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Hey Padel enthusiasts welcome to Padel Smash Academy, I am Cesc and I am here with Julian and we're all about Padel! Whether you're new to the sport or an experienced player, you've come to the right place. Our goal is to provide you with the best tips & tricks, news, and weekly lessons to help you improve your game and take your Padel to the next level. So grab your Padel Racket and let's get started with all things Padel on Padel Smash Academy.
For six months, I, I didn't play Padel.
I was playing tennis.
I joined a USTA league.
I was super into it.
Someone invited me to play.
And I was like, no, no, no.
The courts look small.
It doesn't look like it's aerobic.
And then finally a buddy was
like, come play, come play.
And I stepped on the court.
I hit one ball and felt something in my
soul that like I've never felt in my life.
And we are All Things Padel.
Hello, everyone.
Welcome to another exciting
episode of Padel Smash Academy.
And today we're so excited to
have Uh, he's been called the Fred
Astaire of Padel for, because the
way he moves on the Padel court.
And not only that, he has the
most sexy looking hair dude
in the entire Padel world.
His name is Jared Filkenstein.
Please, Jared, welcome
to the, to the podcast.
Thank you for having me.
Good.
So tell us, uh, who's Jared Finkelstein
and how did you get involved in Padel?
Yeah, sure.
So Jared Finkelstein is a New
York transplant that came down
during COVID, uh, had never heard
of the game in his life, right?
Living in New York city, the access
to tennis is incredibly difficult.
And so was a mildly skilled high
school tennis player, but the 15 years
after that really didn't play much.
And so it came to Miami, the idea of being
able to get back into competitive sports
and, and really excel in some sort of way.
And so, uh, For six months, I, I, I didn't
play Padel, I was playing tennis, I
joined a USTA league, I was super into
it, someone invited me to play, and I was
like, no, no, no, the courts look small,
doesn't look like it's aerobic, and then
finally a buddy was like, come play,
come play, and I stepped on the court.
I hit one ball and felt something in my
soul that like I've never felt in my life.
So who is, who was that?
Who was that?
It was my buddy.
His name is David Greenberg.
He actually doesn't
play that much anymore.
Uh, but he was kind of
my, my entree to Padel.
And what, what club was that?
Wynwood.
Wow.
Everyone, right?
That's where you start.
Everybody starts at
Wynwood or Real, right?
It's the epicenter to start,
start your Padel journey.
And that's how the journey starts.
The journey started and
I make the joke, right?
So I'm a single guy.
I make the joke that like, I felt
something in my soul that day
that like I've never felt before.
And, and if I ever get married, I
hope I feel that when I meet that
woman, because it was, it was real.
Well, right now you're married to Padel.
I'm married to Padel.
So let me ask you from one to
10, what is your addiction level?
10 being super addicted.
I'm 10.
Really?
Yeah.
I, I play only three to four
days a week and the only reason
I don't play seven days a week is
physically it's a demanding game.
Yeah.
And, and I, I am, I'm
about to turn 40 years old.
I'm very aware of the fact if I got
injured, my, my lifestyle and so
much joy I get in life goes away.
And so the other three days I'm training
on mobility and flexibility to make
sure that I'm in a position where I
don't get injured on the Padelboard.
Very smart.
Very smart.
I didn't do that.
And once you hit that, you're 40.
So once you hit that 50, you,
you're prone to get more injured.
And you can't play as
much you need recovery.
You need to you know, do other types of
workout At best at three probably a week.
So you're pretty smart in that respect
but for me the passion was so much that
I was playing almost every day, you know,
it was, uh, it was, it was too crazy.
Yeah.
And it's tough to say no to games, right?
The beauty of the community that we have
in Miami is we're in 35 group chats.
And so there's always a game to be played.
It's like a date, right?
Yeah.
Somebody asks you, you
don't want to say no.
You feel like you're going to reject them.
You know what I'm saying?
For sure.
How many times have you done?
Double sessions within the same
day, like double get matches.
I try not to do it once again
because of fear of injury,
but it happens all the time.
Um, and so, you know, I, maybe, maybe
once a month, but I, I really shy away.
And then look, tournament play,
it happens all the time, right?
And so when we're playing in tournaments
and I travel for tournaments and I
love that aspect of Padel, you know,
a lot of times you're playing two
matches in a day, Saturday, right?
