The Official Pickleball Podcast: Everything You Need To Know About How To Train, Eat, Recover, Play & Practice The Fastest Growing Sport In The World, With Tyson McGuffin.

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I recently got into the sport of pickleball. Coming from a competitive tennis background, I wasn’t quite sure I was going to love it, especially since my only experience with pickleball until about four months ago was that it is (take no offense) a gentler “old person’s” version of tennis played with grumpy seniors and a cheesy wiffleball.

Holy cow, was I ever wrong.

In the past several weeks, I’ve picked up the sport of pickleball and absolutely fallen in love with it, especially since a new place opened just near my house called “The Pickleball Playground.” Though doubles have been a fun sport to get away and play with the family for our recreation time, when it comes to singles, it is the ultimate combination of reaction time, speed, power, mental and physical chess, and just about everything I’m looking for in a “new sport.” Now I also know why it’s the fastest-growing sport in America, and even the official state sport of my own home state of Washington!

Turns out, one of the top singles and doubles pickleball players in the world lives just near my home, and we’ve recently become acquainted. His name is Tyson McGuffin, and he has a podcast called “The McGuffin Show.” Tyson and I decided it would be fun to geek out on this new sport for any listeners out there who want to learn more about pickleball, discover secrets of fitness, nutrition, supplementation, recovery, and more that can apply to any sport, but especially pickleball, and who want to get to know Tyler and me just a little bit better.

So who is this guy anyway?

Tyson McGuffin is a two-time U.S. Open Champion and five-time National Champion, who has six PPA Titles and a Triple Crown. Tyson currently holds the number one ranking in men’s singles, number five ranking in men’s pro doubles, and number six ranking in mixed doubles.

McGuffin is extremely involved in all areas of pickleball and is an incredible ambassador for the sport. He runs clinics all over the country, releases free YouTube instructional videos, hosts The McGuffin Show Podcast, and promotes pickleball as a game that anyone can learn and enjoy.

This isn’t everything, however. If Tyson is not teaching or competing, he is spending time with his #1 fans. Tyson is married to the love of his life Meg McGuffin, and they have four beautiful children: Skyler, 15, special needs with a heart of gold; Ty, 8, superphysical and creative, Banks, 2, who has him wrapped around her little finger, and Mac, 1, a bruiser who’s walking and talking early.

During our discussion, you’ll discover:

–How would Tyson describe pickleball to people?…09:29

Best racquet sport out there
It is the better version of tennis and ping-pong
It caters to everybody, all demographics
Learning curve is very quick
It’s easy to play, it’s fun
There is this whole new community that people feel like they’re a part of, it’s super embracing
Tyson met his wife because of pickleball
How pickleball started
Ben’s experiences playing the game

-How did Tyson get into pickleball?…13:57

Grew up in a family of wrestlers, the youngest of 7; dad was a wrestling coach for 40 years
Had a wrestling and tennis scholarship; took the tennis scholarship
In 2005, a guy at his tennis club who cannot play tennis anymore because of an injury invited him to the game
Got his butt kicked by guys in their 50s and 60s at the local YMCA
Watched a lot of videos and a week later went back to that YMCA and beat up on some old timers
Within about eight months, Tyson played a guy that was ranked in the world’s top 10
Started playing professionally
Resigned as a director of tennis, went on the road, started teaching camps
Tyson McGuffin
TM Signature PB Camps
The McGuffin Show

-Can you win money in pickleball?…16:06

In tennis, if you make the first round of a Grand Slam, if you lose, French Open, US Open, or the Australian Open, you are guaranteed 40K
Pickleball has three different tours
PPA (Pro Pickleball Association)
APP (Association of Pickleball Professionals)
Major League Pickleball

Tom Dundon, the owner of NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes acquired the PPA
Next year Tyson is going full-time pickle
Brand endorsements, appearance fees, and prize money
Last 7 years have been spent doing 20 to 40 camps every year and on content
90% of pickleball players now work an 8 to 5
Winning the US Open guarantees $5,000, plus sponsorships
Building your brand and making yourself marketable

-What does a typical day look like for Tyson, like an optimized training day?…20:10

Play 25 to 30 tournaments a year, on the road 30 to 35 weeks out of the year
Tournaments are a total grind:
Practice session Tuesday morning
Tuesday afternoon, fly in, then get a good night’s rest Tuesday night
Practice Wednesday morning and maybe afternoon
Rock and roll Thursday through Sunday
Thursday singles
Friday mixed doubles
Saturday gender doubles
Championship Sunday

