Happy Monday!

We avoided a government shutdown it appears! Could this be due to the power of pickleball? Pickleball has the power to unite, even political parties. A bipartisan group of senators has formed the Senate pickleball caucus. The group leaves politics off the court during their weekly play. 🏛️

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

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#1. IMPROVE YOUR PICKLEBALL HAND SPEED WITH THESE 2 DRILLS

Hand speed 👋 is paramount in pickleball as it directly influences a player’s ability to react swiftly to the fast-paced and dynamic nature of the game. Whether it is reacting to powerful smashes, delicate dinks, or sudden changes in ball direction, players with enhanced hand speed have a significant advantage. As a result, improving and maximizing your hand speed will have a direct impact on your ability to make fast, precise shots and win more games on the court. 🏆

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#2. MURMURS FROM THE LOSERS’ BRACKET: LOSING WITH STYLE

It's always important to exhibit grace in defeat. Let’s face it, most pickleballers get a lot of practice in losing. And in the end, if you’re playing rec-level pickleball, the score’s not important, anyway. All that matters is whether or not you’re having a good time. It’s not whether you lose, it’s how you lose. So, chin up. 👍

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#3. TRY THIS PICKLEBALL STRATEGY TO INVOLVE YOUR PARTNER WHEN YOU ARE BEING TARGETED

Sometimes, during competitive play, your opponents can employ a strategy where they will target you over your partner. In other words, your opponents will hit most of their shots in your direction and not to your partner. When this happens, there are a few strategies that you can employ to involve your partner and relieve pressure off of yourself. 🎯

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​SELKIRK PRO PORTABLE ALUMINUM PICKLEBALL NET​

Experience a new level of Pickleball excellence with the Selkirk Semi-Permanent Pro Pickleball Net, a game-changing offering derived from the renowned Selkirk Labs 001 Carbon Fiber Pro Net System. Built on the same cutting-edge technology, this version boasts a corrosive resistant aluminum frame for maintaining the exceptional quality that Selkirk is known for. Crafted with precision and innovation, the Selkirk Semi-Permanent Pro Pickleball Net brings the future of Pickleball to your own backyard or private facility and ensures a top-tier playing experience for players of all skill levels. It's the ideal choice for those who seek the perfect balance of quality and convenience. 🥅

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#4. USA PICKLEBALL CREATES “QUIET CATEGORY” TO ADDRESS NOISE CONCERNS WITH THE SPORT

The sport’s top threat to growth is the lack of pickleball courts to match the demand to play. With that said, one of the barriers to further court development is the concerns around the noise 🔊 that accompanies the game—particularly, in residential and/or urban areas. In the hopes to address this critical concern, USA Pickleball has introduced a “Quiet Category” for pickleball products. 🤫

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#5. PICKLEBALL FOOT FAULT OR “ELF TOE”?

As you may know, one of the cornerstone rules of the sport is that you may not volley the pickleball while making contact with the Kitchen or the Kitchen line. In summary, the rule—at its most basic level—is very simple and clear: No volleys are allowed in the Kitchen. 🚫 Enforcing the rule is more difficult, especially when players have a high level of precision in court positioning. The “elf toe” creates a tiny margin between a legal play and a fault. 👟

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#6. QUICK TIP – GO HIGH ON THE DEFENSIVE LOB

A lob can be used when you are under pressure, out of position, facing an aggressive shot, or otherwise generally in a “pinch” on the pickleball court. In these circumstances—when you are considering using a defensive lob—go high into the air and around the middle of your opponents’ side of the pickleball court. The extra air time will give you and your partner more time to reset and get ready to defend another shot, while also giving your opponents more time to “think” about the shot 🤔 and potentially make a mistake (as they could become somewhat disoriented by having to track the pickleball for so long in the air).

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​🔑Bottom line – Go high and middle when using the defensive lob.

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​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! 📚

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#7. YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHERE THEY ARE PLAYING PICKLEBALL NOW!

