Counting today, there are only 20 more days to play pickleball in 2022... 🤯

Before we dive into tips, strategies, stories, and more, check out a few quick hit headlines from Pickler The Newsroom in the video below 👇, which includes the pickleball set-up we are definitely asking Santa for! 🎅

Let's go... 👏

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#1. 6 PICKLEBALL RULE CHANGES TO LEARN FOR 2023

Before you hit the pickleball courts in 2023, there are some important additions, deletions, and other revisions to the rules of pickleball that you must be aware of. Learn these important 2023 pickleball rule changes now. 📝

LEARN THE RULE CHANGES!

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#2. PICKLEBALL IS BREATH OF LIFE FOR BACKPACK-TOTING INSPIRATIONAL PLAYER

Angela Gallafent is a 3.5 pickleball player who is anything but ordinary. Although she is no pro, learn why Gallafent may just be the most inspiring player in pickleball. 🤗

MUST READ!

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#3. IS YOUR PICKLEBALL PADDLE DEAD? WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR PADDLE

Pickleball paddles are not indestructible. Rather, they can wear out over time. So, how do you know when your pickleball paddle is “dead”? 😵 In other words, when should you replace your pickleball paddle? Learn now.

IS YOUR PADDLE DEAD?

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​HOLIDAY SALE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!​

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#4. PICKLER THE PODCAST - ZANE NAVRATIL SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON PRO PICKLEBALL

Pro pickleball player Zane Navratil was set for a career in accounting before he went "all in" on pickleball in 2020. This was quite the decision for Navratil, who has won countless medals, has several sponsors, is on the board for Major League Pickleball, leads camps and clinics across the country, and was one of the “pioneers” of the spin serve that has made waves in the past couple of years. Learn more about Zane's journey and his thoughts on the latest happenings in pickleball in this latest episode of Pickler The Podcast. Tune in now! 🎧

And, don't forget to subscribe to Pickler's YouTube page, so you never miss another Pickler video - whether it be a podcast, pickleball tip video, or other can't-miss video.

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#5. WHICH PICKLEBALL MATCH-UP WILL HELP YOU WIN?

There are a lot of repeatable patterns of play on the pickleball court. These patterns are important to identify to improve your odds of winning games. One way to discern patterns and improve your strategy is pay attention to particular match-ups, both crosscourt and head-to-head. Learn more to win more! 👊

LEARN NOW

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#6. TWO ENTREPRENEURS TAKING THE DANCING PICKLES OUT OF PICKLEBALL ONE T-SHIRT AT A TIME

Two pickleball entrepreneurs, Lori Bosch and Jodi Wudjkowski, are on a mission to create “pickleball wear with flair.” Their rules are simple: “No dancing pickles, no pickleballs with smiley faces, and no fluorescent green.” Learn more about their story. 👏

LEARN MORE

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#7. RULES REFRESH - CALL “PROMPTLY”

In the women’s doubles championship match between Anna Leigh Waters—Catherine Parenteau and Lea Jansen—Jackie Kawamoto, Waters hit a sharp crosscourt shot that looked to set up Jansen for an ATP shot. Jansen went for the ATP and then, after her shot sailed long, called Waters’ previous shot out. The referee quickly rejected Jansen’s call and awarded Waters—Parenteau a point. Why was Jansen’s out call not honored in the video below? 🤔

According to the rules, “all ‘out’ calls must be made ‘promptly’” Further, “promptly” specifically means. “Promptly” is defined as a specific point in time, which is “prior to the ball being hit by the opponent or before the ball becomes dead.” In the point shown above, Jansen made the call after the ball was dead. As a result, her call was not “prompt” and the ball would be presumed in.

Be sure to make your line calls promptly! ⏰

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​LOOKING FOR A PICKLEBALL STOCKING STUFFER?​

If so, then this book, I Dink, Therefore I Am: Coming to Grips with My Pickleball Addiction, is for you. Give the gift of laughs and great pickleball tips with longtime humor writer Frank Cerabino's book! 📚

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#8. QUICK TIP - PLAY SKINNY SINGLES

To improve your doubles game, try playing skinny singles. Skinny singles is one of the best drills because it emulates the strategy and play of doubles, but you have the opportunity to play every shot and work on your skills on every shot. Also, with a smaller court, you are forced to focus on your placement of shots.

To play skinny singles, you need yourself and one other player. You can play skinny singles straight on or crosscourt (be sure to try all directional combinations!), but the key is that you will only play in half of the court on each side of the net (so the boundary lines will be the centerline and the applicable sideline), with regular scoring and a similar strategy as doubles.

