Happy Wednesday! 🎉

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the pickleball moms out there! Whether you celebrated on or off the court, we hope you had a fantastic day. 💐

So, let's dive straight into your pickleball tips, strategies, stories, news, and more... 👏

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#1. MASTER THE ART OF BEING THE PERFECT PICKLEBALL PARTNER

Pickleball is more commonly played as a doubles game rather than a singles game. Whether you are playing with a long-time partner, or find yourself on the same side of the net with someone new at open play, being in-sync can be challenging, and sometimes even intimidating. To help us all have more fun, win more games, and become better doubles partners, we have come up with some tips to become the perfect pickleball partner. 🙌

FEATURED PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENTS FROM PICKLEBALL DEN

Sign up now for your chance to play in the 2025 US Open Pickleball Championships! Get ready for the YMCA Mid East Regional Pickleball Tournament to be held June 28-30, 2024 at the Upper Main Line YMCA in Berwyn, PA. The gold medal winners from this tournament will receive a special invitation to the 2025 US Open! REGISTER NOW

​ Barstool Pickleball Open - Pickleball 603​ Barstool is setting out to deliver a pickleball experience that will bring together Stoolies and Pickleball fanatics alike. Get ready for Bartsool's one-of-a-kind tournament in East Hampstead, New Hampshire on July 27. Register now for an experience you won't want to miss! ​Learn more about the other dates of the Barstool Pickleball Open. REGISTER NOW

QUOTES FROM RECENT TOURNAMENTS

#2. MURMURS FROM THE LOSERS’ BRACKET: PICKLEBALL MANIA HITS TARGET STORES. WHAT’S NEXT?

Giant displays of pickleball apparel, gear and accessories are popping up in Target department stores. 🎯 Will other retailers jump in to make their own contributions to pickleball mania? Imagine Costco offering bulk paddle sets or Starbucks serving up dinkaccinos for a post-match pick-me-up. ☕️ The possibilities are endless!

#3. KITCHEN TALK: PICKLEBALL EDITION WITH KAITLIN MILLER

Episode 22: Double Trouble: Dominating the Courts as Sisters Meet the Walker sisters! Alex and Angie Walker are a powerhouse sister duo shaking up the pickleball scene. Former collegiate tennis stars turned pickleball pros, these sisters are a force to be reckoned with on the court. As best friends and sisters, they get to go through this journey together. And now, with Angie gearing up for her MLP debut with the Atlanta Bouncers, the excitement is real.

Episode 23: A Pickleball Paddle/Lifestyle Brand Crafted from the Streets of NYC Mark Vermylen shares his journey from being laid off from his tech sales job to starting his own pickleball paddle and lifestyle brand. Mark’s love for racquet sports led him to create House Pickleball, a brand born from the streets of Manhattan and now thriving as a lifestyle hub. From paddle designs inspired by NYC to building a community through events and neighborhood play, Mark's story proves that sometimes life's best rallies come after a tough setback.

#4. QUICK TIP - MOVE THE DINK AROUND

When dinking, it is critical to move the dink around, mix it up, and remain unpredictable. This means mixing up spins, speeds, angles, depths, and placement of your dinks. The more unpredictable you can be, the more you will catch your opponents off guard and create confusion. Whether the player themselves is confused about how to hit the pickleball, confused whether to hit the pickleball out of the air or off the bounce, or doubles partners are confused as to who should hit the pickleball, moving the dink around leaves your opponents feeling uncertain and unable to predict what's coming next. 🤔

Get more tips to play better pickleball with The Pickler’s video series, My Pro Pickleball Coach!

#5. HELP, I AM BEING TARGETED, OR “ICED OUT,” ON THE PICKLEBALL COURT!

A common strategy on the pickleball court is to find your opponents’ weakness and target that weakness. This could include targeting one of your opponents over the other - in other words, targeting the weaker player. What if this pickleball strategy is used against you? What do you do if you are the player that is targeted? 🤯

#6. RULES REFRESH Q&A - THE NASTY NELSON

By Mark Peifer, USA Pickleball Certified Referee; Past Chairman, USA Pickleball Rules Committee

QUESTION: Rule 4.N.1, which is under the heading of receiver faults, states that it is a receiver fault if “The receiver or their partner is touched by or interferes with the flight of the ball before it bounces.” Some players hit the ball with a lot of velocity and it can be hard to get out of the way. My wife, who is sixty, got hit in the chest when she was two feet behind the baseline, but per this rule, we lost the point. I’m curious about the logic of this. I can understand if the receiver was inside the court and got hit, but not in my wife’s case when the ball didn’t come close to the service box. Can you please explain the basis behind the rule?

ANSWER: Great question. Let's examine this a little bit. You said your wife was two feet behind the baseline. But, how far outside the court would someone have to be standing for this to not be a fault? Could one foot be outside the baseline line and one inside the line? Some would say having one foot out of bounds is 'clearly' out of bounds. If not, could I stand out of bounds and have part of my body extend over the line in bounds? In other words, how far beyond the baseline would I have to be to satisfy the new criteria you are suggesting would not result in a fault if I get hit on the fly on the serve? Why is the serve any different than any other shot with respect to Rule 7.I?

