Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Will pickleball solve our commercial real estate problem? Today, we’ll discover a pickleball club in an office building, the greatest pickleball documentary ever made, and the story behind how the greatest player of all time met his sponsor.

Let’s go! 👇

Pickleball is breathing new life into downtown Minneapolis.

During the pandemic, commercial real estate broker Mike Marinovich drew pickleball court lines on the floor of the large second floor space of his vacant Minneapolis office building.

He made lines for three courts and invited friends over to play. Everyone was wearing masks, and balls were bouncing off computers 😂, relics from the previous tenant, a supercomputing center.

Fast forward almost four years, and those three courts drawn with electrical tape are now seven top-notch pickleball courts that make up the popular Minneapolis Pickleball Club.

"I've been in the commercial real estate and office market for almost 40 years and I've never seen it like this before," said Marinovich. "People aren't getting back into the office and employers aren't asking them to. So we pivoted [to pickleball], and the reception has been phenomenal."

The club has signed up about 280 members in three months, and it even soundproofed the walls to avoid bothering other tenants in the building.

The Minneapolis Pickleball Club is not just serving as an excellent tenant, but the regular foot traffic the club provides is helping to bring people back downtown. 💪

Will pickleball be able to solve all of the world's problems? 😄 Maybe not, but it's certainly helping the commercial real estate business!

Nice job pickleball. 👍 Next up, creating world peace! ✌️

Follow through on your swing — even on soft shots.

Just because you want to hit the ball soft doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t follow through. In fact, having a relaxed, controlled follow through is beneficial on your drops and dinks, as too short of a swing will result in quick, choppy motions that cause the ball to pop up without control. On soft shots you want to follow through to about chest level and keep your hand relaxed all the way through.

Mari Humberg was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but spent time in several U.S. cities growing up and went to college at Winthrop University and then the University of Louisville. Mari is a professional pickleball player, and today, she discusses her love for the game and how it has changed her life.

Like many other players, my tennis background spans nearly two decades, and my competitive tennis career concluded after college at the end of 2018. However, my life took an unexpected turn when I started playing pickleball in late 2022.

Pickleball started as a hobby, but it quickly turned into more. The sport’s camaraderie, my desire to improve, and the thrill of competition have reignited my competitive spirit, infusing every moment on the court with extreme happiness. Transitioning from an office job to fully pursuing pickleball has been rewarding and allowed me to prioritize court practice, fitness training, and both my physical and mental well-being again.

I’m filled with gratitude for the opportunity to pursue my passion. Every step of it — from the intense training sessions to the exhilaration of competition and helping others improve, pickleball brings a sense of fulfillment unlike any other. I hope to see you all on the courts!

Follow my journey on Instagram and at marihumberg.com 🙂”

You’re Coach Won’t Tell You This…

A flat wall is a great training tool for pickleball. The problem is you can’t just pick up a nice flat wall and take it home. Even if you were strong enough to lift a wall, chances are it’s attached to a building, which would then fall down when you take the wall home with you. So the bottom line is: don’t pick up walls. 😁

If only there were a portable wall on wheels that you could move around and practice with wherever you want. 🤔 Well, there is! And it’s called The Dink Master. From Enhance Pickleball, it’s the ultimate pickleball training tool to take your game to the next level. Use code “clinic15” at checkout for $15 off!

Defense. Defense. Defense. If you can keep yourself in a rally and keep resetting the ball, you can hang around (and then win!) any point.

The Greatest Pickleball Story Ever Told

From celebrity involvement and TV deals to courts popping up everywhere and even a Super Bowl commercial, pickleball has rocketed to stardom.

But there hasn't been much in the way of documentaries... until now.

Welcome to "Breaking Pickleball," a documentary that follows Season 1 of the Arizona Pickleball League. Set in... you guessed it, Arizona, this will be one of the funniest and most engaging journeys you've ever been on.

Check out the official trailer below. 👇

It's got competition, drama, humor, heartbreak and so much more. And if you don't want to listen to us, then take it from the greatest pickleball player of all time, Ben Johns, who calls it "the feel good sports documentary of the year."

The series was made by Patrick Sullivan Jr. and Ashley Leroux, the husband/wife team behind Jigsaw Health, Jigsaw Studios, and The Orchard — and also the co-founders of the Arizona Pickleball League.

"If we absolutely crash and burn with the Arizona Pickleball League," said Sullivan Jr., "we should at least get it on tape." 😂 This is that tape.

To watch the documentary, go to BreakingPickleball.com, sign up with your email address, and you’ll receive a private YouTube link to watch Episode 1.

All 6 episodes will drop over the course of 2 weeks, and they’re only available until Sunday, April 21 because they’re getting pitched to all the major streaming services. So check ‘em out now before it's too late!

Two words: DON’T CHEAT.

Do You Have Skin? 😄

Are you a person? Do you have skin? If you answered “yes,” to both of those questions, then keep reading. 😄 If you didn’t answer “yes,” then hmm, we’re not quite sure what to do — but we’ll get back to you. 😁

Anyway, since you do have skin, it’s probably a good idea to protect it — especially since the warmer weather means more outdoor pickleball! We use Sonrei for our suncare needs because it’s the premium sunscreen for pickleball players.

Sonrei’s sunscreens are water and sweat-resistant, and they come in both mist and gel options! In fact, Sonrei is all about options, as their motto is: "Crafted for every kind." They have a variety of products including traditional and mineral options — and rest assured, they are all fragrance-free, paraben free, vegan, and are designed for all skin tones, types, and pigments! Get yourself some Sonrei mist or gel sunscreen, and use code "clinic20" at checkout for 20% off.

There are so many inspiring sayings out there. “Fortune favors the bold.” “Right place, right time.” “Strike while the iron is hot.” “You’ve got to spend money to make money.” Well, all of these sayings were involved in the fascinating story behind Ben Johns becoming the face of JOOLA. Co-Founder Aaron recently spoke with Eric White, JOOLA's National Partnership Coordinator, who explains how it all unfolded.

Key takeaways:

• Eric gave pickleball lessons to the wife of Richard Lee, the owner of JOOLA, which was primarily a table tennis company at the time, headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

• It was well before the popularity of pickleball took off, but Richard figured he would give Eric’s pickleball clinic a try.

• Meanwhile, Eric met Ben Johns and played with him a bit since Ben also lived in Maryland and would later attend the University of Maryland.

• Richard decided to bring JOOLA into the pickleball world and was looking to sign a pro player to get it started — preferably the young phenom, Ben Johns. Eric made the introduction, and the rest is history.

The National Pickleball League, a professional 50+ pickleball league, recently expanded from 6 teams in 2023 to 12 teams in 2024. One of those expansion teams is the Kansas City Singers. In an effort to scout out local talent, the Stingers hosted a combine in Kansas City where 36 players competed. What was the prize for the first place woman and man? Getting drafted by the team!!! (Pictured below are part owners of the team, Julie Gibson and Daryl Wyatt.)

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Join the conversation below! ⬇️