Play anywhere from four to eight matches a day
Tournament days start at around 8 am and end around 2 to 6 pm, depending on how the day goes

There is a 4- to 6-week break during the summer
Gym
Strength training and functional training
Mixture of boxing and cardio

An average day
Wake up at 5 am, then hot tub
6 am, check emails and get all social media stuff done
Do some hot and cold in the morning
7 to 10 am practice
Train with Craig Feistner at CDA FITNESS 1ON1
2 hours at the gym with Craig
Interval training
Functional training
Band work
Cardio boxing
Core, hand speed, foot speed

2nd practice 1-3 pm
The Zone for recovery – cryo, IV, NAD every 5 to 6 weeks
Bemer morning and night
Compression boots morning and night
Mixture of everything high reps, low weight
Off-season – try to build some muscle

-Is there any special diet Tyson recommends?…24:06

Stay away from sugar, bread, fried food
Stick to smoothies in the morning, supplements, protein shakes morning and night, protein and veggies
Try to do everything to the best of his ability

-What’s the best way to get started in pickleball?…25:43

Go to usapickleball.org to get signed up as a member and check where those courts are
Pickle Play app, owned by Blake and Alex Renaud from Indianapolis

-What kind of things could you do if you can’t get to the court that help your pickleball game?…27:50

Grab your paddle and do some shadow swinging
Work on your paddle skills
Do some flip flops
Pickleball Kitchen YouTube channel

-Why does the paddle matter?…30:34

Ben’s paddle is a Selkirk – one of the top pickleball equipment manufacturers
Tyson McGuffin uses a Selkirk Invicta
Paddle technology, in general, is starting to get a lot more advanced
Starting to play with different materials like honeycomb and carbon

-What sort of training program would you put together for a top pickleball athlete?…39:29

Ben recommends a combination of very super slow training
Single set to exhaustion exercises like:
Full body chest press, row, shoulder press, pull down squat, deadlifts
Single set to failure to exhaustion, 20 to 25 minutes three times a week
Lots of walking
Calisthenics

With pickleball, you want a high amount of power and fast twitch muscle fiber capacity without necessarily excess, slow twitch muscle fiber
Avoid the advice to take 15,000 steps a day
Kettlebell (use code GREENFIELD to save 15%)
Pavel Tsatsouline
BGL articles on kettlebells:

Plyometrics like box jumps, lunge jumps, clap push-ups, kipping pull-ups with weighted vest
Podcast with Ben Patrick:

ATG for Life by Ben Patrick
Athletic training group for life
Bulletproofing the body and addressing a lot of the weak links

Mobility component (young muscle component)
Becoming A Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett
Foam rollers
Lacrosse balls
Peanut rollers
Vibrating Platform
X3 bar
JOOVV
Infrared sauna
Podcast with Dr. Eric Goodman

Core Foundation trainer Kate Murphy

-What to do about cramping?…58:57

It is rare that cramping is due to a loss of electrolytes and dehydration during actual competition
The number 1 reason people get cramps is alpha motor neuron reflex
Alpha motor neuron reflex is a protective mechanism
Magnesium deficiency is the number one reason for cramping
Recommendations

Fast Vitamin IV

-And much more…

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Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

– Tyson McGuffin:

The Pickleball Playground
TM Signature PB Camps
The McGuffin Show
USA Pickleball

– Podcasts And articles:

How To Get Rid Of Knee Pain Forever, The Best Knee Rehab Exercises, The Ancient Chinese Technique To Keep Your Knees Young & More With Ben Patrick, The “Knees Over Toes Guy.”
My Favorite Dirt-Cheap, Portable Workout Modality For Building Muscle, Increasing Endurance, Burning Fat, Enhancing Recovery & Much More.
The Resurgence Of The Kettlebell: How An Old-School Tool For Strongmen Became A Must-Have Piece Of Equipment For Athletes And The Average Person.
How I “Turned On” My Butt: Why My Posture Completely Sucked And How I Fixed It Fast.
How To Turn On Your Butt, Activate Deep Breathing & Decompress Your Spine (And Why I’ve Completely Changed My Morning Routine).
The Unfrozen Caveman Runner: How To Get A “Free” Endurance Workout & Blast Sprints On A Norepinephrine High From Cold Water Exposure.
Episode #130: Tim Ferriss and Ray Cronise Explain How To Manipulate Your Body’s Temperature To Burn More Fat.

– Books:

ATG for Life by Ben Patrick
Becoming A Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett
Foundation by Dr. Eric Goodman

– Other Resources:

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