10K Subscribers + June Half-Day Camps Are Back
Athena Pickleball hit 10,000 YouTube subscribers this week, which honestly feels surreal considering that was my entire goal for 2026.
What’s been most surprising isn’t the number itself, though.
It’s how much building a YouTube channel has mirrored learning pickleball:
- you’re often wrong about what will work
- progress takes longer than you think
- consistency matters more than motivation
- and sometimes you just have to keep making one more ball
So to celebrate the milestone, I wanted to share four things that genuinely surprised me over the last six months.
1. I'm not always right about what you want to learn. The video I loved flopped. The one I almost didn't post is blowing up.I put a lot into my video about improving your 3rd shot. I thought it was going to be very well-received. It landed tepidly. And then I made a video I almost considered not posting, and somehow it's on track to be my most successful. (check it out, below)
2. Sometimes you win ugly.Filming YouTube videos is a lot like grinding through a tough pickleball match. There are ups and downs, stretches where nothing feels right, moments where you wonder why you're doing it. The last six months were a little bit of winning ugly. You gotta keep moving and just make one more ball.
3. There's a 3-6 month lag in learning. I tell my students this all the time: when you're working on something new, progress feels glacial. Then one day you look back and realize how far you've come. YouTube is exactly the same. Trust the reps. Be consistent and there will be forward motion.
4. Knowing something and communicating it are completely different skills.I've been teaching pickleball in person for years and trust my in-person coaching skills. But figuring out how to get a point across through a camera - through script choices, angles, pacing, imagining all of you watching instead of one person standing in front of me, that's a whole different challenge. An interesting one I'm still figuring out.
Half day camps are back!
June is going to be good.
No Weak Spots: A Half Day Camp for 3.0 Women
June 13 | 9am–1pm |
Close the gaps. First four shots, footwork, positioning, stroke mechanics, and smart shot selection, all in one high octane morning. Last hour split ladder coached play.
$219 through May 31 | $249 after
Limited to 16 players | 8:1 student to instructor ratio max
Smart & Dangerous: An Offensive Intensive for 3.5–4.0 Women
June 21 | 9am–1pm | Cali Smash
Fine tune when to attack, how to hit speedups and counters, and develop other offensive strategies. Coached games for the last hour to put it all together.
$219 through June 5 | $249 after
Limited to 16 players | 8:1 student to instructor ratio max
I really really love the energy of these groups and I hope you can join us!
The video I almost didn't post - How to Beat Younger Players without More Power
I doubted myself on this one because ultimately, it's not groundbreaking. But I am learning that the best content (and my philosophy as a coach) is about foundational, bread and butter strategy, that actually wins. Yes the game is faster, yes paddles are poppier, but understanding the game and how to use it for your own benefit is always going to be the best course to improve and win more. Flash can be fun, but it's not required to be successful.
Current Weekly Smash Clinic Schedule
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Monday
3.5 / 4.0 Clinic
9:00 – 10:30 am
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Tuesday
3.0 – 3.5 Clinic
9:00 – 10:30 am
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Thursday
3.5/4.0 Liveball
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
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All sessions are held at California Smash in El Segundo, CA. Come see me!
Get the Cali Smash app to register for clinics:
Android
Apple
Interested in working together privately? Just reply to this email for more info.
See you on the court!
Coach Jess
Athena Pickleball 🏓✨
p.s. launched my website - still a work in progress but at least we have a home now! Check it out at www.athenapb.com
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