Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Let’s go. 👇

As many of you know, we like to pose pickleball-themed questions to all of you on our Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as our Facebook group.

We recently asked the question, "What's the best pickleball coaching advice you've gotten?" As always, you gave incredible answers, so let's take a look...

One person wrote: "Don’t try to win the point when you are in a bad position." That's some great advice. So much of pickleball is knowing when you should be offensive and when you should be defensive.

If you are in a bad position (i.e., off balance or making contact with the ball way below the net), then you should be defensive.

Someone else said "Down the middle solves the riddle," which has become a popular saying in pickleball.

It essentially means that you should often hit to the middle of the court because it can cause confusion between your opponents, it reduces your opponents’ angles, and the net is slightly lower in the middle, which makes it a little easier for your shot to clear the net.

But then another member of the group responded to that comment with "Not against me it doesn’t. I take that away." 😂 Now that guy is ready to play right now! 

Some other solid pieces of advice were: "Placement over power," "Don't run backwards," and "Serve deep, return deep."

But perhaps the best coaching tip we saw was: "Hit it over the net." Now that's brilliant advice! 😉 (Although it's not wrong — if you can hit every single ball over the net and inside the court, then you'll actually never lose a point.)

It’s Showtime!

Let's dive into LIVE! Aaron will be going live on Instagram Live with one of the best players in the world, PPA Champion, James Ignatowich! It's always a great experience getting inside the mind of someone who has beaten virtually every top pro on the planet. And it's happening LIVE on our Instagram tomorrow, Thursday, November 20th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm ET.

James will be giving coaching advice, taking questions, and revealing one thing that nobody knows about life as a PPA Tour pro pickleball player. Plus, you'll get the inside scoop on whether or not there will be a potential exodus to Asia when pro pickleball player contracts end in 2027. Lastly, James will be offering up BIG LIVE DISCOUNTS on his new RPM paddles. Join us on Instagram on Thursday!

Adjust Your Strategy Based on Who You Are Playing

Every player has their own strengths and weaknesses, so a strategy that works against one player might not work against another. Early in a game, be sure to give your opponents different shots to discover what makes them uncomfortable. An easy way to begin testing your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses is by hitting to both their forehands and backhands and taking note of how they react. Also, try testing both your drive and drop and see if they struggle more with one over the other. Figuring out your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses and adjusting accordingly is a great way to win more games!

If you’re someone who can’t help but to compare and despair, then don’t watch this video of a 7-year-old hitting drives. 👇

It Speaks for Itself

Josh, a 5.0+ player who works with us at The Pickleball Clinic, has something to say…

“Hey everyone, this is Josh. To be honest, this would normally be a sponsored section for RPM. But I’m actually maining the RPM right now (using it as my main paddle). I played with it in a 4.5+ tournament last weekend and did really well. And honestly, the paddle speaks for itself. People were asking me to test it left and right. See for yourself with code ”clinic15” for 15% off!”

Most of the pickleball courts we feature here are part of large resorts or local courts set in beautiful areas. But these two gorgeous courts below are part of an Airbnb rental! Yup, the property is called Casita Panorama, and it's a two bedroom rental set on 2.5 acres of land within walking distance of Joshua Tree National Park in Joshua Tree, California. The Golden State may be the most populated state in the union, but from the looks of it, you won't see another person for miles in this desert location. 

If Money Were No Object

Would you like a house with a pickleball court? How about one outdoor court and another one indoors?

Well, it looks like you're in luck because you can have it at a home in La Quinta, California. The house is a little pricey, but if you save up for a few months, you should be alright.

So how much does it cost? Just a cool $85 million! But don't worry, it has more than the two pickleball courts. The mega-mansion also comes with 4 outdoor pools — because having only 1 pool is so 2015. 😄

Plus, you get 5 kitchens, 40 televisions, and garage space for at least 13 cars. Developer Gala Asher built the home and has lived there with his wife since it was completed in 2020.

Asher said that many of the mansion's features were included for his own personal interests, which include collecting cars, and of course, pickleball.

But that's not all: a dedicated entertainment space, known as “Da Club,” has a full bar and a DJ booth. So maybe that's the spot rapper 50 Cent was talking about when he wrote his most famous song, "In Da Club." 🤔

We're all for having a pickleball court at your home if you can afford it, but we're pretty sure you can get one for a tad less than $85 million.

But hey, if you can afford this one, then go ahead and get it — just don't forget to invite us all over to play pickleball with you some time!

Would you do this for pickleball? 😂👇

We Walk the Walk

You know the expression, “Walk the walk”? Or how about, "Put your money where your mouth is"? They're both variations on the theme of commitment. In other words, if you say that you believe in something, then you should be doing it yourself.

Well that's what we do with the Franklin X-40 pickleball. Sure, we talk the talk about how great a ball it is, but we also walk the walk because it's the only ball we use here at The Pickleball Clinic. From Matt and Aaron to the other coaches and players we work with, we choose to use the X-40 for our coaching, training, and playing because it's the best pickleball out there. Use code clinic15 for 15% off.

Do you like spy novels, shows or movies? Well, it's time for you to become a master of disguise... in pickleball. Today, Coach Matt will demonstrate how to disguise your shots, especially when you're up at the kitchen line. 👇

Key takeaways:

• Begin to “hold your dinks.” This means waiting to the last second before you swing. But in order to do this, you have to get behind the ball and have your feet set.

• Try to set your paddle in one position — for example, make it look as if you are going to dink to the middle — but just before you hit the ball, aim it down the line.

• You can also use deception with your body by moving your body in one direction while hitting the ball in the other OR you can take a big backswing so your opponent doesn’t know if you are going to hit a speedup or a dink.

Central Park in New York City is the most visited city park in the world, attracting tens of millions of visitors a year. It's beautiful, located right in the center of Manhattan, and famous for many of its ponds and fields. But in the spring of 2024, CityPickle put in 14 pickleball courts on top of Central Park's Wollman Rink, which acts as a skating rink during the winter.

The experiment has been a massive success, with nearly 200,000 people playing on the courts since they opened. It also served as the host venue for the Major League Pickleball (MLP) Finals this past summer. Well, it looks like these courts are here to stay, at least for another couple of decades, as it was just awarded a 20-year license to operate pickleball courts at Wollman Rink during non-ice skating seasons. So if you haven't played on these courts yet, it looks like you have at least 20 more years to plan your trip. 🥳

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Check out our Holiday Gift Guide Below! ⬇️

Missed an issue? You can catch up anytime!

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