We have A LOT to talk about in this newsletter... tips, strategies, massive pro news, headlines, line calls, and more. Since we serve up a newsletter every other Monday, you have plenty of time (i.e., two weeks) to digest it all before the next one. But, before you grab your favorite drink and dive in, we want to take a moment to send some positive vibes to our friends in the Southeast who were impacted by Hurricane Ian. If you would like to lend a hand, please reply to this email and we will send you some suggested ways to get involved.
Now, let's go... 👏 starting with a few quick hit headlines from Pickler The Newsroom in the video below 👇.
#1. WIN MORE PICKLEBALL POINTS BY VARYING SPEEDS
Pickleball players oftentimes want to learn how to hit the pickleball with more and more power on every shot. However, sometimes, just as important as power, is the ability to change and vary speeds, as a “change-up” can be just as effective as—if not more effective than—a “fastball.” Learn the importance of varying speeds and a few tips for how to do it effectively against your opponents on the pickleball court.️ 💥
| LEARN TIPS TO WIN |
#2. COMPETITION HEATS UP IN PRO PICKLEBALL: MAJOR LEAGUE PICKLEBALL'S GAME-CHANGER & PPA TOUR'S RESPONSE
Competition is an understatement in the world of professional pickleball, as billionaire-backed tours and leagues are battling for market share. This competition is seemingly heating up as Major League Pickleball makes an announcement that reached billions (*cue LeBron James 🏀*), and the PPA Tour responds with notable announcements of its own. 📣
| LEARN MORE NOW |
Don't forget to mark your calendars for a wild, pickleball-packed October! 🗓
#3. WHAT IS "SHAPE" IN PICKLEBALL & HOW TO USE IT
If you have watched or played pickleball long enough, you might have heard the word “shape” or the phrase “hitting the ball with shape” on the pickleball court. But, what does “shape” mean and why is this an important skill in pickleball? 🤔
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ONLINE PICKLEBALL LESSONS: LOVE THIS PROGRAM! ❤️
Click here for the best value in online video lessons and improve your pickleball game now! Get access to over 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 our latest review below... 👇
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#4. MURMURS FROM THE LOSERS' BRACKET: A FORMER PICKLEBALL ADDICT SPEAKS OUT 🗣
We here at Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket (MFTLB) are, as you might expect, devoted to the game of pickleball. But in the interest of fairness, we’ve decided to turn over today’s installment to a fellow pickleballer who claims that he has conquered his pickleball obsession and he is happier because of it. Learn why and how this anonymous player has conquered his pickleball addiction (and have a laugh with MFTLB).
| LEARN WHY |
#5. WHY TECHNOLOGY IS KEY TO THE GROWTH OF PICKLEBALL & FAN ENGAGEMENT
Pickler The Podcast is almost a year old! 👏 With all of the competition between the professional pickleball tours and leagues, one recent Pickler The Podcast conversation keeps coming to the front of our minds... Learn from sports expert, Ben Shields, on what pickleball can do to grow its fan base and improve its fan engagement, in order to really legitimize the pickleball as a “pro” sport. 📈
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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.
#6. WIN EASY PICKLEBALL POINTS & LET THE OUT BALLS GO
Whether you are playing singles or doubles pickleball, one of the best - but most difficult to learn - skills that you can have on the pickleball court is the ability to let the out balls go. This is because letting the out balls go leads to easy points for you and your partner. Use these tips to improve your detection of those out balls to win more points on the pickleball court! 🕵️♂️
| LEARN THE TIPS |
#7. IMPORTANT & TOUCHY SUBJECT OF LINE CALLS IN PICKLEBALL
Pickleball takes a “Scout’s honor” approach to line calls, as players are responsible for making line calls on their respective sides of the court in most recreational and tournament play. Although the sport encourages fair play and good sportsmanship, there are times where those values can be called into question, whether due to intentional or unintentional “bad” line calls. Line calls are an important—and sometimes touchy—subject in pickleball, as there can be a lot of close and disputed calls on the court. This happens at all levels and only intensifies as the stakes rise—for instance, at the professional level, where money and livelihoods are on the line.
Learn a few important line call rules, so you stay on the right side of these calls, and stay out of any disputes, on the court. 💪
NEED A GOOD BOOK WITH PICKLEBALL & LAUGHS?
If so, then this book, I Dink, Therefore I Am: Coming to Grips with My Pickleball Addiction, is for you. Have a laugh with longtime humor writer, Frank Cerabino, and grab some great pickleball tips! 📚
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#8. QUICK TIP - THE CASE FOR DRILLING
Most pickleball players shy away from drilling, as they are ready to jump straight into a game. However, if you want to improve and elevate your skills, consider drilling (i.e., doing repetitive training activities to simulate a specific action or shot on the pickleball court).
