Michael Kuhlman
Private, group and online lessons across Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, Mendocino and Lake counties.
How I got here
Like most people, I played once because a friend dragged me out, and was hooked by the end of the first game. Then I did what almost everyone does - played three times a week for a year and got barely any better.
What finally moved my level was not more play. It was someone telling me, honestly, that my third shot was a problem I had been hiding behind a decent drive. That one observation was worth more than a year of open play, and it is the reason I coach the way I do.
I got certified through the Professional Pickleball Registry, kept competing, and now spend most of my week on courts around Sonoma County teaching people the things nobody told me. I still play at a 5.0+ level, which matters less as a bragging point than as a filter: what I teach is what actually holds up against good players.
How I teach
Diagnose before prescribing
The first fifteen minutes of a first lesson are watching, not talking. Most players are working hard on the wrong thing, and the real problem is usually one layer beneath what they came in for.
One or two things, not ten
You cannot fix six habits in an hour. We pick the one that unlocks the most and drill it until it holds up when you are tired and behind in the score.
Drills that survive the drive home
Every session ends with a written plan and two drills you can do alone or in open play. Improvement happens between lessons, not during them.
Honest, not harsh
You will get a straight read on your game. That is what you are paying for. It is delivered kindly, and it always comes with a plan for what to do about it.
Who I work with
The biggest group is recreational players somewhere between 2.5 and 4.0 who have plateaued and are tired of losing to the same people every week. That is the sweet spot - enough play to have real habits, not so much that they are hard to change.
I also teach complete beginners - some on their own, some bringing a friend so they are not the only one learning - and there are a handful of 4.5-plus players I work with on specific shots ahead of tournaments. Juniors from about age eight are welcome too.
If you are not sure a lesson is worth it, book one. There is no membership and no package requirement. One lesson will tell you more than any amount of deliberating.
Where we play. Lessons happen at any of 34 venues within 60 miles of Santa Rosa - browse the full list. If you have a home court that is not on it, ask.
Let's find the thing holding you back
One lesson, no membership. Bring your questions and your worst shot. If it was not worth it, you do not pay for it. That is in writing.