There's a red Padel tournament.
I already know my matches are
12 and if I win that it's five
and like I'm already trying to.
To strategize, what am I doing?
Am I going home to stretch and recover?
Am I staying there and
just waiting it out?
And I haven't come to, uh,
a solution on that yet.
So now that you mentioned, uh, Red
Padel, I know you're involved with
Red Padel in many different ways.
Let's talk about what's coming up
with Red Padel and, and what is your,
your, what is that you're doing there?
Yeah, sure.
So, so Red Padel, an organization
that, that hosts tournaments around the
country and really around the Americas.
Um, And, and last year they hosted
something called the America's Cup
where we had 12 teams come around from
Canada, uh, and, and South America
and obviously teams in the States
that compete, uh, different levels.
So it was division one,
division two, division three.
Um, and it was each club or each
community built a team and then traveled.
And so this year, actually the,
the tournament is in Mexico.
I think they have 16
teams signed up for it.
And, and, and the Mexican facility
is that, it's like a crazy resort.
And the idea that they're trying to
create there is, their, their tagline
is something like trying to make
amateurs feel like professionals.
And so what Charles from Red
Palette has explained to me is,
it is gonna be like a first class.
Event where you feel like
you're a professional athlete
in an amateur activity.
So this seems like the 3rd organization
that is kind of doing that.
You have the PPL, you have the
Hexagon Cup and then you have now,
the Rep Padel creating like, teams.
Like some type of franchise things.
Is that what Rep Padel
is going to create?
Create kind of like These
franchises like PPL and Hexagon.
I don't think that's the goal.
Miami is a different beast
than the rest, right?
And so let's just talk this out, right?
I assume Padel House is
going to send a team, right?
They're super involved in everything.
Padel House is a real community, right?
The guys that play there
only play at Padel House.
And so them going as a
team, they're a real team.
Yeah, right.
The Miami community is challenging, right?
Because we all play at all the clubs.
Yeah.
And the reality is, is like, we
don't have an allegiance to a club.
We all have a club that we like more than
another, but we're going to play where
the games are, where we're invited to,
and kind of where the opportunity is.
We have options.
We have options.
And so, so for this, it's, we're hosting
a tournament this weekend to Kanyas.
Um, Uh, four or five different divisions
and the winners of, uh, men's division
one and men's division two and women's
division one, uh, earn qualification to
play on the red Padel Miami United team.
That's going to go to Mexico.
Good.
So, so I was going to ask you about that.
So it's men and women.
It's men and women this time.
Yeah, they're not mixed.
Not mixed.
So, you know, you play women.
Okay.
There, there is part of the bigger
tournament this weekend is there is
a mixed category, but in terms of
America's Cup, it is, it's split.
It's, and how do you define the
levels by red Padel ratings?
And so in this, it is, um,
I think the, the cutoff was
over 12 was, was division one.
And so you, as your part, you and
your partner have to have a combined
red Padel ranking of less than 24.
Uh, to be in division two, anything
above that would be in division one.
24.
So if you're, okay, so if the, the two
of us are 12, that will be division one.
That would be division one.
If, if one of you was 12 and one was
1199, then you'd be division two.
Okay.
So, and how do, do I sign up?
I mean, if, if I wanna play with, let's
say with sets, I mean we're 12, we're 24.
So the captain decides to put
us on the team or we should sign
up and we're a part of the team.
Yeah, this was open, this was
open invite and so you can sign
up through the Red Padel site.
Um, and the way that it works is Red
Padel has designated coaches that,
that are at different clubs in Miami.
And so if there's someone new that
signs up and they don't have a
rating, uh, Red Padel actually
reach out to their designated coaches
and find a coach that knows the
player to give an initial rating.
That's smart.
Yeah.
It's one, it's one of the difficulties of
the start of a new rating system, right?
Because at the beginning
people are, they could be over.
Overranked or underranked and then
over time that'll kind of play out.
But at the beginning, you never know.
I really don't see a solution
yet for the rating system.
I mean, there's a few
different, you know, variants.
You know, one being, um,
uh, the clubs doing it.
You know, you know.
The coaches.
Coaches.
Coaches doing it.
And then the other one being, um,
uh, what's that, uh, Playtomic.
Playtomic.
Yeah.
