Big news for the club: Mark Taylor is now coaching at Carpe Dink'em.
Mark ran his first clinic with us today, and it could not have gone better. We put on two sessions — one for intermediate players and one for advanced — and both of them ran brilliantly. Great energy, plenty of light bulb moments, and a lot of people walking off court with something specific to work on.
Who Is Mark Taylor?
If you have not met him yet, Mark is a UPCC Level 2 certified coach — that is United Pickleball Coaching & Certification, who run coach development and accreditation across Australia and internationally.
He is also an international Head Referee. Mark works with NPL Australia and Global Sports India, heads up officiating at the APP Kuala Lumpur Open and APP NEXT events, and has been on court for MLP Australia. On top of that he is a Foundational Registry Member of the Registry of Certified Pickleball Coaches, recognised for his contribution to the integrity of the sport.
What that adds up to in practice: someone who has watched thousands of points at the very top of the game, knows exactly why the good players keep winning them, and can explain the rules that most club players are quietly getting wrong.
Why This Matters for the Club
Open play is brilliant for getting games in and meeting people, but there is a ceiling to how much you improve just by playing. At some point you need someone watching you properly and telling you what is actually going on — why that third shot keeps popping up, why you keep getting caught mid-court, what to do when the ball comes back harder than you expected.
That is the gap Mark fills. Whether you are brand new and want your fundamentals set up properly from the start, or you are already competitive and chasing the small margins, there is something in it for you.
What You Can Work On
🏓 Technique — dinks, drops, drives, resets and serves, broken down and rebuilt
🧠 Strategy — court positioning, shot selection, stacking, and winning points as a pair
📖 The rulebook — serving, the kitchen, scoring and line calls, from someone who referees these decisions at professional level
Want In?
Mark is offering coaching at Carpe Dink'em on an ongoing basis, and we will be running more clinics off the back of how well today went. Head over to our coaching page to read more about Mark, then get in touch and tell us your level and what you would like to improve. We will sort out a time that works.
Huge thanks to Mark, and to everyone who came along today and got stuck in. More to come.
See you on the court 🏓