, 2016 | Informational

The Mental Game –

Your mind is what makes everything else work.
—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA legend

Sports psychology is the scientific study of mind, emotion, and behavior as it relates to athletic performance and physical activity. The mental demands of rigorous competition can be enormous, making the sports psychology principles a crucial part of any athlete’s training regimen. Hall of Famers and Olympic champions, backed by decades of empirical research, all agree that the proper use of mental skills and strategies can significantly improve any athlete’s performance.

Athletes who diligently train their minds play their best more consistently, experience greater enjoyment, and increase their odds of victory. As one progresses to the higher echelons of any sport, physical skills tend to balance out among competitors. How, then, does the athlete distinguish him/herself from the pack? It is here where we discover that having a superior mindset is the key to gaining the upper-hand.

Important mental skills for athletic excellence:

• Supreme, unwavering confidence in your abilities
• The ability to keep a laser-like focus when surrounded by distractions
• The capacity to sustain a high-level of motivation throughout a long season
• The strength of will to conquer all anxiety, frustration, and discouragement
• The power to bring your intensity to the next level when needed

Effective mental training tools:

• Clear and challenging short and long-term goals
• Visualization of making great plays and succeeding on the field
• Positive, energetic language used to motivate yourself into a winning frame of mind
• A consistent breath during all moments of action
• Confident, upbeat body language to get the feeling of success in your body and mind

An athlete looking to improve their game can benefit from mental training at any time. Junior athletes can get a significant head start on their peers by developing their mental strength early on, rather than waiting until college or beyond. Seasoned pros can ensure they stay on top of their game, never letting themselves get complacent, by training their minds appropriately.

Mental training and counseling services can be applied in all scenarios; specific examples include:

• When the athlete wants to reach their full potential. By fine-tuning their game mentally and emotionally, they can eventually exceed even their greatest expectations.
• When the athlete experiences any kind of setback, such as a mental block, performance plateau, prolonged slump, demotion, or injury.
• When off-field issues or concerns begin to interfere with the athletes’ performance.

Your mentality will either hold you down or bring you up. Strive to master your mind rather than being mastered by it. If you don’t, you risk losing every game before it even starts. Think about how you can improve your performance in the following areas:

• How you prepare mentally in practice and during training
• How you maintain a winning mindset on the day of competition
• How you manage your thoughts in the moment of action
• How you deal with distractions
• How you use the results of competition to build your character from event to event
• How you communicate with others as a leader and a teammate
• How you decompress after training and competition to stay fresh and avoid burnout

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Source and link of article below

The Mental Game

How to stop choking under pressure

by Mike Melendez | Mar 13, 2016 | Informational

Read here on how not to choke under pressure