Well, Red Padel is similar
to Playtomic, right?
The more matches you play, the, the, the
algorithm will bring you a higher ranking.
Is that the way it works or not?
Correct.
Correct.
In the sense of, I mean, your
ranking can go lower if you're
losing all those matches.
Yeah.
But the idea is, and, and they
have, uh, there's an element to,
um, um, how accurate your rating is.
And the accuracy of the rating is based
upon how many matches that you've played.
And so there, there's two different
elements working at it and it's real
time and it's always updating based upon
the guys that you played in their new
rankings and they're trying to work out
the kinks, as you said, it's a really
difficult thing to get at the beginning.
And that's just pretty much in
the Red Padel organization.
Correct.
That's, that's the thing, right?
Yeah.
My understanding and it hasn't,
and it hasn't rolled out yet.
My understanding was USPA was
moving to Red Padel rankings.
That's what I read on the website
and what's happening with that.
I don't know where we are in
the process and I don't know if
that's going to update next year.
Um, or how it's playing out, but that was
my understanding is that at some point
that's going to happen, which would be
great in the sense of look in, in USPA
tournaments right now, you pick and
choose which category you want to play in.
The nice part about Red Padel is like
you're playing where you're supposed
to play based upon your rankings.
Um, and so it creates a more
fair playing field for everyone.
Yeah, I mean, that's one of the biggest
things that, um, I think I'm, I'm
probably correct me if I'm wrong, but
people think they're better than they
are because they have a tennis background
and it's a complete different ball.
Yeah.
You know, because that's
make a difference.
If even if you have a tennis background,
that Padel court Padel is different.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah.
Well, you know, sometimes they do
well in the rankings because they're
smashing or they're athletic and
then they're pretty, pretty well.
But once they play with a
real Padel players, they have
difficulty, you know, for sure.
Yeah.
So where do you see now you're an
avid player, you're involved with
these tournaments and all that.
And tell us a little bit about your
I know you've been winning, kicking
some butt with some great partners.
I mean, tell, tell, tell us a little bit
about, uh, your winning, uh, trophies.
Sure.
So, so my journey has
been a good one, right?
So I view it as I started playing almost
three years ago, it'll be my anniversary.
Right.
And as I said, hadn't really played racket
sports for the 15 years before that.
I've never held anything in
my hand continental grip.
And so like, I'm still like, I'm a
now pretty competitive player and
I'm still learning to, I'm like
making an adjustment right now to
hold the racket properly, right?
So my learning curve is, is
pretty vast in terms of learning
how to play Padel properly.
And so.
When I first started, I was a
low end division four player.
And for me, as I said, like
this game touched my soul.
And so I have a lot of passion and
commit to something when I'm into it.
And so I've been training with coaches
for the last, you know, three years
and really putting in the work.
And I went from being a low end division
four player to the best player in division
four to a low end division three player
to the best player in division three.
And I'm proud to say at this point,
like I'm a middle of the road
division two player, which is amazing.
I've, I've, I've seen your progress
in the past couple of years.
I'm, I'm very, very
impressed what you have done.
I mean, kudos to you, man.
Thank you.
Well done.
Going back to your grip.
Uh, so do you use.
All continental grip now or do you
change it up depending on the shot
depending on the shot now I'm finally
getting to the point where I can do
that Um, I I struggle the most with
like simple normal ground strokes once
the ball goes off the wall Like I feel
great and and our our Our tendency is
to not let balls go off the wall, right?
I guess it's the tennis background in
me that I want to play balls early.
But like getting that patience
and letting balls play slow and,
and get off walls, then I'm great.
I think that's a great point.
I think a lot of me coming from
tennis as well is you're used to
like a Western, Eastern, is it?
Let me see.
Western.
Western grip.
And because you're hitting the ball a
little too high, you know what I'm saying?
Uh, and you're hitting it too much
power and a little bit of topspin
and that's what you're accustomed to.
So, you know, hitting the forehand
with a continental grip gets,
takes some getting used to.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
And, uh, cause it's definitely
a different stroke than, than,
than tennis without a doubt.
Yeah, and the higher the level,
now you gotta, it's about, I
call it two millimeter rule.
But you're changing the grip two
millimeter one way or the other.
One is making the difference
in between going the ball deep.
Or not, but I always make the joke, right?
