Happy Monday! 🤗

Some days, we are in the Top 10... other days, we are in the NOT Top 10, like pro Zane Navratil in the video below... 👇

Either way, it is a good day to be on the pickleball courts. Now, let's make it a Top 10 kind of day and dive into your pickleball tips, strategies, stories, news, and more! 👏

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#1. 3 KEY TIMES TO SPEED UP THE PICKLEBALL CROSSCOURT

The general rule when it comes to speed-up attacks on the pickleball court is to speed up straight in front of you, and avoid speeding up the pickleball crosscourt. This is because your opponent straight across from you has less time to react, so you will be more likely to have success in your attack. However, there are exceptions to every rule—including this one. Learn 3 circumstances where you may want to consider attacking crosscourt. 🔥

LEARN THE 3 TIMES

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#2. MURMURS FROM THE LOSERS' BRACKET: THE PICKLER LIMERICK CHALLENGE WRAPS UP

We here at Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket have enjoyed reading your pickleball rhymes during the past month. Your ability to amuse has been greatly appreciated. But, it’s time to announce the winners. And while it’s trite to say that all of you are winners, read some of our favorites and find out who wrote the best poem on pickleball. 👏

READ NOW

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#3. 5 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR PICKLEBALL PADDLE HAND SPEED

We have received several inquiries on how players can increase their hand speed at the Kitchen line. Given these recent requests, we decided to pull these 5 tips out of the archives...

​Increase your pickleball paddle speed with these 5 tips! 💥

READ THE 5 TIPS NOW

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​SELKIRK POWER AIR: EFFORTLESS POWER MAXIMUM SPIN​

The ultimate power and spin pickleball paddle, the VANGUARD Power Air was built from over two years of feedback, research, and testing. The first iteration of this technology was developed in Selkirk Labs and launched as Project 002. Utilizing Labs member feedback, Power Air optimizes the 002 with the following improvements:

• QuadFlex 4 Layer Hybrid Face: Initiated in Selkirk Labs with Project 002, this face features a first-of-its-kind blend of two layers of Fiberflex and two layers of Quantum+ carbon, for effortless power and control;
• SuperCore Polymer Honeycomb Core: Created for the QuadFlex Face, the groundbreaking polypropylene honeycomb SuperCore delivers supreme power while enhancing your control;
• A Larger AirDynamic Throat and Throat Flex giving you less wind resistance and a larger dwell time to maximize power and spin; and
• Enhanced consistency with 360° Proto Molding.

​Learn more about the journey to create the VANGUARD Power Air with more power and spin that the pickleball community has been asking for. 💥

LEARN MORE

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#4. THE PICKLER Q & A WITH SEAN BOLLETTIERI-ABDALI

​Get the scoop on The Pickler's conversation with Sean Bollettieri-Abdali, the owner of The Tennis Club at Newport Beach (now renamed The Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach), about his club’s adoption of pickleball, the lessons learned, the game’s present challenges, and where he sees the sport developing in the future. 🤔

GET THE SCOOP!

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#5. WHY ARE THE PRO PICKLEBALL PLAYERS CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT THEIR CELL PHONES?

Have you ever watched a pro pickleball match? If so, have you noticed that the pro players are rushing to their cell phones during time-outs or breaks in play? Why are these pro pickleball players on their phones during competitive events? 📱

LEARN WHY NOW

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#6. RULES REFRESH - PADDLE BREAK!

Rarely does a pickleball paddle break after hitting a routine volley at the Kitchen line. However, that is exactly what happened to Riley Newman when playing with his partner Parris Todd against the brother-sister duo, JW and Jorja Johnson, in the video below. What rule does this paddle break violate? 🤔

Newman’s paddle break violates one of the cornerstone rules of the sport—it is a Kitchen violation! According to the rules, “[i]f the paddle touches the non-volley zone during the volley motion, before or after contacting the ball, it is a fault.” By no fault of his own, Newman’s paddle made contact with the Kitchen after his volley motion. As a result, he committed a fault and loses the rally. Watch your paddle heads out there… 😳

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#7. QUICK TIP - LOB THE LET CORD

Imagine your opponents hit a let cord pickleball that dribbles over to your side of the court, like it did for pro Dylan Frazier in the video below. What shot should you hit in response?

