Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Do you ever wonder about what goes on in jail? Today, we'll take a look at a prison pickleball fight with an infamous inmate, discover an amazing denim jacket worn by a pro pickleballer, learn about glow-in-the-dark pickleball, and a whole lot more.

Let’s do this! 👇

Are any of you into famous killers? Wait, that came out wrong. 😲 What we mean is, do any of you follow national murder trials, like the ones for O.J. Simpson, Casey Anthony or the Menendez brothers?

If you do, then you'll find this story particularly interesting. If not, sorry, but we kind of already committed to it. 😁

Anyway, the infamous Scott Peterson is the subject of this story. Why? Because he was involved in a fight while playing pickleball at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.

For those who don't know, Scott Peterson was convicted in 2004 of killing his wife, Laci Peterson, and her unborn son, Connor.

Back to the story... it was originally reported last week that the altercation started when Peterson hit a pickleball at another inmate he was either playing against or who was on the court next to him. 

But the real story has now emerged after an interview was conducted with the inmate who roughed Peterson up, Charles Miles, who was also convicted of murder as part of a gang-related shooting in 2007.

According to Miles, he did not initially know who Peterson was. Evidently, Peterson was chasing after an errant pickleball and Miles, who was walking on a nearby path, thought Peterson was trying to attack him with a weapon. So Miles turned around and fought Peterson.

At some point during the fight, another inmate evidently yelled “Hey that’s the baby killer,” which set Miles off. “It just triggered a primal urge in me,” Miles said. “That’s when I just took fight on him, and I just beat the living f— out of him.”

Evidently, the previous day, Miles had prayed to God in the very same spot of the altercation to “use me as a vessel of your will.” Because of the location of the fight, Miles is convinced that it was a sign. “God made this happen,” Miles said. "It was God’s plan for sure.”

We're not sure how much of this story can apply to all of you — other than if you find yourself chasing after an errant pickleball, make sure no one thinks you're about to attack them. 😉 

Keep Your Head Down on Your Drives for More Consistency

Many players pop their head up as they hit their drives which causes them to lose control and hit the ball out or really high. In fact, most players that struggle with this don’t even realize that they’re doing it! You can fix this problem by keeping your eyes on your contact point for a split second after you hit the ball instead of following the ball right off your paddle. Of course you don’t want to stay watching your contact point for too long or else you’ll lose reaction time for the next shot, but try staying focused on it for a split second longer than you usually would.

If you know anyone who wants to understand why pickleball has taken off in the past several years, just show them this video. 💪

Nice Report Card

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about the release of JOOLA's new paddle, the Perseus Pro IV. Matt even did a paddle review about it here. 

Based on what we're hearing, people are absolutely loving this paddle. It has power similar to JOOLA's Mod TA-15 and 3s paddles, except not so much that it's difficult to control. Plus, the Perseus Pro IV has TechFlex Power technology, which increases dwell time, flexibility and feel.

In addition to the Perseus Pro IV, JOOLA also released the Agassi Pro with a special new shape. The other popular JOOLA models, including the Hyperion, Scorpius, and Magnus will also be available in the Pro IV line and can be pre-ordered right now. These paddles are going fast, so get yours today. 

Surrounded by gorgeous views of the Rocky Mountains is the Little Valley Pickleball Complex in St. George, Utah. For those of you who don't know, Utah is a pickleball powerhouse state. A study conducted by Apple in 2023 actually found that more people played pickleball per capita, in Utah than in any other state.

But back to these courts. There are 24 courts that are used for a variety of events including lessons, clinics, leagues, youth pickleball, and tournaments. However, the courts can be reserved and they are free. Talk about a good price! 😀 You don't even need to get a friends and family rate. Although if we worked the front desk there and someone asked “how much?”, we'd probably say, "You know what, for you, it's free." (That would definitely help the tip jar. 😉)

A Citizen of the World

Travel is very special. It exposes us to different cultures, cuisines, geography, and it can ultimately give us a different perspective on our own lives.

For these reasons, many people take traveling quite seriously. They may put certain places on their bucket list or save up for years in order to go to a certain destination.

Well, how do you acknowledge the places you’ve been?

Most people get souvenirs. But one person, Camila Zilveti, who happens to be a professional pickleball player, came up with a different way to pay tribute to all of the countries she’s been to.

As you can see above, Camila has a denim jacket with the map of the world on the back. Every time she goes to a new country, she sews in the colors of that country’s flag.

Well, she's up to 89 countries! Not bad, especially for someone still in their 20s. Each country presents its own challenge, especially ones that are really big or small. 

“Russia took me forever and it was so hard to keep the lines straight going across,” Zilveti said. “Lots of people commented asking how I did the tiny countries… but I made a tiny, baby stitch of whatever their flag's color is most prevalent of.”

How did we find out about this international denim jacket? Fortunately for Zilveti, a short video of her jacket went viral on both TikTok and Instagram. 👍

But look on the bright side, how refreshing is it to have wind blow through your body as you fly through the air?! 💪

A Golden Opportunity

If you want to get to Nationals, then a Golden Ticket event is what you're looking for. Just go to UTR Sports, sign up for a tournament, and then you've got a chance to punch your Golden Ticket to Nationals! What are some upcoming Golden Ticket events? Funny you should ask...

Tucson, Arizona: March 26-30

Fort Lauderdale, Florida: April 2-6

Mesa, Arizona: April 9-13

Those are just the Golden Ticket events through April. If you want to see the rest of the 2025 Golden Ticket events all around the country, then you can check them out here.

Do you want to get better in the transition zone? Your answer should be "yes." Why? Because while it's the toughest place to be on a pickleball court, it's also a place you need to get comfortable getting through if you want to become a very good player. Good thing Matt is here to give us some tips. Plus, he brought along long-time coach, Eric White, to share some of his advice too. 👇

Key takeaways:

• Stay low. Don’t pop up like a “jack in the box” as you hit.

• Use a soft grip.

• Keep your paddle face up.

• Don’t use your wrist. There will already be enough pace on the ball coming at you. All you need to do is everything above and to push up with your legs.

Evidently glow-in-the-dark pickleball is a thing. Don’t believe us? Take a look right here. As you’ll see, it does look pretty cool. We’ve never tried it, but we’re assuming that there’s enough light to see where you’re going. Because sure, it’s important to see the ball. But it’s also important to be able to see other things, like a wall!

Also known as cosmic pickleball, in order for it to work well, you’ll need UV lighting and glowing markers to apply to the lines. We think pickleball is pretty awesome as it is, but hey, if people want to add another fun element to it, then by all means, go ahead! Plus, it’s not as if the precedent hasn’t already been set in other sports. For example, did you know that night golf exists! 😲

Thanks for the read. See you out on the courts!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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