Division one, two, three, four,
they're four different sports.
Yeah.
Right.
The, the, the play of division
four is different than the play of
division three, which is different
than the play of division two.
And then division one is a
whole different universe.
And so you can kind of get away with.
You know, inefficiencies or, you
know, not holding the racket the
right way in the lower divisions.
And you can do well too.
And you can do well.
But as you get up to real
Padel players that know how to
play, they, they eat you alive.
And so at some point you have
to almost take a step back,
which is really difficult.
And so it's, it's
willing to, to sacrifice.
You've got to unlearn what you've learned.
Yeah.
And play worse before play better.
Yeah.
You know, especially if you come
from a different racket sport.
And that is so true.
For sure.
So Alex, you were at the pad in Toronto.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
And I saw some great pictures
and you made it to the final.
You won that tournament.
I, I lost in the finals.
And so I had, uh, I played with Charles,
who is the owner of Red Padel and
also the world famous Charles Messer.
Yes.
Wow.
And, and he opened with
his buddies that the pad.
And so I felt a lot of
pressure actually going there.
Our first match was, was the toughest
match of the tournament for us.
So whose fault was it?
That was Charles.
I'll definitely take the blame.
We played, we played, we played
the coach there and we played
another owner of the pad.
And before we went on the court,
I told Charles, like, this match
is for his ownership stake.
Like, this is everything.
This is for blood.
Actually, funny story, match one,
we played two guys from Padel
House that are awesome players.
Um, and, and it was like the
opening night of the pad.
So Charles has like all of
his high school buddies there.
And like cheering on,
you know, drinking a lot.
Very vocal.
Brought the kegs over.
Oh yeah.
Set one I didn't play that well.
And, uh, and we went down and we lost
the first set and I got, once again,
I felt the pressure and then I settled
in and then we ended up winning in
a super breaker, but it was a super
intense, super fun match against really
good competitors from Padel house.
And it was, it was a special night.
So don't tell us about the club.
It's coming along.
Yeah, it's beautiful.
I mean, look, I just was
talking to them yesterday.
They, they just closed
for the season, right?
So that's one of the things
that sucks it's outdoors.
Um, it's in an amazing area,
like right outside the main city.
Um, one.
Six courts, um, and beautiful.
I thought there were only three.
Four, no, one, it's either four or six.
Okay.
I'm trying to picture
it and it's four or six.
Maybe it's four.
Um, but they, it was, it was awesome.
And the community that
we're building was amazing.
So what was, what was so awesome
about that tournament was that was
essentially the opening of the pad, right?
So they got folks from the community
that have essentially never played Padel
and their introduction was a red Padel
tournament that is run incredibly well.
Masseuse on hand, you know,
you're giving your times early.
You're able to go to a website and
see your brackets and click your name.
You know, you feel like a professional.
And so it was, it was super cool
watching people get introduced
in the game, in that environment.
That's great.
Yeah.
That's one of the great
things about Red Padel.
They do a good.
That can work, meaning one of the
issues now when you go to the USP
and all that, you have to use to,
you know, third party websites.
So Padel's manager, I think it is, but
Red Padel, everything's in their website.
You can see that it's Quartz.
You can see there, they have an app
too, which is a really great app.
So they're doing a good job on that.
For sure.
And for me, look, I'm an
anal New Yorker, right?
And so, when I go play a USPA
event, it's like, I'm basically
giving up my weekend, right?
Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
You hope you're playing all three days.
And so I'm clearing my schedule.
But the reality is, I don't
know when my next match is.
And so I want to plan from a recovery
perspective, from an eating perspective,
and I'm waiting for my match to
finish to find when my next match is.
The nice part about Red Padel
is, I know my four potential
matches for the whole weekend.
Yeah.
I can map everything out
and like I'm prepared.
And so the Anal New Yorker in me really
struggles with that, with the USPA.
So you tell, tell us a little bit, you
played with the legendary Maxi Rosas.
Yeah.
And you, you raised the
trophy there, right?
We did Houston division two.
We Oh, oh my God.
Tell us all about that.
Yeah.
For, so look, that was a, that was a
circumstantial partnership in my opinion.
Right.
Maxi is obviously a, a division
one player and one of the.
Top 10 players in the States, right?
Yeah, in the nation.
In the nation, amazing competitor.
