Every time that we hit the pickleball courts, we are more convinced that pickleball is exploding and here for the long haul. Also, the wave of tennis players converting to pickleball players is tsunami in size! 🌊#NeedMorePickleballCourts
We have A LOT of pickleball stories, news, tips, and strategies to cover. Before we dive in, as a heads up, if you haven't followed us on Instagram and TikTok yet, you should! You can find exclusive content there that you cannot find anywhere else, such as pickleball quick tip videos like the one below. 👇
Alright, as pickleball pro, Julian Arnold, would say, "ANDIAMO"!
#1. IS THERE SUCH A THING AS "PICKLEBALL ETIQUETTE"?
In a recent pro pickleball match, one pro pickleball player, Matt Wright, hit a speed up at another pro pickleball player, Jessie Irvine, which caught Irvine in the face. 🤕 Upon winning the point with the body/face attack, Wright screamed “YEAH!” to exclaim his excitement. Then, Irvine’s partner, Julian Arnold, stepped in and called Wright out by saying, “You just hit her in the face, man.” To which Wright responded, “Yup.”
This interaction on the pickleball court begs a few questions, including is there such a thing as "pickleball etiquette"? 🤔 Click here to learn more.
#2. ZERO, ZERO, START FOR SERENA WILLIAMS 🎾
The pickleball world started buzzing after tennis star Serena Williams said “I love pickleball” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. That interview got pickleballers wondering what it would be like to have somebody of the stature of Serena Williams switching sports.
Click here to get Pickler writer Frank Cerabino's take on what it would mean for pickleball if Serena got in the game.
#3. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "MAYOR OF PICKLEBALL" AND THE "PICKLEBALL TROLL"?
This one kind of sounds like the lead-in to a bad joke... but this is real pickleball news!
Do you remember the "Mayor of Pickleball" who faced jail time for making a few permanent markings on a gym floor in Denver, Colorado? Or, the "pickleball troll" who makes up stories to get a reaction on social media? Do you wonder what happened to them? Get the update now!
- Click here to learn if the "Mayor of Pickleball" returned to the Kitchen or to jail! 👨🍳
- Click here to learn if the "pickleball troll" is still out there. 👹
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#4. MURMURS FROM THE LOSERS' BRACKET: HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE BALL SNOB
Do you have a strong preference of which kind of pickleball to play with on the pickleball court? If so, then you may just be a "ball snob."
Click here to have a laugh with Pickler writer, Frank Cerabino, as he breaks down what it takes to be an effective ball snob on the pickleball courts in the latest Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket column (*for those new to Murmurs, this is a humorous tongue-in-cheek opinion piece - don't take us too seriously... we are trying to have fun, just like we do on the pickleball court). 🤪
#5. PICKLER THE PODCAST - THE FUTURE OF PADDLE TESTING & PRO PICKLEBALL RECAP
Pickler The Podcast co-hosts, Stacie Townsend and John "The People's Champ" Davison, breakdown the latest happenings in the pickleball world, including discussing ideas for paddle testing with more money coming into the sport (in other words, more on the line for on-court play, particularly at the pro level). Plus, other news on pickleball pros and tournaments, including a shoutout for Ryan Sherry on his first PPA title and hilarious postgame interviews. Tune in now! 🎧
Do you have any ideas for a guest? 💡 Let us know by emailing stacie@thepickler.com!
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. QUICK TIP - WHEN TO CHANGE DIRECTION TO AVOID UNFORCED ERRORS
Changing the direction that the pickleball is traveling is difficult to do. For instance, changing the direction of a crosscourt serve by hitting the return down the line (instead of returning back crosscourt), or countering a down-the-line speed up crosscourt (rather than back down the line). In other words, in many circumstances, it is easier to hit the pickleball back in the direction that it came from. You are prone to making more unforced errors when you change the direction of the pickleball.
So, if you are struggling with your unforced errors on the pickleball court, ask yourself if those unforced errors are at times where you are trying to change the direction of the pickleball. If so, try limiting your changes of direction to those circumstances where you have your feet underneath you (in other words, you are in position), you are not under pressure from your opponents (i.e., you have time to make your shot), and you can hit the pickleball out in front of your body. 💪
#7. RULES REFRESH - ERNE ATTEMPT GONE WRONG
A rare rule came up in the men’s doubles final at the PPA North Carolina Open. Check out the video below.
Why did Tyler Loong commit a fault (resulting in a loss of the rally and a point for his opponents, Matt Wright and Riley Newman)?
A pickleball player may not cross the plane of the pickleball net (or the imaginary extension line of the pickleball net beyond the net posts) until after that player has hit the pickleball. This includes anything that the player is wearing or carrying, such as a pickleball paddle. There is one exception to this rule on an over-and-back pickleball. However, the general rule is that you (or your paddle) may only cross the plane of the pickleball net after you strike the pickleball.
So, Loong breached this rule. He did not make contact with the pickleball. So, he committed a fault when he crossed the plane of the pickleball net.
Also, remember that you may not touch the pickleball net, posts, net system, or the opposing team's side of the pickleball court. If you do any of these things—touch the net, posts, net system, or opposing side of the court—then you will commit a fault and lose the rally.
For a deeper breakdown on all of the rules of pickleball, check out Pickler's Ultimate Guide to the Rules of Pickleball.