Consider throwing up a lob like Frazier did in the video above 👆. This shot can catch your opponents off guard and put you and your partner on the offensive by pushing your opponents deep into the court. However, be wary of this shot if your opponents are not at the Kitchen line or if the pickleball is too close to the net (as you may not have enough space to execute the lob effectively).

​Click here for more tips on what to do with a let cord pickleball. 💪

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​ONLINE PICKLEBALL VIDEOS: AWESOME VIDEO SERIES​

​Click here to get the best value in online video lessons and improve your pickleball game now with 140+ clear, concise, and organized video lessons (or over 7 hours of lessons!) that break down every aspect of the sport of pickleball, including mechanics, strategy, advanced concepts, and drills.

But don't take our word for it, check out one of our reviews below... 👇

GET ACCESS NOW

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#8. SERVING UP PICKLEBALL STYLE & JOY WITH TRELL & CO.

​Meet Nancy Shipp and Elise Markel—two lifelong friends turned pickleball entrepreneurs, who are committed to creating beautiful pickleball bags, while spreading friendship, connection, serendipity, and happiness through their products and the sport overall. 😁

READ MORE

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#9. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT

Serving up the latest pickleball headlines over the last two weeks... 🗞

• The fight for public resources continues amongst pickleball players, tennis players, parents, and neighbors. Comedian Stephen Colbert tried to lighten the mood and poked fun at some of the tensions in one Washington D.C. community with this punchline on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 🤣
• ​USA Pickleball has moved its coveted National Championships from Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California to the Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, Texas. The event will be presented by the PPA Tour and will take place as originally scheduled on November 4-12, 2023.
• The question of whether pickleball can translate from a participatory sport to a viewership sport 📺 remains unanswered. A recent survey by Morning Consult reports that about two-thirds of U.S. adults are either “not too interested” or “not interested at all” in watching pickleball. Despite this data point, Major League Pickleball founder Steve Kuhn predicts that pickleball “will be easily a top 5 sport in the next 5 years in terms of viewership” and that pickleball “will challenge MLS, Major League Baseball, and the NHL.”

• Another test for pickleball’s broadcast potential will take place on April 2, 2023, when four tennis legends—Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Michael Chang—compete for $1 million purse in the first-ever Pickleball Slam to be aired on ESPN. The foursome has already started to trash talk each other ahead of the event. 🎾
• Interested in a Major League Pickleball team? The latest valuations now set a team at $5 million, as Dude Perfect joined the Frisco Clean Cause ownership group.
• Looking for some cross-training ideas to improve your pickleball game and prevent injury? Check out these functional Pilates moves!
• Lastly, pickleball is hitting the newspaper cartoons in Jump Start…

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#10. ON THE TOUR - TRIPLE CROWNS GALORE 👑👑👑

The PPA Tour made back-to-back stops in Daytona Beach, Florida and Austin, Texas. Although a few surprise contenders found their way to Championship Sunday—notably, 54th seeded Collin Shick in the men's singles draw in Daytona—familiar faces ran the table, as Ben Johns secured back-to-back triple crowns and Anna Leigh Waters took 5 out of 6 gold medals home (including a triple crown in Austin). Catherine Parenteau secured the remaining gold medal in the women's singles event in Daytona.

The PPA Austin Showdown will also sadly be known for the tragic passing of senior pro player Thanh Vo, who passed away during his singles match at the event. Vo was 54 years old and is survived by his wife and two children. A GoFundMe was started to help transport Vo back to his home in Nashville, Tennessee and for his memorial arrangements. Our deepest condolences go out to the Vo family.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for more pro pickleball action this month... 🗓

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#11. PICKLEBALL COMMUNITY PUSHES TO IMPROVE PADDLE TESTING & RULE ENFORCEMENT

As the sport of pickleball evolves—particularly, at the highest of levels with increasing prize money on the line 💰—there are growing pressures to improve performance of equipment. But, there are also growing pressures to enforce the rules on those that manufacture the equipment—notably, the paddle manufacturers. Learn about the joint effort amongst USA Pickleball, the Professional Pickleball Association, and Major League Pickleball to meet these testing and enforcement challenges.

LEARN MORE

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​GRAB 10% OFF!​

Grab 10% off a new paddle, shoes, and more pickleball necessities from Fromuth Pickleball (some exclusions apply) with the code 10PICKLER! 💸

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BALL'S IN YOUR COURT...

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