And Red Padel was, was doing this thing
called the Summer Series, where there were
four tournaments throughout the summer.
And the top three players, based
upon points accumulated, got to go
to Spain to train with Javi Garrido.
Wow.
Right?
Wow.
That's amazing.
That's a good one.
Side note, my favorite player.
Yeah.
Uh, on tour.
And the reason that is, is when the
World Padel Tour came to Miami, um,
night one, it was Javi played against
LeBron and took him out and it was like a
super, super, super Super intense match.
Willie was involved on the sidelines,
like a lot of heated energy.
And Javi that night was flying all over
the court, like hitting the most insane
smashes I've ever seen in my life.
And so from that moment
forward, like huge fan.
And then last year they came, you
know, when reserve did their thing and
they had a lot of players come, Javi
came and like, got to speak to him.
He was the nicest, coolest guy.
And so like, that's my guy going forward.
Love him.
That's incredible, man.
So, like, how was that experience?
What club was that?
It was at the Woodlands.
Nice club?
So, awesome club.
So, it's off, like, a dirt road off a
railroad track in the middle of nowhere.
And then all of a sudden, like, surrounded
by awesome trees and a ton of courts.
And from a spectator perspective, a lot of
room around the courts to watch matches.
Uh, happened to be,
like, dead end of summer.
And so, we were playing
in, like, 97 degrees.
Houston heat.
at like two o'clock was the final,
um, so super hot, but little
from, from a maxi perspective.
So, so going back, sorry.
Um, the reason he played with me
and did too, is we did the math
and we said, look, if our, our red
Padel ratings would qualify for
division two as a, as a combination.
And if me and maxi were to win
division two and Peter Alonso
wouldn't win division one.
Nody lost in the finals and got injured.
And so probably would have lost anyway.
It was a super tough match, but then
Maxi would win the trip to Spain.
And so we went with an agenda.
Okay.
And that was the reason he played
with me and came down a division.
Uh, So you won the tournament?
We won the tournament.
Did he win to Spain?
Uh, I think they're going in February,
so it was, it was pretty special.
And, and ironically, we played two
of our Miami friends in the finals,
uh, Andres and Gomez and Pepe.
Wow.
And so, and, and they're guys I play
against every Saturday and they've been
dominating our Saturday tournaments.
And so.
You know, it's a win.
I joke around with them that it's
a win, but it's not really a win
because I beat them with Maxi.
Like I want to beat them.
I want to beat them with
another person at our level.
And so that's what we're trying to do
this weekend because they're the one
seat in the red Padel tournament.
I'm playing with our other
friend, uh, Louise, who's also
really good friends with them.
And I hope to see them in the finals.
Cause that would be awesome.
What, what day is the finals?
Sunday.
Sunday.
Yeah.
Where's the hosted.
At Kanyas.
Kanyas, okay.
Have you tried to apply,
uh, uh, uh, register for the
Pan American Games or not?
So I, I, it was I'm super proud of
team America, what we just saw, like
this was the last couple of days were
amazing seeing the highlights come
through and all the Instagram posts.
And at the same time, like my, my
heart was breaking that I wasn't there.
I didn't know the process, right?
I'm still new to the sport
and how it all works.
I'm over 35.
And so from a play perspective, I can
definitely play in the over 35 category,
but I never played a senior USPA event.
And so I have no rating there.
And I really only played two
or three USPA tournaments.
And so I don't have a ranking there.
And so I heard next year is the,
like the bigger games, right?
And so I'm going to, a goal of mine is
to put the work in, play the tournaments
and hopefully be a part of that team.
So you're, you're spending a lot
of traveling, Padel traveling, so
you're going all over the place.
Yeah.
Tell us the, the, the place that you were.
You were in Houston.
I went, I went to Houston.
I went to New York, uh, to play in red
Padel at Padel house, which was awesome
because that was indoors and outdoors.
And so playing.
In Outdoors.
So you play at Domino's Park.
In Domino's Park.
I had friends come to watch and once
again, from my friend perspective,
they've never heard of this game.
They see me obsessed with something
and posting about it and playing
and they're like, what is this?
And so for them to be able to come see
me play in a real tournament and see
how awesome and cool it is, was great.
