Happy November! The final two months of the year may be the busiest in the pickleball community. There is plenty of pickleball to be played, including a ton of pickleball tournaments to play in, and lots of opportunities to teach and introduce others to the game as we enjoy the holiday season with friends and family 🎉. With that said, we expect these pickleball newsletters to be jam-packed through year-end with the latest stories and headlines, as well as great tips and strategies that you can take to the pickleball court. And, this pickleball newsletter is no different. From on-court stories of how to play with and against your loved ones, to the 2022 pickleball tournament calendar 🗓, to tips if you are considering playing in one, let's get right into it... 👇

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#1. WATERS SPOTLIGHT - PLAYING WITH, PLAYING AGAINST & COACHING THE RISING STAR OF PICKLEBALL

The teenage phenom, Anna Leigh Waters, is taking the pickleball world by storm. On the pickleball court next to this teenage phenom - whether it is literally next to her in doubles play, on the sidelines as a cheerleader and coach, or sometimes, as her opponent - is her mother, Leigh Waters. This has to be some dynamic, as some pickleball players cannot even play with their spouse and keep it together. So, what's it like for mother and pro pickleball player herself, Leigh Waters, to play with her daughter, Anna Leigh, play against her, and coach her in the most competitive pickleball sphere?

​Click here to hear from Leigh Waters herself about the "trichotomy of pickleball" with her daughter, Anna Leigh... 💦

And, continue to follow Leigh's and Anna Leigh's journey here in Pickler's free pickleball newsletter, as well as on Instagram and Facebook. Also, mark your calendars 🗓 to watch Leigh and Anna Leigh compete in both Major League Pickleball on Friday, November 5th through Monday, November 8th (the finals will be aired live on Monday on CBS Sports Network), and the PPA Masters on Wednesday, November 10th through Sunday, November 14th! You can catch them in action on the PPA Tour's YouTube channel.

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#2. 2022 PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT CALENDAR

Pickleball tournaments are more popular than ever 📈. They are everywhere and all of the time! So, we tried to break these down in Pickler's 2022 Pickleball Tournament Calendar, which includes most of the largest pickleball tournaments across the world - from the two pro pickleball tours (PPA & APP - with over 50 pickleball tournaments between them!) to the US Open Pickleball Championships (and other pickleball tournaments with pending dates, like the USA Pickleball National Championships).

​Click here to learn more about the 2022 Pickleball Tournament Calendar and how you can play in a pickleball tournament. And, don't forget to support your local pickleball club & community by playing in your local pickleball tournament, too!

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#3. 5 STEPS TO PREPARING FOR A PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT

If you have decided to test your pickleball skills in a pickleball tournament, then there are some things that you should do to prepare yourself for the pickleball tournament. Whether it is your 1st pickleball tournament, or your 100th pickleball tournament, click here to learn 5 steps that will help you make the most of the event. 👏

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#4. RATINGS, SKILL LEVELS & RANKINGS... OH MY!

Do you know how to rate your pickleball skills 🤔? Click here to learn about pickleball ratings, skill levels, and rankings (there is a lot to discuss!), as well as insights into how to determine your own pickleball rating or skill level.

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#5. QUICK TIP - ALWAYS EXPECT THE PICKLEBALL TO COME BACK

One of the best things about the sport of pickleball is that there is a lot of ways to be successful on the pickleball court. There are a lot of different play styles, different techniques, different grips, etc. that all can be successful. Sometimes, the most unexpected of shots, or most unorthodox looking shots, can be successful and come back across the pickleball net. As a result, it is so important to always expect the pickleball to come back.

Never expect that you hit a winner. Expect the pickleball to come back. This means that you will (1) stay mentally engaged in the pickleball rally until the rally has a definitive end (for instance, lands out of bounds or has a double bounce); and (2) prepare your paddle after every shot (even when you think you hit a winner). Too often, we drop our defenses because we think the rally is over, when the pickleball dribbles back over to our side of the pickleball net or our opponents unexpectedly reach our great shots. Avoid this common mistake and always be ready for the pickleball to come back to your side of the net. 🤗

Bottom line: Always expect the pickleball to come back!

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#6. WOMEN'S CORNER - CATHERINE PARENTEAU FURTHERS PROFESSIONALISM IN PICKLEBALL

In a whirlwind of the past 5 years, Catherine Parenteau has taken playing pickleball from a hobby to a full-time profession, as she was just selected as the #1 pick in the new Major League Pickleball, seemingly dubbing her as the #1 pro pickleball player in all of the land. 🙌

​Click here to learn what Parenteau is doing to elevate her pickleball game (notably, after what she perceived as a setback) and how she has set the bar for treating playing professional pickleball, as just that—a full-time profession.

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#7. NOTEWORTHY - CHANCES OF FALLING ARE LOWER IF YOU PLAY PICKLEBALL

A study was released last month (Walton-Mouw, R. et al. (2021), Physical risk and benefits associated with pickleball in active aging adults. Interprofessional Journal of Healthcare and Research, 1(2), 74-85.) that studied benefits and risks of playing pickleball related to injuries in players over the age of 50. The results from this study were that, while there is a risk of falling when playing pickleball, people that play pickleball (as opposed to people that do not play pickleball) have a lower chance of falling off the pickleball court. In other words, playing pickleball helps avoid the risk of falling for people over the age of 50. 🏃‍♂️ Yet another benefit to the sport of pickleball! Also, to top it off, 98% of respondents in the study noted that they believed pickleball improved their quality of life. No disagreement there...

