As we head into the Fall 🍁, year end is just around the corner, which means rule changes are upon us. Each year, the USA Pickleball Rules Committee reviews and evaluates proposed changes to the rules, before submitting the curated proposals to the USA Pickleball Board of Directors for final approval. While the rule changes are not official yet, they are getting close, and there may be a few potential changes that are worth knowing about.

We will keep you updated as we learn more, but, if you are interested in the rules and learning more about the process, then tune in to the latest Pickler The Podcast episode below with USA Pickleball Managing Director of Officiating, Mark Peifer (*one rules preview - you better use that spin serve 🌪 while you can)...

Tips, strategies, rules updates, gambling talk, pro summaries, headlines... we have it all in this pickleball newsletter! Before we serve it up (using what may be one of our last spin serves), check out a few quick hit headlines from Pickler The Newsroom in the video below 👇.

Let's get to it... 👏

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#1. 5 PICKLEBALL TIPS TO SLOW THE GAME DOWN

Athletes of all sports - including pickleball - typically play their best when the game feels like it is happening in slow motion. When the game feels slow, the pickleball is easier to track and react to, and you may feel like there is more time to make your best shot. When the game feels fast, you will feel like your opponents are rallying off point after point for an easy victory.

If you find yourself in a pickleball game that seems to be happening too fast, try to slow the game down using these 5 tips. ⚠️

LEARN 5 TIPS

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#2. MURMURS FROM THE LOSERS' BRACKET: WHEN DISCUSSIONS OF THE RULES TURN UNRULY

We here at Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket are often talking about the rules of the game. And, so are most other pickleball players... even when unsolicited. Have a laugh with MFTLB, as we break down how rules discussions can turn unruly, suggest why these rules discussions arise, and discuss how to handle any unsolicited advice. 🤭

HAVE A LAUGH

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#3. PICKLEBALL HAS EVOLVED. LEARN HOW YOUR GAME SHOULD, TOO.

Pickleball has evolved in the past 10 years. To keep up with the change in the sport, consider learning from long-time pickleball pro Kyle Yates and implementing these two key factors into your game. ✌️

EVOLVE YOUR GAME

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​FALL 🍁 = SWEATER WEATHER​

With just 3 days until the official start to the Fall season, sweater weather is around the corner. So, grab a sweater to show off your love for pickleball for every day of the week that you hit the courts (which likely means you need 7, right?)! 😊

SHOP NOW

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#4. PICKLEBALL V. TENNIS? IT'S NOT A FAIR COMPARISON

If you were watching television earlier this month, there were times when you could flip between channels on your TV to watch the U.S. Open tennis 🎾tournament and a PPA major pickleball tournament. With the double broadcasts, we couldn't help but draw a comparison between the two sports. Learn how the sport of pickleball and the sport of tennis compare (or not).

READ MORE

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#5. 5 DEFENSIVE PICKLEBALL TIPS TO GET BACK INTO THE POINT

We all try to avoid the dreaded “pop up” on the pickleball court, particularly when we are at the Kitchen line. However, as much as we try, “pop ups” happen to the best of us. The next time you pop up the pickleball, use these 5 tips to play your best defense and get back in the point. 🤺

5 TIPS FOR DEFENSE

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#6. PICKLER THE PODCAST - USA PICKLEBALL'S MARK PEIFER ON RULES & REFEREES

Some of the most commonly asked questions in the sport of pickleball focus on the rules of the game. Get an inside look at the rules of pickleball - including the rules revision process and some new and important rules changes for 2023 - as well as what it is like to be a pickleball referee with USA Pickleball Managing Director of Officiating, Mark Peifer. Learn a lot (like we did!) 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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#7. QUICK TIP - CLEAN YOUR PADDLE

Have you ever cleaned your pickleball paddle? If not, you should because your pickleball paddle can become quite dirty. The grit of your pickleball paddle can capture dirt, which will make your pickleball paddle smooth and less effective at putting spin on the pickleball. As a result, you should clean your pickleball paddle from time to time, so that it plays more “like new” and you have the benefit of the gritty, textured paddle surface. 🧼

TIPS FOR CLEANING YOUR PADDLE

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​LOOKING FOR A BOOK THIS FALL?​

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. RULES REFRESH - HATS OFF

A pickleball clipped the net and rolled over to the opposite side of the Kitchen in a recent pro mixed doubles match between Anna Bright-Dylan Frazier and Sarah Ansboury-Rafa Hewett. Hewett used his quick feet to get to the pickleball in time. However, as shown in the video below, as he was striking the pickleball, Hewett's hat 🧢 nicked the net. What's the call?

