Tin , fittingly , Washington state , the sport ’ s birthplace . They ’ re good friends , having traveled to tournaments together all over the country for years .
Timothy Nelson , 34 , creator of the Nasty Nelson shot , was a pickleball prodigy . His obsession with the sport began when he was 17 . While in high school in Washington , he enrolled in courses at Edmonds Community College . “ The college was 15 minutes from my house ,” he says , and there was a gym with pickleball along that route . “ Even though my mom had me out the door to go to school , the magnet of the pickleball court was much too strong to pass by .”
Nelson often skipped college classes to play . He says he crammed for finals and passed easily , however .
He and a group of friends who were also high-level pickleball players had regular , extremely competitive matches at a fitness club in Everett . The games were not for the faint of heart . They were filled with trash talk by brash players .
During one match , an opponent was trash-talking nonstop and Nelson had had enough . That ’ s when he had an idea . He ’ d try to get a point by intentionally hitting the receiving team member who was standing near the non-volley zone . Not exactly a highpercentage shot , even for Nelson who has a rocketlike serve .
“ The first time I tried it , I nailed him in the stomach ,” Nelson says . “ He got mad and quit . He eventually returned and was daring me . He kept saying , ‘ Do it again .’ I waited a while , and later that same day I hit him again with my serve . He was beside himself .” The “ Nasty Nelson ” was born . “ It was an extra thing for opponents to think about ,” Nelson explains . He admits it worked only about 50 percent of the time , so I asked if he ’ d be better off hitting a regular serve and just trying to win the rally . “ No ,” was the reply , “ not all points are the same or worth the same . Things like momentum and mindset are far more important to the outcome of the game than the point value associated with any individual point .”
To Nelson , putting the mere thought of having to avoid getting hit by his serve into an opponent ’ s head can rattle a player for the entire match .
He now says he ’ s indifferent to having the shot named for him . He doesn ’ t apologize for doing it but acknowledges , “ The original intention of the sport is camaraderie , and the shot is not aligned with this .”
Although the Nasty Nelson is his famous shot , it almost detracts from the fact that Nelson is a great allcourt player with lightning-quick reflexes .
At one point he added a gesture he also became known for , a type of non-verbal trash talk . After hitting a winning shot , Nelson would put his hands over his head and move his fingers as though he were a puppeteer , signaling that he is controlling the opponent . The guy with the already-controversial Nasty Nelson serve was given a nickname : “ Puppet Master .”
The puppeteering gesture rubbed some people the wrong way . They thought it was arrogant , cocky , and — like trying to hit an opponent with your serve — bad sportsmanship . Nelson not only didn ’ t care at that time what his critics thought , he played wearing a shirt with “ Puppet Master ” printed on the back .
“ I don ’ t go by that name anymore ,” Nelson says . He had a change of heart , and became kinder and gentler , years after learning that he had a failing heart . In 2008 , he had open-heart surgery , and then needed two more heart surgeries . Once , when he was in the intensive care unit , the patients on both sides of him died .
Nelson says he changed two years ago when “ God found me . I wasn ’ t looking for him . I was lost and reckless . He came and intervened and changed everything .”
He plays pickleball less than once a week by choice , not because of any physical limitations . “ My heart ’ s condition is such that physical activity is a benefit ,” he notes .
Nelson works with teens with behavioral problems at an area high school . Sometimes , to help an angry student work out aggression , he will take the kid to a pickleball court to slam a few balls . He enjoys trying to be a positive influence and pass on his wisdom .
In 2019 , Nelson graduated from law school at the University of Arizona and is licensed to practice in Alaska , Illinois and Nebraska . “ I want to be a trial attorney as opposed to transactional — in the courtroom on my feet .” He says he might be an attorney full time by the end of this year .
Nelson won ’ t reveal his height and weight , and when Erne Perry hears this , he says , “ He ’ s so thin that when he steps on a scale , it says , ‘ Is that it ?’”
Nelson explains , “ I ’ m not going to answer the height and weight question for competitive reasons .”
The puppet master gesture may be history , but it sounds like the “ Nasty Nelson ” might just be taking an extended time-out . •
Matthew Schwartz spent 40 years in television news and won more than 200 awards , including four Emmys and four Edward R . Murrow awards for investigative reporting . His 2020 memoir , “ Confessions of an Investigative Reporter ,” was an Amazon # 1 bestseller . He writes a weekly blog for Hudef Sport and plays pickleball six days a week .
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