Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever cooked with a crock pot? Have you ever used one as a weapon? Today, we'll explore a bizarre pickleball incident involving a crock pot, determine when you should apologize during a match, reveal where your DUPR rating compares to other players, and much more.

Let’s do this! 👇

From arguments and fist fights to vandalism and Ponzi schemes, pickleball has had its fair share of wild behavior over the past several years.

Considering the millions of people who play pickleball, however, these types of incidents are extremely rare—like way less than one tenth of one percent. The vast majority of pickleball experiences are incredibly positive, which is why we love it so much!

Nonetheless, we are human and many of us enjoy hearing about a wild pickleball story every so often, especially one that's uniquely bizarre. So here goes...

Last month at the Del Webb Naples pickleball facility in Florida, 73-year-old Steven DeMaio brought in paperwork suggesting changes to a tournament format. DeMaio claims that a woman then grabbed the papers out of his hands and ran off with them.

According to a police report, this resulted in a confrontation that led to DeMaio shoving the woman who took his papers. But it gets crazier. DeMaio then allegedly picked up a crock pot that was nearby and threatened to throw it. 😮

While DeMaio does not deny either action, he says that both were mischaracterized, maintaining that the contact was not an intentional shove and that his picking up the crock pot was meant as a joke.

Despite DeMaio's defense, he was arrested for battery more than two weeks after the incident and released on bond the next day. So what can we learn from this incident?

First off, of course no one should be putting their hands on anyone else. Second, do not pick up a crock pot during a pickleball argument! (Moreover, maybe don't leave crock pots near pickleball courts. 😀)

Also, while shoving is not an acceptable response, people should not be ripping papers out of other people's hands and running away with them.

Keep It Simple When Pulled Out Wide

When a dink pulls you far out wide, resist the sharp cross-court angle. Aim toward the middle or send the ball straight ahead, keeping it inside the sideline to reduce the chance of an Erne. These safer targets require less paddle manipulation and give you time to recover. A controlled reply helps you and your partner cover the court and limits your opponent’s chance to attack the opening.

Keep those hands up when you approach the kitchen so you’re ready for a hands battle. 💪👇

People enter the world of pickleball from all walks of life and from different levels of previous athletic experience. Some of us have been competitive athletes our whole lives while others may have never even played another sport. But you know what isn't different? The fact that we all have bodies, and that the better we feel before, during, and after pickleball, the more enjoyment we'll get and the more pickleball we'll be able to play—per session, per week, and for more years in our lives.

That's why Marek Health is such a game changer. By closely analyzing your lab results, Marek Health devises a health plan based specifically on your body. So whether it's aches in your joints after you play, or low energy while you play, or whatever your particular issue is, Marek Health identifies your health issues and comes up with a plan to address them. It's time to step into the 21st century and develop a strategy for your health that's specifically tailored to you. Plus, take 10% off when you use code (CLINIC).

Pickleball is a sport that prides itself on community, inclusion, and camaraderie. But it is a sport, and sports can be competitive. After all, when both sides are trying to win, that's what leads to more exciting rallies, which leads to more fun.

But sometimes shots happen accidentally with unintentional outcomes, which made us wonder, which shots call for an apology? 

So we decided to ask our community, a.k.a. all of you, via our Facebook and Instagram accounts. As always, your responses were excellent! Here goes...

A few people wrote comments in the vein of, "Unforced errors to my partner." Now that's a great point. Obviously, we're all trying our best out there, but let's face it, most "sorry"s come every few points when we apologize to our partner for hitting a bad or stupid shot.

The most common response was similar to this: "Any body shot or net will always warrant an apology from me." What a clean way of putting that.

A slightly more specific version of the above was, "a lucky net cord winner and a body bag to the head, groin, or nipple." 😀 Whichever version you like, the sentiment behind it is a good one—essentially if you hit someone with your shot or win a point in a completely lucky way, it warrants an apology.

A few people took the opposite position, summarized by: "ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THEM! So long as it's a legal shot then no apology warranted!" Uhhh, cold-hearted much?

While we may not agree with that position (or how strongly it's worded), the kinder version of that sentiment is: "If it's part of the game, then why should I apologize for it? If it's truly a problem, then the rules should be changed."

Of course, we have to close with our favorite funny response, which was this: "Nut shots. That's it." 😂

No judgment here. 👇😂

Is it November or June outside? Enjoy this gorgeous warm weather, and keep playing outside while you can. But whether you're playing outside or inside, in a t-shirt or with a hat and gloves on, the ball isn't going to change. That's because there is one ball that's the most balanced, consistent, and durable in the world.

It's the Franklin X-40, which is why it's not only the official ball of The Pickleball Clinic, but it's also the best-selling pickleball ball and pickleball product in America. Get some Franklin X-40s today, and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

The drop is one of the most important shots in all of pickleball, and the topspin drop is a way to make your drop a little more aggressive. If you can hit a consistent topspin drop, you will be in great shape to win points. But there are a few big mistakes that people make on this shot, which can make hitting them consistently almost impossible. Coach Matt is here to show you exactly what you need to avoid when hitting the topspin drop. 👇

When people talk about pickleball ratings, higher numbers are overheard quite a bit. Numbers like "3.75" or "around a 4.0" get thrown around all the time when people discuss their own DUPR ratings. But where do people actually stand? Well, according to DUPR, 84% of rated players have not reached the 4.0 level. 11% of players are between a 4.0 and 4.5, just 4% are between a 4.5 and 5.0, and only 1% of players are a 5.0 or higher. 

That leaves the majority of players with DUPRs that fall somewhere between 3.0 and 4.0, with the biggest group between 3.0 and 3.5. What is the exact average? If we had to pick a specific number, it's about 3.3. (Keep in mind that these DUPR ratings are for doubles—that's what most people play anyway, but we just wanted to be clear.)

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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