Drilling can help you develop proper technique, improve your consistency, and accelerate your learning curve—especially if you have a coach helping critique you as you go. Further, drilling will help build confidence when jumping into a game, tournament, or other competitive, more stressful situation. Some professional pickleball players emphasize drilling so much that they do not even play recreational games. Rather, they only drill (to get the most out of their time on the court) and then play competitively when they are in a tournament. So, do as these pros do, and commit to drilling. And, if you do drill, emphasize quality on every shot and practice with a purpose. 🙌
| LEARN DRILLS TO IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS |
#9. 12 DO'S & DON'TS FOR THE PICKLEBALL LOB
The lob has been making a comeback and is on the rise (both literally and figuratively) on the pickleball court. In honor of the rise of the lob, be mindful of these 12 do’s and don’ts for the pickleball lob next time you are on the court, so you can have the best lob and lob strategy out there. 👍
| GET THE TIPS! |
#10. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT
Looking for a deeper dive on the latest pickleball headlines in Pickler The Newsroom... 🗞
- There are a few athletes in the world that transcend their sport, and pickleball just got one of them as the new owner of a Major League Pickleball team. LeBron James 🏀—along with Maverick Carter, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love—have bought a pickleball team (for about 7 figures 🤑), sending the sport on potentially another growth spurt. More on this announcement here.
- As the Morning Brew characterized it, “The amount of money poured into pickleball clubs, bars, and professionalization is reaching NFT-esque proportions…. But pickleball’s money faucet doesn’t show any signs of slowing to a trickle. It might be the most lucrative-yet-ridiculed product from Washington state since the Frappuccino.” ☕️
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A comparison to Starbucks is some mighty praise for pickleball, but will pickleball survive the hype? That is the question… early indications are positive for pickleball, which include:
- Pickleball is not just your grandparents’ game anymore, as kids emphatically proclaim that they like playing pickleball more than Fortnite or Roblox? 🎮 Who would’ve thought?! We did.
- Recreational players can’t get enough, as the likes of founder of the Pickle Pack, Chloe Rask, in New York City, noting to Brooklyn Magazine that she has “a kink to dink.”
- Pickleball is a therapeutic outlet, as noted by one recent divorcee. “Why swipe right when you can play pickleball?”
- You can multi-task with a new variation of pickleball—“stein-in-hand pickleball.” 🍺
- A group of investors getting in on the “land grab” of pickleball, as they invest $180 million to build 15 private, indoor pickleball courts in the State of Florida that will be based on the country club model. 💰
- Other real property investors—like Airbnb, Vrbo and other short-term rental property owners—are using pickleball courts to get noticed, as pickleball listings have increased by 32% since 2019 (up to almost 1,300 listings across Airbnb and Vrbo).
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But, as artfully described by The Washington Post in the article, Pickleball is exploding, and it’s getting messy: “Pickleball isn’t a sport at a crossroads as much as it’s a five-lane highway with everyone trying to merge while careening against the guardrails at top speed.” With so much demand, pickleball is facing continuing growing pains in the form of:
- Pushback from parents that are “going to war” 🤬 with pickleball players over use of New York City parks. Yikes.
- Continuous disputes with tennis players over the use of tennis courts. Tennis and pickleball players need to find a way to co-exist where everyone wins, just like the sports of skiing and snowboarding in earlier decades.
- And, continuous disputes over the noise level of pickleball 🙉—which research by NJ.com shows is not much more than typical daytime suburban noise. Hopefully, the noise will become more rhythmic than annoying to these upset neighbors.
- With all of this recent news, Seth Meyers might have inadvertently summarized it best on his “burn” of pickleball, where he knocks the sport, but then admits that his writers’ don’t understand because pickleball “is actually super fun.” This “fun” is undeniable and what the sport is actually all about… 😁
#11. RULES REFRESH - TEMPORARY NETS
More and more dedicated pickleball courts are being developed every day. However, these dedicated courts are not being developed in a manner that is fast enough to keep up with the demand to play. As a result, many players play using a temporary net.
Given the popularity of temporary nets, pickleball has special rules just for temporary nets. These are important because there are certain circumstances that result in a replay of the rally, which include the following:
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If the pickleball travels over the net and then either (a) hits the horizontal bar or center base (before or after the bounce), or (b) gets stuck between the net and the horizontal bar (before or after the bounce), then it is a let and the point will be replayed.
- However, this rule does not apply on the serve (this would instead be a fault on the serve).
- Also, to note, this only applies if the pickleball travels over the net and then hits or gets stuck on the horizontal bar. If the pickleball hits the horizontal bar before traveling over the net, then the player that last hit the pickleball would have committed a fault.
- Any malfunction of the temporary net during a rally will be a hinder and the players will replay the point.
For a deeper breakdown on all of the rules of pickleball, check out Pickler's Ultimate Guide to the Rules of Pickleball. 🏓
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