You can play pickleball just about anywhere these days… even in a manure tank? Unique pickleball settings showcase the sport’s versatility and ability to adapt to various environments, making it accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages and backgrounds. Discover other interesting and unique places where pickleball has been played. 📍

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#8. RULES REFRESH Q&A – TOSSING THE SERVE

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

QUESTION: "I saw on one of your videos that the volley serve can be tossed up in the air and then legally hit below your waist. Some of my Pickleball club members say that the ball has to be dropped and it cannot be tossed even for a volley serve. Can you clarify this for me as the official pickleball rules don’t address this specifically." 🤔

ANSWER: The reason the official USA Pickleball Rulebook does not specifically address tossing the ball up for a volley serve is because the Rulebook typically only provides actions or behaviors that are not allowed. If the Rulebook was written to include everything a player can do on serves (or any other aspect of play), the Rulebook would, as you can imagine, be unwieldy long. Please see number 3 in the Rulebook Appendix, page 69.

In the case of the volley serve, the rules provide a short list of service motion requirements that must happen for a legal volley serve. These are rules 4.A.7.a-c.

All of these must be followed for a legal volley serve. Notice that the rules make no mention of tosses, so by implication, and keeping in mind the aforementioned number 3 above, any upward toss for the volley serve is legal. You just have to comply with the requirements of Rules 4.A.7 a-c as the ball falls.

On the other hand, tossing the ball up while performing the drop serve is not legal because the rules explicitly say so in Rule 4.A.8.b.

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​SAVE THE DATE FOR THE US OPEN PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS!​

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The countdown is on for the 2024 US Open Pickleball Championships! 🗓️With 3,038 players and 41,000 spectators representing 50 states and 29 countries, 2023 was a record breaking year for The Open. Be sure to mark your calendar for the Biggest Pickleball Party in the World April 13th-April 20th, 2024 in Naples, Florida! 🥳

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#9. THE ART OF TARGETING THE LEFT FOOT OF THE RIGHT-SIDED PLAYER IN PICKLEBALL

One common pickleball strategy is to target the left foot of the right-sided player on the court (assuming two right-handed players). Why is this a common strategy or target? How do you implement this pickleball strategy? Learn the art of targeting the left foot of the right-sided player on the pickleball court now. 👏

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#10. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT

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

• Fast food restaurants are adding pickleball to the menu. 🍟 A Sonic Drive-In in Texas has become the first to include pickleball courts. With the help of White Castle, Major League Pickleball’s Columbus team is rebranding to the Columbus Sliders.

• Are you ready for a pickleball marathon? 📺 PPA and The Tennis Channel announced that they teaming up to create pickleballtv, a 24/7 free streaming channel dedicated to pickleball. 🎾
• Sound the alarm! One city in Colorado has declared a 🚨pickleball emergency over pickleball noise.
• The Texas Ranchers are saying “Howdy” to eight new pickleball courts! 🤠 The Major League Pickleball team opened the Austin Pickle Ranch, a facility with eight new courts available for use by the team and the public.

• Celebrities are continuing to join the pickleball craze. Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has become a co-owner of MLP’s Atlanta Bouncers, Jamie Foxx challenged Tyson McGuffin to a match, and George and Amal Clooney revealed that while they make a great pair, they prefer to stay single on the court.
• Greenville, South Carolina is welcoming a pickleball team that’s out of this world! The city’s first Special Olympics pickleball team is known as The Greenville Hot Shots. ☄️
  

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#11. ON THE TOUR – BACK IN ACTION

Two pro events headed to the peach state 🍑 over the last two weeks with Major League Pickleball kicking off its second series of 2023 in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, and the APP Tour traveling to Atlanta for The 2023 APP Atlanta Metro Open. Major League Pickleball’s first event of season two featured new teams and partnerships. The Premier League saw The Orlando Squeeze 🍊 come out on top after going undefeated in the group stage and defeating The D.C. Pickleball Team in the finals in a Dreambreaker. The SoCal Hard Eights went undefeated to win The Challenger League.

Parris Todd and Megan Fudge were both back in action and back on the winner's podium at the APP Atlanta Metro Open after facing injuries at the APP New Jersey Open. Fudge won her first women's singles gold medal of 2023, while Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez, also earned his first gold medal in men's singles. 🥇

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

• ​Orlando Puts The Squeeze On The Competition At Major League Pickleball Atlanta​
• ​Social Roundup: Georgia on my Mind​

Don't forget to mark your calendars for more pro pickleball action in OCTOBER! 🗓

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​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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BALL'S IN YOUR COURT...

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