Have you had an interesting rules issue on the pickleball court? Send it to us at stacie@thepickler.com, so we can share with the rest of the pickleball community in a future newsletter.
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#8. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT
Serving up your latest pickleball headlines... 🗞
- Senior pro pickleball player, Dayne Gingrich, had quite the week at the US Open Pickleball Championships, as he claimed 4 gold medals. 🥇🥇🥇🥇 In a recent article spotlighting Gingrich, he claimed that "99% of [his] success comes from the mental part" of pickleball. 🧠 He does mental training every day, including "'neuro-cognitive training' used by both Formula 1 racers and fighter pilots." Congrats to Dayne, and a good reminder to everyone that the mental game is important to your success on the pickleball court!
- The battle for court space continues between tennis players 🎾 and pickleball players, as pickleball players rally local officials to repurpose underutilized tennis courts as pickleball courts. Eighteen-time Grand Slam tennis champion, Martina Navratilova, made it clear where she stands on pickleball with her tweet "I say if pickleball is that popular let them build their own courts."
- More crossover athletes may be coming (or at least joking that they may be coming), as Serena Williams and Drew Brees each hint at a second career on the pickleball tour. 😮
- For any fans of soap operas (spoiler alert), pickleball made a plot appearance on The Bold and the Beautiful, as a cover story for more questionable behavior.
- A new game has been invented that takes inspiration from pickleball and badminton. This new game called Jazzminton requires you to hit through the net, rather than over the net, and can be played in a smaller space. This does not seem to have the same allure as pickleball, but maybe this is a good cross-training activity that you can play in your driveway? Would you give this a try? 🙃
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With not 1, not 2, but 3 pro pickleball events in the last two weeks, there was a lot of pro pickleball being streamed. Here are your takeaways:
- PPA North Carolina Open featured a triple crown 👑👑👑 for Catherine Parenteau (her first! and just the fourth player in the PPA to have a triple crown behind Simone Jardim, Ben Johns, and Anna Leigh Waters) and a double gold 🥇🥇 for Riley Newman. Utah showed up in North Carolina, too, as well-known Utah pros like Chuck Taylor, Tyler Loong, Callie Smith, Meghan Sheehan-Dizon, and Allyce Jones all took medals back to Utah. However, no one seemed to stand out more than Ryan Sherry, who took home his first PPA title 🏆 over Julian Arnold, and captured a ton of new fans with his post-match interviews (learn more with the latest Pickler The Podcast episode).
- The APP Tour had two events in the past two weeks (ahead of their marquee event at Flushing Meadows). The APP stopped in St. Louis and Cincinnati to showcase standout performances by Jade Kawamoto (who took home three golds 🥇🥇🥇 over two weekends), Zane Navratil (who took home six medals (one in each event he played), including a triple crown 👑👑👑 in Cincinnati), Andrei Daescu (who went back-to-back golds 🥇🥇 in men's doubles, including one with well-known pro, Kyle Yates), Parris Todd (who went back-to-back golds 🥇🥇 in women's singles), and CJ Klinger (who snagged his first APP pro medal in men's singles 🥉).
- Mark your calendars 🗓 for some big time pickleball events the rest of this month. There will also be a draft party for Major League Pickleball (MLP) at the APP New York City Open, as MLP will hold its first event on June 3rd through 5th!
#9. STRATEGIES TO USE WHEN PLAYING INDOOR PICKLEBALL (RATHER THAN OUTDOOR PICKLEBALL)
Recently, there has been an increase in indoor pickleball tournaments on the PPA Tour, the APP Tour, and even a USA Pickleball National Indoor Pickleball Championship. With these growing indoor pickleball events, it is important to understand any differences—for pickleball strategy and otherwise—with indoor pickleball play compared to outdoor pickleball play.
How should your pickleball game and strategy change when playing indoors (as compared to outdoors)? Click here to learn now.
#10. ASK PICKLER - DON'T LET THE B*ST*RDS GET YOU DOWN
Question: How would you encourage a player who’s so hard on herself and almost wants to give up playing because she is: (1) missing some shots, (2) feeling like she is causing her partner to lose, and (3) receiving negative comments from doubles partner?
Answer: We hate to hear that any player is discouraged from playing. We would encourage this player to:
- Block out the negativity and play within yourself. If you are struggling to make some shots, no worries - go drill and come back fresh. Work on the shots that you do not feel comfortable with when drilling and you will see a difference during games.
- Everyone has been there when they feel that they have let their partner down. You have to get back out there because, next time, you may be carrying your partner to victory (especially if you went out and drilled).
- Ask your partner to speak more positively because, for most players, it will help you play better. And, if your partner continues, there are plenty of better partners available in the world.
- At the end of the day, pickleball is supposed to be a lot of fun amongst friends. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of effort and luck to find those people that make it feel that way. And, when you find these people and are having fun, you'd be surprised by how much your play improves, too. 👏
Do you have a pickleball question? Ask Pickler. Reach out to stacie@thepickler.com. Plus, your question may be featured in the next newsletter.
#11. WHY & HOW TO WARM UP TO PREVENT PICKLEBALL INJURIES
What is the best way to prevent injuries on the pickleball court? 🤕 A warm up!
Click here to learn why a warm up is vital to preventing injuries, and what a good warm up looks like on the pickleball court.
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