Bottom line – Play skinny singles to work on your doubles game! 💪

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#9. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT

Looking for a deeper dive on the latest pickleball headlines in Pickler The Newsroom... 🗞

• Happy Holidays from Pickler The Newsroom! 🎄🕎 With the growth and buzz around pickleball this year, it is no surprise that pickleball paddles and equipment are on Google’s top gifts this holiday season. And, I don’t know about you, but we have already written Santa 🎅 for Rob Gronkowski’s vertical and a duplicate of actor Jamie Foxx’s pickleball setup.

• To start off the news around the court, noise and competition over court space continue to be top concerns for the sport, as lawsuits are threatened against HOAs and communities around the country and pickleball is getting banned from certain parks, like Seravalli Playground in NYC. We need a solution for these issues soon, as they will only continue with pickleball’s growth. 📈
• And, the growth of pickleball shows no signs of slowing down. For instance:
  • Pickleball will hopefully reach millions when it is aired live on ABC on Sunday, December 18th at 1:00 p.m. ET (featuring the finals of the PPA’s team championship in Las Vegas). 📺
  • Nike, which has been hesitant to get into pickleball, just released the first pickleball clothing. The influence of Nike will certainly add to the growth.
  • Pickleball is being hosted and promoted in NBA arenas, starting at the home of the Chicago Bulls.
  • More celebrities are getting involved, including Jamie Foxx (who also filed for the trademark “Pickleball Entertainment League”) and NBA legend Shaq is contemplating an investment with his son (although, he is “not sure yet”).
  • The sport is a hit at any pop-up event, including Miami’s Art Basel.
  • Kids want to play! According to Washington Post, “Pickleball grew an amazing 83% from 2019 to 2021, attracting almost a half-million regular players among people ages 6 to 17.” 🧒
  • Advertisers want pickleball! Pickleball ranked #9 on Ad Age’s 2022 Marketers of the Year list. (Although, while advertisers want it, insurers don’t want to insure pickleball facilities—largely claiming the average age is too high, but hopefully someone will show them the rising youth stats soon!)
  • Not the mention the growing pro scene is promoting the sport...
• Speaking of the pro scene, the PPA and MLP are still playing nice, as MLP founder Steve Kuhn was appointed as the PPA Chairman of Professional Player Relations. This appointment has likely led to dozens of pro players—including many APP-supporting players—obtaining gold tour cards with the PPA. To add more salt in the APP wounds, the senior pros (aged +50) have started their own pickleball league called the National Pickleball League. These events have seemingly led the APP to suspend negotiations with pro players (although there are still some notable hold-outs on the gold tour cards, including Parris Todd and Andrea Koop). How things shake out for all tours and leagues continues to be a developing story 🌪, but, as of now, there is a growing contingency with the PPA/MLP.
  • 🚨 BREAKING NEWS as we were sending this newsletter: MLP finalized its format and will announce the remaining ownership groups ahead of the draft in Las Vegas on Thursday, December 15th (9pm ET, Tennis Channel).
• A huge shoutout to 15-year-old Anna Leigh Waters for making Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list (not to mention being the youngest by about a decade!). You heard it here at Pickler first 😉—in 2017, we told you that she would be the “future of pickleball.” 👏

• And, lastly, we think signs in pro pickleball need to be a permanent thing… what do you think, "Mama Waters" and Riley Newman?! 😂

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#10. ON THE TOUR - PRO PICKLEBALL'S COMMON THEMES IN 2022

​Take a look back at some of the common winning storylines from pro pickleball tournaments during the 2022 calendar year, which includes one pro player medaling in a whopping 94% of events entered (and winning gold in 79% of those events)! 🤯

TAKE A LOOK BACK

And, don't forget to mark your calendars for one more pro pickleball event this year! 🗓

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#11. WHAT TO DO WHEN THE PICKLEBALL HITS THE NET CORD

What should you do if the pickleball hits the net cord and continues (or dribbles over) to the other side of the net? What is your best shot in these circumstances on the pickleball court? Learn now. 👏

LEARN NOW

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​SAVE 10% FOR THE HOLIDAYS!​

Get 10% off this holiday shopping season! Grab a new paddle, shoes, and more from Fromuth Pickleball (some exclusions apply) with the code 10PICKLER! 💸

And, if you need any holiday deals or gift ideas as you prepare for the season of giving, check out of handpicked pickleball gifts in Pickler's gift guide. 🎁

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BALL'S IN YOUR COURT...

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