Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever been in a dire emergency? How did you act? What did you do to improve the situation? It's not always easy to make quick or right decisions, especially when they require you to sacrifice something. Today, we'll look at one pickleball facility that stepped up to the plate during a time of crisis. Plus, we'll take a look at World Pickleball Day, find out how to beat bangers, and check out a celebrity pickleball match.

Let’s do this! 👇

We’ve all heard of big indoor spaces, such as warehouses and empty mall lots being converted into pickleball courts. But have you heard of the other way around?

Well, it just happened in Boone, North Carolina, a town in Western North Carolina that was devastated by the recent Hurricane Helene.

In what was is now considered to be one of the deadliest American storms in the past 50 years, more than 200 people died due to the hurricane, and roughly half of those people were from communities in Western North Carolina.

After the storm, a large indoor space was urgently needed to serve as a distribution center to collect clothing and supplies and then get them out to people in need.

The co-founders of Summit Pickleball, Crystal Smith and Grant Williams, immediately answered the call by offering their indoor pickleball club as that space.

Summit Pickleball halted all of its business operations and transformed itself into a large distribution center collecting items including food, drinks, cleaning supplies and warm weather clothing/gear for those who lost their homes in the flooding.

At its core, pickleball is all about community and inclusion, and there is no better example of that than what Summit Pickleball just did. 👍

As for the those impacted by the storm, our thoughts and prayers are with all of you, and we wish you a speedy recovery.

Adjust Your Approach!

Stay analytical about your opponents’ strengths and identify what’s leading to your point losses. When you understand these factors, you can create a more effective winning strategy. Many players enter a match with a fixed plan and fail to adapt if it’s not working. The top players continuously adjust and refine their strategies based on what proves effective. Keep in mind, high-level pickleball is akin to chess: it’s all about strategy!

It might take a few watches, but you should see it eventually. 👀

We All Need Balls!

Ever think about how important balls are? Ball bearings are used in cars, planes, refrigerators, air conditioners, and many other appliances. The sun is a ball and we all live on a ball. Not to mention all the fun balls provide for us in sports! Nothing against wrestling, swimming and pole vaulting, but most of the world’s best sports require balls, like pickleball!

That’s where Franklin comes in. They’ve been making balls and other sporting equipment since 1946. That’s a lot of experience in balls! All that experience has led to refining and improving so that it can make the #1 ball out there, the Franklin X-40. It’s the most balanced, consistent, and durable ball on the market with the perfect mixture of touch, feel, and power. That’s why it’s the official pickleball of USA Pickleball and The Pickleball Clinic. Get some for yourself, and use code “clinic15” at checkout for 15% off.

They say that one of the most awe-inspiring places on earth, let alone in America, is the Grand Canyon — the red rocks, the cliffs, the desert. So for our first installment of the pickleball “Court of the Month,” we’ll look at a court right in that part of the world, just two hours away from the Grand Canyon in Sedona, Arizona.

Located at the Enchantment Resort, these courts are right up against the red rocks of Sedona’s Boynton Canyon. As you might imagine, the resort boasts other activities that allow guests to explore the local topography, including hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing. Helicopter tours are also available, as are day trips to the Grand Canyon. Of course, they have a spa and pool as well — but as far as we’re concerned, all you need to do when you’re there is stick to the pickleball court. 😉

The World’s Most Important Date

Did you know that World Pickleball Day was last week on October 10th (10/10)? We hope you were playing that day, or at least that you whispered something nice to your paddle. 😂

Not to be mistaken with National Pickleball Day on August 8th (which is supposedly the date when the three inventors codified the initial rules in 1965), World Pickleball Day is focused on spreading our sport all over the globe.

So let’s be sure to do just that whenever we get the chance. Here are some things you can do when you’re traveling overseas…

1. Bring some pickleballs with you and drop them around the city you’re visiting. Locals will soon start seeing the balls everywhere and be forced to discover what sport they belong to. 🤔

2. Randomly scream out pickleball words and terms in public, like “pickle,” “dink,” and “Erne.” People will think you’re absolutely crazy, but that’s OK, because we all have to take one for the team. 🥒

3. Practice dinking against the wall in your hotel room. Your neighbors will be so angry that they’ll come over and pound on your door. When they do that, open your door and invite them to join you. 👍 (If they don’t punch you first, they may actually try dinking.)

You can body bag people if you like — just make sure to watch your back in the parking lot. 😂

Players are constantly asking us how they can beat bangers. These players are usually overwhelmed by the pace of their opponents’ drives and they feel defenseless against them. Well, do not fear because Coach Matt is here — to teach you how to deal with bangers once and for all. 👇

Key Takeaways:

• As you approach the kitchen line, keep your paddle up at chest level and in a strong ready position, not at or below your waist.

• Not only should your paddle be at the height of your chest, but it should also be forward, such that your elbows are not at your sides, but rather in front of your body.

• Using a backhand punch volley, take a compact swing that allows you to block or “punch” your opponent’s drive back at them and down at their feet.

Evidently comedian and actor Billy Crystal is quite the pickleball player. The nine-time host of the Oscars has highlighted sports throughout his career. He plays an NBA referee in Forget Paris, he goes to a New York Giants football game in When Harry Met Sally, and at the suggestion of Derek Jeter, he signed a one day Minor League contract with the New York Yankees so he could actually have a real at-bat in a Yankees game, which he did.

In addition to all of that, Crystal is being honored by the NBA Hall of Fame as a Superfan of the Los Angeles Clippers, along with Jack Nicholson for the Los Angeles Lakers and Spike Lee for the New York Knicks. Before Crystal spoke with late night host Jimmy Kimmel about that upcoming honor, the two started talking about pickleball.

Kimmel and Crystal were staying at the same hotel a couple of weeks ago for an event, and they happened to show up at the pickleball courts together. So they teamed up and played against two teenager brothers who were at the courts. (It must have been a cool experience for those brothers — although considering their ages, the boys probably didn’t even know who Billy Crystal and Jimmy Kimmel were. 😀)

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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