I played in, um, I just played in
Connecticut at the sports house
and so new facility that opened up
there, um, six indoor courts, amazing
and beautiful, six indoor Padel
courts, six pickleball courts, a golf
simulator, um, Get wine and beer off.
Yeah.
The taps.
Yeah.
Right off the wall.
That's amazing.
Um, I'm going to Argentina.
Um, in I leave Christmas night,
I'm playing in something called,
uh, the Maccabee games, which
is essentially Jewish Olympics.
Um, yeah.
And so got an opportunity
to go play there.
And so that will be like my first, and
they do in battle with the Maccabee games.
Yeah, they're doing Padel.
Yeah.
And so I'm super excited to play there.
Yeah.
I've never been to Argentina either.
And that's like one of
the Meccas of, of Padel.
I'll be there before that.
You know, I'll see you there, hopefully.
Go ahead.
Excellent, man.
So, Jared, I mean, what's
your goal in Padel?
I know you started as like a hobby, and
now you seem to be getting a lot better.
Is there any ultimate goal
besides just a hobby, or?
Yeah, it's a great question, and
one that I'm asked all the time.
I have a full time real job that I'm
very fortunate, I'm mildly successful in.
And so, from a business
standpoint, I'm not in Padel
for the business side of things.
I am very much in it because I It is
a passion and gives me so much joy
and, and naturally I'm a connector.
And so I get involved in clubs and
connecting, you know, distributors
and, and people that build courts and
professionals just because I know no
other way to operate is to connect
people, especially good people and
something that I'm passionate about.
And so I just want to continue to live
in this, in the world that I'm living in.
Um, have my real job, um, that I
spend a lot of time in, and then
have my side love and, and just do
right by people and help people and,
and grow this game in the country.
All right.
So we have some quick questions.
Sure.
First questions that we're going
to ask you really quickly, uh, and
we'll start it off with, uh, Julien.
Why don't you ask the first one?
Yeah.
We call them the golden point questions.
Okay.
So it's either you're
going to take it or not.
So, do you prefer to play right or left?
I'm a lefty, and so I only play the right.
Huge advantage!
Yeah, you must have a lot of
people wanting to play with you.
Yeah, huge advantage.
Wow, that's great.
Alright, do you prefer
playing indoors or outdoors?
Outdoors.
Good.
Power or finesse?
Finesse.
I have no power.
I, I can't, I still, I know,
I know we're on Padel smash.
I still can't smash.
You're kidding me.
But I mean, you come from tennis, right?
Yeah.
I mean, uh, you have the serve.
I've always been a grinder.
Never had a great serve.
And, and that, look, that
works in Padel, right?
Because my ability to play defense
and just grind through points.
Is what lets me be successful.
And the reality is the person on the left
is supposed to be the power player anyway.
And so I'm really just playing my role.
And I'm just forced to be there
because I'm a lefty anyway.
Alright.
Now you've visited many clubs.
Which one would you say is your favorite?
I, I think there's
different elements to it.
And so I think from a community
building perspective, what Reserve is
doing right now is incredible, right?
The fact that they have these night
events and these exhibition matches
and you're getting almost everyone
from the Miami Padel community
to come watch, hang out, drink.
and just be social is, is incredible.
I think open from an indoor
facility perspective is probably
the best courts in Miami.
And the fact that they have
five of them to be able to host
bigger events is incredible.
And then I personally love Kanyas.
Uh, outdoor facility.
I think the courts play really fairly.
Um, always well maintained, can
actually get, uh, uh, a court there.
Uh, where other courts you can't.
And so.
Three different elements and and I would
say those are my three favorite places.
Really?
That's interesting.
Good.
So they have a or by three Bahada
Okay, but they have a Vibora Vibora.
Nice.
What is your worst shot?
The smash so what's your best shot?
Bahada Wow.
Who is your favorite,
uh, professional player?
Javi.
Garrido?
Yes.
Uh, . We knew that one.
All.
What, uh, what's your
favorite, uh, racket or Padel?
What do you use?
Adidas, which I used that.
Which one?
The Addie uh, power.
Addie Power.
Yeah.
I, I've been moving between rackets,
but now I'm playing with the, the yellow
power racket and felt a huge difference.
Before that, I was playing
with the metal bone and.
For me, um, super powerful,
but like inconsistent at spots.
And I find with the added power, no
matter where I'm hitting it, it's,
it's like firmer and more controlled.
