Happy Monday! For many, the Monday after Thanksgiving is the first day back at work after a 4-day weekend, while, for others, it is time to go shopping for Cyber Monday. 👩‍💻 Either way, we hope you had a great Thanksgiving filled with great people, great food, and great pickleball (who needs a Turkey Trot 🦃, when you can play pickleball?)!

Before we dive into the tips, strategies, must-read pickleball poetry (yes, you read that right!), and stories, check out a few quick hit headlines from Pickler The Newsroom in the video below 👇...

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#1. WHAT IS A SHORT-HOP DINK & WHY YOU SHOULD MASTER IT

Have you ever heard of a short-hop dink in pickleball? Learn what a short-hop dink is, why it can be a valuable shot for you, and tips to help you master the short-hop dink. 🤔

WHAT IS IT?

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#2. MURMURS FROM THE LOSERS' BRACKET: SPIRITED PICKLEBALL POETRY

We here at Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket have detected an appalling lack of holiday-themed pickleball poetry. With the Christmas season here 🎅, we’ve taken action to correct this. Have a laugh with this must-read spirited pickleball poetry! 😂

MUST READ!

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#3. NEED A TARGET? 5 COMMON TARGETS TO WIN MORE PICKLEBALL POINTS

Pickleball is all about precision. Learn 5 common targets to win more points against your opponents on the pickleball court. 🎯

LEARN NOW

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SHOP THE HOLIDAY SALE NOW!

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#4. SHOULD PICKLEBALL FANS CHEER DURING POINTS?

As pickleball grows, new issues arise on the court, including one new controversy during a recent pro women’s singles match. Learn what happened between two rivals, Lea Jansen and Salome Devidze, as well as the bigger questions this controversy raised for the sport of pickleball. 📣

LEARN MORE

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#5. HOW TO DEFEND AGAINST THE ERNE ON THE PICKLEBALL COURT

How do you defend against a shot called the "Erne," or otherwise prevent the Erne from being used against you? Learn about the Erne, and get the tips to help you defend against the Erne on the pickleball court! 💥

DEFEND AGAINST THE ERNE!

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#6. QUICK TIP - USE A LOOSE, RELAXED GRIP

Many pickleball players grip their paddles way too tightly and in the palm of their hand – think a 10 out of 10 grip pressure, or where the player is “white knuckling” the paddle. Too much grip pressure, and too much palm on the paddle, are negatives because both will result in loss of control of the pickleball and loss of feel of the pickleball off of the paddle.

As a result, it is important to have a loose, relaxed grip on the pickleball court – think a 4 out of 10 grip pressure. It is also important to hold the pickleball paddle more in your fingers and less in the palm of your hand. This will give you a softer touch, more control of your shots, and faster hands.

Bottom line – Use a loose, relaxed grip on the pickleball court. 🧘‍♂️

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​NEED A STOCKING STUFFER?​

Looking for a great stocking stuffer for the pickleball addict in your life? If so, then I Dink, Therefore I Am: Coming to Grips with My Pickleball Addiction, is what you need. Give the gift of great pickleball tips and laughs with this pickleball book written by longtime humor writer, Frank Cerabino! 📚

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#7. RULES REFRESH - SCORE FINISHED?

A fault was called to start a pro mixed doubles match between Lucy Kovalova—Matt Wright and Evgenia Erokhina—Brandon French at the PPA Takeya Classic. See this fault in the video below...

To start the game, Erokhina committed a fault, as she hit her serve before the score was finished being called by the referee. Although this seems to have been a tight call, it is a good reminder of this particular pickleball rule—do not hit your serve until the entire score is called—as well as the importance of taking a deep breath before any game. 👏

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#8. HEADLINES FROM THE COURT

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

• We had a few firsts over the past couple weeks:
  • The first-time winners of the Colbert Cup were crowned (congrats to country star Dierks Bentley and "The Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan), as the two-hour pickleball special “Pickled” aired on CBS to benefit Comic Relief. Pickled received some “bad press” for low-level play (and somewhat lackluster TV ratings), but it was great to see pickleball on a national stage for a good cause. All press is good press, right? 📰
  • The first pickleball trading card was unveiled, featuring pro Catherine Parenteau.
  • The inaugural national collegiate pickleball championships were held in Dripping Springs, Texas, and the University of North Carolina came away victorious. Congrats to the Tar Heels! 👏
  • Pickleball was featured on Wheel of Fortune for the first time. Can you solve this puzzle? 🤗

• We may have had one more first (although not a positive one)… After a dispute on the pickleball court, a 70-year-old Mississippi man pointed a gun at his adversary. Two years later, he was found guilty of aggravated assault. Fortunately, no one seemed to have been hurt, but let’s be kind and avoid these incidents anywhere, especially on the pickleball court. If you need to let frustration out 😡, please resort to breaking your paddles, like pro player Tyson McGuffin (*kidding* - that would get expensive).

• Speaking of the pros, there have been some announcements and rumors coming out of the pro tours:
  • Rumors swirl around the APP Tour securing the largest broadcast deal in the sport to date. No details have been announced, but big broadcast deals mean big bucks for pro pickleball. Stay tuned.
  • Major League Pickleball and the PPA Tour announced that they will have a total prize pool of somewhere between $8-10 million 💰 and will be unveiling player tour cards, which have a silver level and a gold level, each with varying benefits, payouts, and minimum commitment requirements.

• Lastly, Medium recently released an article with an interesting way to describe pickleball. The author, Mitch Dunn, relates pickleball courts to the “Third Place,” which is a phrase to describe where we spend time between home (“First Place”) and work (“Second Place”). He suggests that pickleball has arrived to save the Third Place, which has declined in recent years (whether due to modern society, technology, social media, video games, etc., all leading to less social interaction). This Third Place is an essential part of our lives, as it is where we cultivate community. The importance of this is backed by science, as a Harvard study recently announced that relationships and community are critical to happiness and well-being. So, maybe pickleball really can save America? 😄 Or, as Andrew Yang recently put it:

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#9. THE PICKLEBALL NEWS WE REALLY NEED TO TALK ABOUT... THE RATINGS NEWS

There have been quite a few jaw-dropping pickleball headlines this year. And, we have yet another pickleball headline that may be more meaningful and interesting to the sport than others, but has been less publicized and discussed. Learn the latest headline that is affecting pickleball ratings and could affect overall pickleball play. 🤔

LEARN MORE

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

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PLAYING TO 9 TODAY...

We normally "play to 11" in this newsletter, just as we do on the pickleball court. But, sometimes, when the courts are busy, we are required to keep things moving and only "play to 9." With the holiday weekend, today is one of those "play to 9" days.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends. We will be back to our regularly scheduled 11 points in our next newsletter and, until then, if you need any holiday deals or gift ideas as you prepare for the season of giving, check out of handpicked pickleball gifts in Pickler's gift guide. 🎁

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

And, don't forget to grab 10% off at Fromuth Pickleball (some exclusions apply) this holiday season. Use the code 10PICKLER! 💸

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BALL'S IN YOUR COURT...

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