To extend this a little further, what if someone serves the ball and it looks like it is clearly going out of bounds and hits someone before a strong wind blows it back in bounds? Doesn't the server deserve the right to have their ball bounce on the court surface to establish with certainty whether or not the serve was good or not?

Not to be flippant, but if we said something like 'if the player is standing two feet outside the court boundary then it's a fault on the server if they hit the player', how and who gets to determine if the two feet is met? The 'what ifs' involved in enforcing that type rule are too many to list. When we write rules, we also have to determine how enforceable they are.

Unfortunately, at some point, players must hold themselves accountable for getting out of the way. The current rule is simple to understand and enforce. Pay attention and, Don't. Get. Hit. That's an easy rule to understand. Get out of the way and let the ball bounce. Then and only then can we tell whether or not the ball is in or out. The scenario you mention has its own name in our sport; it's called the Nasty Nelson, after the individual who popularized it. If it's done on purpose, it's a bush move, I'll admit, and it questions someone's sportsmanship. But, as a referee, I would have no way of determining if a server did it purposely.

COMING SOON - SELKIRK AMPED PRO AIR

The next era of AMPED is coming May 21! 🙌 The AMPED Pro Air is the pickleball paddle for players who refuse to compromise on their game. Crafted to deliver balanced power and control in one uncompromising paddle, the AMPED Pro Air offers the smooth, familiar feel of an all-court paddle, alongside the next-level technology necessary to dominate on the court.

#7. 7 PRO TIPS FOR A KILLER PICKLEBALL SERVE

What are the key pickleball serving techniques and strategies? Learn seven of the best serving tips for a strong, strategic serve to take your game to the next level and give yourself an edge over your opponent! 💪

#8. ON THE TOUR - FIRST TIME GOLD MEDALISTS

The PPA Tour visited St. George, Utah April 24-28 for the PPA Red Rock Open. Federico Staksrud has officially taken over 💪 as the #1 ranked player on tour and showed, once again, how he earned this spot by defeating Jack Sock to earn the gold in men’s singles. Two pro players earned their first ever PPA gold medals at this event. Despite Lea Jansen making a powerful run to the women’s singles gold medal match, she ultimately earned silver with Mary Brascia winning her first ever PPA gold medal. Lea Jansen also made a run for the gold medal in women’s doubles with partner Tina Pisnik and this time came out on top. This was Pisnik’s first ever PPA gold medal. 🎉

The APP Tour headed to Cincinnati, Ohio May 7-12. This event featured a slew of first-time winners on the medal stand. Grayson Goldin and Zane Ford battled it out for the men’s singles title with Goldin coming out on top with his first ever gold medal. 🥇 Despite coming in second place, this marked the first ever pro pickleball medal for Ford. The men’s doubles podium had several first-timers. Ryler DeHeart and Rob Nunnery defeated William Sobek and Casey Cullen for the gold (a first for DeHeart). With the bronze medal, both Jack Foster and Jason Bock secured their first ever APP pro medals. While Simone Jardim is no stranger to the medal stand, she fought back from a first game loss in women’s singles to claim her first gold medal of 2024. Jardim earned the double double with a gold medal in women’s doubles. 🏆

The MLP was also back in action with its first event of 2024 in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. 🍑 In the Premier League, the New Jersey 5s featuring Anna Leigh Waters, Will Howells, Zane Navratil, and Mari Humberg, finished undefeated. The St. Louis Shock featuring Anna Bright, Kate Fahey, Hayden Patriquin, and Gabriel Tardio finished in first place despite losing once to D.C. Pickleball. In the Challenger League, the Bay Area Breakers finished the event in first place with a huge lead. 👏 Their only loss was to the Frisco Pandas who are currently in second place.

For a full recap on these events, check out the following:

• First Time Winners Join Regular Gold Medalists at Pro Pickleball Association Red Rock Open
• Simone Jardim Stars Alongside First-Time Gold Medalists At The Association Of Pickleball Players Cincy Open
• Major League Pickleball Returns To Action In Atlanta

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for more pro pickleball action in May! 📆

UP YOUR GAME & HAVE A LAUGH!​​

Have a laugh and learn some great tips to take to the pickleball court with longtime humor writer Frank Cerabino's book ​I Dink, Therefore I Am: Coming to Grips with My Pickleball Addiction​! Plus, this book makes a great gift for your favorite player or partner! 📚

#9. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT

Check out the latest headlines to stay in the know on all things pickleball 📢

• Ben Johns revealed his pickleball skills are paying off… big time. 💰 The world's #1 pickleball player makes a whopping $2.5 million a year, marking a tenfold increase from 2021.
• Lexington, Kentucky is finding a way to keep their courts clean and green. The largest facility in the city now has pickleball recycling bins for players to properly recycle their used, damaged and cracked pickleballs. ♻️
• No pants… No problem?! Camila and Matthew McConaughey recently advertised their Pantalones tequila brand by developing a pickleball-inspired cocktail and hitting the courts pantless! 👖

​GRAB 10% OFF!​

Up your game by grabbing 10% off a new paddle, shoes, and more pickleball necessities from Fromuth Pickleball (some exclusions apply) with the code 10PICKLER! 💸

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