And so I am, I just
ordered two more yesterday.
Wow.
That's good.
Where's the link?
From where did you order them?
So I've always bought, you know.
Very difficult to find
cheap Padel rackets, right?
Everything here is retail, and if you're
getting it from overseas, it's taking
three weeks or a month to get here.
Nico Tabilo, who is one of my coaches,
I broke my racket three days ago
in a training session with him, and
he sent me a link to PadelProShop.
com.
Okay, guys, for 308, I bought
two rackets and they're arriving
at my apartment tomorrow.
You're kidding me.
And so if, if it shows up, if it wasn't
a fake UPS notification that I'm getting,
if these two rackets show up, I will send
this to every person I know because every
racket there is massively discounted.
Oh, why?
I can't, I can't answer you.
I can't answer you.
I know nothing about it.
That's great.
I mean, I got it on the, uh, I
guess it was Cyber Monday, Sal,
because it was Monday I bought.
But I think if I were to buy those
rackets today, it maybe would
have been 350 instead of 308.
Yeah, you're talking about 700, 800.
For two.
For two.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, like.
Wow.
Great deal.
Wow.
Golden Point, you take it or you give it?
Um, depends.
I have a policy in, in, in.
We're talking about policies.
No, that's a policy.
That's very important.
I have a policy where me or my
partner will start on the court and
one of us will take Golden Point.
And it's your Golden
Point until you lose it.
Ah, interesting.
Right?
So then it takes out the emotion
and like where we are in the match
and it's either mine or yours.
Cause my whole thing is like try
to take thought out of things
and just allow the game to play.
Um, and so that, that's something
that I've been instituting
with players recently.
Nice.
Alright, so who's uh,
your favorite partner?
Well, I was fortunate to play
with Maxi in, in Houston, right?
Is that your favorite one?
Playing at a different level and
playing with someone who has a
skill set is incredible, right?
The learning curve and the ability
to watch him play super slow,
not rush anything is, is amazing.
So obviously, amazing experience
and love playing with him.
Good.
In terms of my level, um, Luis Guzman.
is someone that I've been
playing a bunch with.
Uh, we're playing in the Red Padel
Tournament together this weekend.
I think so much of it
is just being aligned.
He plays smart, slow, controlled,
and recently has started being
able to pick up his power.
And so, that's a combination
for me, which is amazing.
Because when I play with someone
that wants to play tennis on a
Padel court, My, my rhythms off.
I don't know where to be.
I'm out of 100%.
And so we, we, we, we, we dance
while on the court together.
Nice.
Nice.
Nice.
Who's your favorite coach?
Adrian.
Bellatorino.
Bellatorino.
Wow.
Um, Adrian is, I've been with him
now two and a half years and, and,
and to me he's, he's a coach, right?
And so.
Where, where he coaches?
He coaches me at Kanyas.
I, I think, uh, he probably
coaches at other places too,
but I think Kanyas is his home.
Okay.
Um.
Adrian's been playing forever,
former world Padel tour
player, and he's a coach, right?
He yells at me.
He gets mad at me when I hit bad shots.
And like when I'm in a
coaching session, I want that.
Like I'm in that to
improve and get better.
And so the fact that he's not just
feeding me balls, he's in that world
with me and, um, forcing me to improve
is, has been a huge value add to me.
Wow.
Okay.
So for 2024, where do
you see Jared and Padel?
Uh, I would love to win a division
two championship with, with a,
with a partner at my level, right?
I want, I want it now with Maxi.
Um, I, I view that as kind of a cheat
code and so that wasn't real, but would
love to get my game to the point where
I am a top player in division two.
Um, and I think with the continued work
and dedication that I have, it's possible.
Um, you know, this game for me right now
is, it's intoxicating in the sense of.
I'm turning 40 and like I'm
growing exponentially at
something and that is not.
Normally where you are in life.
And so I'm on this crazy journey of,
of growth over the last three years.
I don't know when it ends.
At some point you would
think I would plateau.
Um, but until that happens, I'm going to
just continue grinding, working hard and
doing everything I can do to get better.
Great, great, excellent.
Jared, thank you for coming
on Padel Smash Academy.
We want to wish you all the luck.
Thank you guys.
We'll see you on the Padel court.
Absolutely.
Thank you.
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