Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Today, we'll check out a pickleball argument that turned into a brawl, find out if pickleball will be controlled by one company, get a tip from Ben Johns, and a whole lot more.

Let’s do this! 👇

There have been countless arguments on a pickleball court, and a small few may have involved some pushing and shoving. But a full-on, post-match brawl? Now that's something!

Where did this fight occur? Take a guess. Yup, Florida. 😂 No disrespect to our Floridian friends, but you have developed a reputation as the state where the craziest things happen — hence the Florida Man meme.

But back to the story. It all started one morning at Spruce Creek Country Club in Port Orange, a city about 57 miles northeast of Orlando.

Anthony Sapienza, 63, and his wife Julianne Sapienza, 51, who are not members of the club, were playing against another couple and accused one of them of stepping into the kitchen while hitting a volley.

Words were exchanged and then after the match, Mr. Sapienza evidently insulted his opponent’s wife — with a very foul four letter word. When the man told Sapienza not to speak to his wife like that, all hell broke loose.

Evidently, Sapienza then punched that man in the face and started hitting him with his paddle, which opened up a couple of blood-gushing wounds. When the man's wife tried to break up the fight, Sapienza pushed her to the ground.

Then another man, who is 70 years old, tried to break it up, and Sapienza punched him in the face too. Mrs. Sapienza then joined in on the action and started helping her husband with the beating.

That's when a woman called 911 and reported that the fight involved up to 20 people. The Sapienzas fled the scene, but were arrested soon after at their home.

Julianne was charged with felony battery on a person 65 years of age or older, and Anthony was charged with two counts of felony battery on a person 65 years of age or older and aggravated battery causing bodily harm.

The Spruce Creek general manager announced that the Sapienzas were permanently banned from the club and from the entire gated community. (Yeah, that feels like a pretty good idea. 😀)

Always Expect Your Opponents to Attack

Even if you think your shot is unattackable, assume they might go for it. Staying ready ensures you’re never caught off guard and allows you to counter or reset more effectively than if you’re unprepared.

An insane ending to an incredible point. 👇

Thinking that all you need for a great pickleball facility is concrete is like thinking all you need for a premier golf course is some grass — talk about an understatement. There is a tremendous amount of planning and precision that goes into constructing pickleball courts the right way. If you cut corners or simply don’t have the expertise in building them, then you’ll wind up with courts that don’t look right or perform well.

Instead, you want to work with an experienced, one-stop shop that handles everything from site prep and concrete work to surfacing, nets, fencing, and consultation. That one-stop shop is Court Kings, the preeminent company for commercial pickleball court construction. Period. 

That’s why Court Kings is the preferred court builder for USA Pickleball (the governing body of the sport), and why they work with major franchises nationwide. So if you’re looking to build a pickleball facility, then reach out to the Court Kings team at [email protected] for a free consultation.

Welcome back to the section where we define a word or term that is widely used in the pickleball world…

Dead dink (compound noun)

A "dead dink" is a dink that is not aggressive at all. Think of it as a very simple beginner dink or a plain, vanilla dink. It's not a pop-up, as a dead dink does land in the kitchen. But it's also not deep or far away from your opponent, and it has no spin. Instead, it just sits there. A dead dink generally has a negative connotation because not only does it pose zero threat to your opponents, but it also provides a good opportunity for them to either hit an aggressive dink or a speed-up back at you.

Even if you don't know and love pickleball, like we know all of you do, unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past 5 years, then you know that pickleball is extremely popular.

When something is popular (and continues to grow), that means business and money, which the sport of pickleball is currently filled with. 

But one company, the United Pickleball Association (UPA) wants to consolidate the major pickleball brands into one giant parent company so that it can be vertically integrated and therefore more streamlined, unified, and efficient.

The UPA already knows about consolidation, as it was created by combining Major League Pickleball (MLP) and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour. The UPA exists as their parent company.

According to sportswriter, entrepreneur and investor, Joe Pompliano, the UPA is trying to raise $150 - $200 million so that it can obtain other major pickleball businesses, including Pickleball Central (retailer), Pickleball Play Solutions (tournament registration), and Just Courts Construction (court building).

The new company would also have minority stakes in Picklr, the largest pickleball facility franchise, and DUPR, the global pickleball rating platform.

One factor that should make the potential merger more seamless is the fact that billionaire businessman and sports owner, Tom Dundon (owner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers) is already the owner or part owner of many of the companies involved.

Dundon is the majority shareholder for the UPA, Pickleball Central, and pickleballtournaments.com, so getting all of the aforementioned businesses on board isn't as difficult as it may seem.

If the vertical integration succeeds, then it may provide for a smoother consumer experience, as players may be able to purchase products and court time, and have their ratings and pro media coverage all in one place. 

It may also be better for investors who will be able to invest in all of pickleball, as opposed to just one element, such as retail, pickleball court real estate, or a professional tour. 

Let’s all stop pointing fingers and become more well-rounded players. 💪

Take a second and envision your car. Would you rather go to separate places to fix your brakes, check your oil, and rotate your tires or would you prefer to do it all at once at the same location? If you're like us, you want to do it all in one place. And it should be no different for your pickleball energy and hydration needs — you want to be prepared from start to finish, and beyond.

Holey Performance is the place specifically designed for pickleball players to help us stay fresh and healthy. That's why they designed a program consisting of pre-game (for pick-me-up energy), in-game (for hydration), and post-game (for recovery and muscle health). It's a powerful combination that improves your energy, focus, and healing. Grab some for yourself and use code (clinic20) for 20% off.

The backhand dink. It's an incredibly important shot to have, especially when you are playing on the left side (if you're a righty -- the right side if you're a lefty.) The technique is quite simple, but many players don’t hit it properly. So we brought in a pretty good pickleball player to give you some tips on how to hit it. And by "pretty good," we mean the best player of all time, Ben Johns. 👇

USA Pickleball is the official national governing body of our sport. It's a nonprofit organization that sanctions tournaments, certifies equipment and facilities, trains referees, and provides educational resources. You can also be a member of USA Pickleball, and according to The Business of Pickleball, it now has more than 107,000 members.

This year, USA Pickleball is also requiring onsite paddle testing at its sanctioned tournaments, which will be performed by the firm, Pickleball Instruments. In addition to paddle performance testing, they will also be checking for and removing any counterfeit paddles.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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