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#8. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT

As the sport of pickleball continues to pick up steam 💨, let us hit you with the latest headlines from the pickleball court...

• Pickleball is starting to take over shopping plazas and big box stores 🏬, as business owners convert unused stores and mall space to pickleball courts. For instance, one Gold's Gym in Arizona is being converted to an indoor pickleball complex.
• A couple, Jon and Heather Beasley, took the saying, "the family that plays together, stays together," to a whole new level, as the two tied the knot and got married on the pickleball court. 👰🤵
• Did you catch the Vanity Fair article about pickleball, How Pickleball Won Over Everyone From Leonardo DiCaprio to Your Grandparents? This article is definitely worth a read. Two lines/quotes that stuck out to us: (1) "There's an egalitarianism to pickleball you don't often find in other sports." & (2) "I literally want every person in the world to play this game." We agree!

• Not only is pickleball exploding amongst the celebrities of the world, but also with the millennials. The generational divide between the seniors (who have always loved the game) and the millennials (who are rapidly joining the game) is getting smaller thanks to the sport of pickleball. 👨‍🦳👦
• Also, heard around the pickleball court:
  • "As they say, everything in moderation, except pickleball and wine." - Cheryl Oreglia
  • "This is twice as fun as tennis." - Gordon Bolton
• The PPA Championship held in Las Vegas, Nevada, did not disappoint. Without the typical faces in Championship Sunday (for instance, Ben Johns was missing from all of the finals, which is a first), we were able to see some other familiar faces compete for the championship. Notably, it was great to see the Newman siblings (Riley and Lindsey Newman) back on the pickleball court, as sister, Lindsey, has played less pickleball tournaments this year. The Newmans put on a strong showing, taking home the silver medal 🥈 in pro mixed doubles. The Newmans lost to a relatively new pairing in Jessie Irvine and Jay Devilliers. In fact, Jessie Irvine, along with her pro women's doubles partner, Catherine Parenteau (more on her above in point #6), each took home double gold medals 🥇🥇 in the event. However, the hardest thing to watch over this tournament weekend was seeing one of the greatest of all time, Simone Jardim, have to withdraw from the pro women's doubles bracket due to a lingering injury. This should serve as a reminder to take care of yourself on and off the pickleball court, as well as to enjoy every minute you are out there, because you never know what can happen. Join us in sending Simone a lot of positive vibes for a quick recovery! 💌
• Mark your calendars 🗓 for live pro pickleball at the next major pickleball tournaments and events:
  • Major League Pickleball in Dripping Springs, Texas, on Friday, November 5th through Monday, November 8th (the finals will be aired live on Monday on CBS Sports Network)
  • The PPA Masters in La Quinta, California, on Wednesday, November 10th through Sunday, November 14th

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#9. RULES REFRESH - NET... CAN'T TOUCH THAT!

Imagine that you have your opponents on the defensive and you hit an aggressive overhead. Your opponents barely get a paddle on the ball, sending the pickleball high into the air. The pickleball lands just on your side of the pickleball net, so that the pickleball will bounce high above the net and allow you to hit an aggressive shot right in front of the net - one of our favorite shots! You kneel down and crush somewhat of an overhead, putting the pickleball away and out of reach of your opponents. But, because you were so close to the pickleball net, you hit the net on your follow through. FAULT! 🙅‍♂️ You lose the rally.

Why did you lose the rally even though you put the pickleball away? Remember that you may not touch the pickleball net, net posts, net system, or the opposing team's side of the pickleball court, while the pickleball is "live." If you do any of these things while the pickleball is "live" – touch the net, net posts, net system, or opposing side of the court – then you commit a fault and you lose the rally.

Key takeaway: Do not touch any part of the pickleball net during a 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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#10. TIPS TO ORGANIZING PICKLEBALL PLAY

Open play, or drop-in play, is the cornerstone of the sport of pickleball. But, sometimes, players may want to find a game at their specific skill level and/or with players that they especially enjoy being on the pickleball court with. Organized pickleball games can maximize the number of games that you can play in a specific period of time, as well as maximize the value of every rally by gathering a group of equally skilled players.

However, organizing a pickleball game can be tricky. Click here to learn some tips for organizing a pickleball game, which apply to players of any skill level.

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#11. LESSONS FROM THE PICKLEBALL COURT

Life lessons come from all places - even unexpected places, like the pickleball court.

As the saying goes, “patience is a virtue.” This holds true on the pickleball court. Click here to learn why patience is key to each pickleball game, rally, and shot. 🙏

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PICKLEBALL FOR GOOD!

As we head into the holiday season, we wanted to share with you that we are working on a new project that involves giving access to the sport of pickleball to more kids in our communities (it is how we are going to continue to grow our sport... by passing it down!). This will be a not-for-profit effort driven by the volunteer and community spirit that is at the heart of our sport. There will be a lot of steps, events, smiles, and laughs along the road to achieve this, but the first will be collecting equipment to share with kids. If you have gently used pickleball paddles, balls, nets, or other items that you think the kids could get a lot of use out of, please reach out to me at stacie@thepickler.com. If you would like to get involved or have an idea that may be worth sharing, we would love to hear from you, too, so please email me at stacie@thepickler.com. 💌

And, if you need a new pickleball paddle or other gear because you are ready to donate yours, our friends at Fromuth Pickleball can help you out. And, don't forget to snag 10% off with the code "10PICKLER"!

Shop Now

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BALL'S IN YOUR COURT...

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