Fault! Hewett lost the rally as soon as his hat touched the net. Remember, if you touch the pickleball net, net posts, or net system, while the pickleball is "live," then you commit a fault and you will lose the rally. So, avoid making contact with the net, and keep your hat brims short.

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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#9. 11 TIPS FOR YOUR NEXT PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT

Play your best and make the most of your next pickleball tournament with these 11 tips! 💪

GET THE TIPS!

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#10. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT

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

• The pickleball headlines these past two weeks all seem to pose the same question… What does it take for the sport of pickleball to “make it”? Is it any or all of the following events that happened in the last two weeks alone:
  • The Major League Baseball team, the Seattle Mariners, hosted a “Pickleball Night” at a recent game, where pro Riley Newman threw out the first pitch after hitting a pickleball into the stands. ⚾️
  • Pickleball pros and our friends at The Dink helped add one new pickleball player to stats, as NBA all-star Kevin Durant started “getting the hang” of the game. 🏀
  • Or, maybe it is the fact that pickleball had its first streaker on court? A rite of passage for all sports, but not sure if we need to see that ever again…
• Regardless of what the moment of “making it” is, we just love to see as many people as possible playing the game, from mascots, to 94-year-old legends, to all the pickleball gangs of New York.
• Another underlying theme in the news these past two weeks is gambling, as, after MGM released a pickleball-themed commercial promoting gambling with Barry Sanders and Jamie Foxx, the PPA Tour announced a new team format event to be held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with $175,000 up for grabs. 💰 The PPA Tour also announced a partnership with Draft Kings. These notable events could all be hinting at gambling hitting the sport of pickleball, which means that we are betting the house on Anna Leigh Waters. All jokes aside, do you think pickleball is ready for gambling?

• Another industry seems ready for pickleball—the “eatertainment” industry. More and more concepts are following Chicken N Pickle with restaurants and bars using pickleball to sell food and drink. The eatertainment industry seems to love pickleball, as it means all-day revenue with pickleball players that love to play from sun up to sun down. 🤑
• These eatertainment concepts are an interesting way to fuel the demand for more courts. Maybe these concepts could help fuel the “homeless” pickleball population of Asheville, North Carolina, or satisfy the pickleballers of St. Petersburg, Florida? We are down with pickleball eatertainment, as long as there is any vegan food does not lead to vegan feet (watch this video from Pickleball Highlights to understand what we mean)…
• A recent study proved something that I think we all already know—singles pickleball leads to more steps and a higher heart rate than doubles pickleball.
• Regardless of whether you like singles or doubles, check out these exercises to improve your skills from senior pro pickleball player, Julie Johnson, that were featured in the Wall Street Journal.
• Speaking of pro pickleball players, Allyce Jones was recently interviewed on an Utah-based news channel, where she said that, after being introduced to the sport during the pandemic, she had “becoming a pickleball pro” on her vision board. Jones is now ranked #12 in the world on the PPA Tour. Where can we get one of these vision boards?! #inspiration
• A big shout out to more great women in the sport of pickleball, some of whom were featured in the latest issue of Pickleball Magazine! 👏

• Lastly, congratulations to Roger Federer on an amazing tennis career! And, potentially, cheers for a “second act” on the pickleball court? Serena and Roger would be a fitting mixed doubles team… Watch out, Anna Leigh and Ben Johns!

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#11. ON THE TOUR: GOLD POURING IN FOR ANNA LEIGH WATERS 👑👑👑

In just two weekends, pro pickleball put on three shows:

1. APP Atlanta Metro Open in Atlanta, Georgia (which was also a USA Pickleball National Qualifier)
2. PPA Baird Wealth Management Open in Cincinnati, Ohio
3. PPA Peachtree Classic in Peachtree City, Georgia

​Learn who the big winners were, which included some new faces, as well as a triple crown for one of the usual suspects. 👑👑👑

PRO CATCH UP

Do you want more pro pickleball action? It's coming! Don't forget to mark your calendars! 🗓

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​ONLINE PICKLEBALL LESSONS: EXCELLENT VIDEOS​

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But don't take our word for it, check out our latest review below... 👇

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