Our Instructors
Ty Petty
Ty Petty in his youth was in the Top 10 in the USA in ping pong! He brings that amazing strategy and hand-eye coordination to his championship pickleball career. Ty is an ITPTA Certified Level II instructor.
His tournament championships are impressive including:
Ty will be providing individual lessons, 3 or 4 and a pro, and group clinics on advanced play.
He can be reached directly at (423) 753-4956 to schedule individual lessons or see the Court Reserve App for scheduled clinics with Ty.
Kelly Smith
Having played collegiate basketball, run many marathons, completed several 24 hour endurance races, Kelly brings a lifetime of being active to Pickleball. Kelly discovered pickleball 3 1/2 years ago and fell in love with the sport. As much fun as playing pickleball is, it also brings a sense of community that the others didn’t seem to bring.
Kelly has competed in numerous tournaments and won the 2024 Bristol PPA 4.5 level mixed tournament and placed second in the 4.5 mens tournament. Having achieved a 4.7 DUPR rating at one point Kelly is in a great position to share his knowledge of the game. Kelly is a certified PPA teaching pro and offers “Coach and Play” sessions at Pickleville. Playing and coaching points during play is a great way to improve your game. Reach out to Kelly anytime as he loves helping people improve.
Lisa Burkett
Lisa is excited to teach at Pickleville! She found pickleball in late 2020 and was hooked immediately. She began tournament play in summer 2021, got certified by IPTPA to teach in Fall 2021, and earned her Junior Specialty instructor certification in April 2022. She has taught clinics at Pellissippi State Community College since January 2022, as well as individual and small group lessons. She particularly enjoys helping each student find success on the court and fall in love with pickleball.
In her pre-pickleball life, Lisa played volleyball, tennis, and soccer, and coached volleyball, soccer, and baseball.
If you would like to schedule a lesson with Lisa, please call or text her at 703-209-5918. You can also email her at lisaburkett2001@yahoo.com
Jason E.
Jason grew up in the farm fields of central Kentucky, but has called Knoxville home for over 25 years. Having played many different sports recreationally over the years, he was randomly and unexpectedly introduced to pickleball in January 2021 by a close friend.
Jason believes that anyone can improve their game, not just with technical proficiency, but also through tactical strategy, court positioning, footwork, communication, space coverage and shot selection. These are invaluable skills that anyone can learn, regardless of their sports background!
On the court, Jason is a 4.5+ level player who brings an almost maniacal competitive drive, combined with fun, laughter, encouragement, some fun trash talk, and a focus on bringing people together to play hard, have fun and build long lasting friendships… on and off the court.
Jason is available for both private and group lessons. He also leads the weekly Road to 4.0 clinics. He can be reached at 865.771.0700.
