For The Love Of The Game

Matt Manasse, Pickleball Coach to the stars.

If you asked Matt Manasse who surprised him as a good pickleball player, he’d say movie star Emma Watson. “She’s very focused and is up early and ready to achieve,” Manasse says.

Other good pickleballers that he has worked with are former professional football players Drew Brees and Golden Tate. (“They’re just really good athletes, and that translates well in pickleball,” Manasse says.) If anybody knows what makes an impressive pickleball player, it’s the former tennis player turned pickleball coach and ambassador. A tennis player since he was 5 years old who went on to play at the University of Southern California, Manasse picked up the game of pickleball during the pandemic. Since then, he’s traveled the world playing the sport and is now coaching the likes of Jamie Foxx, Matthew Perry, Kelly Rowland, Will Ferrell, and Dierks Bentley. These days, Manasse can be found hosting special clinics at The Boca Raton, fine-tuning players’ games and abilities.

What about pickleball hooked you?
“There is just so much excitement around the sport. It felt like such an exciting community to be in, no matter what level I was playing at, even in the beginning.”

What separates a good pickleball player from a great one?

“The tagline that a lot of people use is ‘pickleball is easy to learn, hard to master.’ It tells them immediately that this sport is going to be hard to be good at, but it also challenges them. “Movement is key, and so is the physical ability to stay low and anticipate. You’ve got to have all the shots, all the reaction time, and read the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. You also have to find a good partner, and that requires some finesse and ability to communicate properly.”

What has coaching and playing pickleball taught you?

“Pickleball and life aren’t too far off. Pickleball doe s teach you some life lessons, like when to be patient, when to move forward, and how to talk to your partner.”

Tell us about feedback to your clinics at The Boca Raton.

“I hosted a beginner clinic over a weekend at The Boca Raton. Erik Silver, the Director of Tennis, came up to me after it was over, and he said, ‘I haven’t seen any of these 72 members over the past two days come to the Club before. They are all new.’ It just goes to show how willing members and guests are to try new things.”

How can members and guests continue improving their game with you?

“I’m looking forward to being on property a lot more. I’m looking forward to building on the excitement that they already have with their pickleball program, as well as to create fun events and a pickleball destination where people are looking to come have a blast.”