Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever gotten hurt while playing pickleball? Today, we’ll reveal tips on how to avoid getting injured, learn about a terrible tragedy, discover $1 pickleball courts, and much more.

Let’s go! 👇

As all of us know, pickleball has been responsible for so much joy in the world over the past 5 years or so. 

But sadly, our sport experienced a tremendous tragedy just a few weeks ago when a private plane carrying members of the Amarillo Pickleball Club crashed on its way to a pickleball tournament in New Braunfels, Texas.

The 5 passengers on the Cessna 421C, which included the pilot, were Seren Wilson (19), Brooke Skypala (45), Stacy Hedrick (51), Glen Appling (37), and Hayden Dillard (39).

An investigation into the accident determined that an issue with the plane's anti-icing system is what led to the crash that killed everyone on board.

A candlelight vigil was held on May 9th in Amarillo to commemorate the victims lost in this horrible tragedy.

Amarillo City Councilmember and fellow pickleball enthusiast, Don Tipps, gave a eulogy, along with several ministers from nearby churches.

“The biggest thing we need to remember is the impact that they made, not just on our pickleball community, but overall in our entire community,” Tipps said. “I want the families of the victims to see how much their relatives were loved and witness the impact they’ve had.”

An Amarillo Pickleball Memorial Fund was created to help raise money for the families of the plane crash victims.

Observe Where Your Opponent Makes Contact with the Ball

Watch the ball’s height relative to the net when your opponent makes contact—it tells you everything. If they’re hitting from below the net, get ready to counter; they have to hit up, which gives you a chance to drive it back down. If they’re striking from above the net, think reset; they’ll be hitting down, and you’ll likely be contacting the ball low, where attacking is much tougher.

When your opponents are hitting overhead Ernes, you might be in for a long day. 👇

When it comes to building pickleball courts, most facilities and communities are choosing between two main surface options: traditional acrylic coating systems or cushioned courts. Both have their advantages, and the right choice often comes down to player preference, intended use, and budget, since cushioned systems typically require a higher upfront investment for added comfort and shock absorption.

Another key decision? Court color. While brighter custom colors can look fun, darker, more standard tones like deep blue, green, and gray are often the smartest long-term choice. Why? They tend to hold their color longer, fade less under UV exposure, and do a better job hiding skid marks and everyday wear.

Court Kings, our nationwide court surfacing partner, installs both acrylic and cushioned court systems and helps clients choose the right surface and color combination based on their goals, usage, and budget. To learn more, contact [email protected].

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

Pickle boat (compound noun)

We’re making a slight exception today by defining a term that isn’t widely used in pickleball, but it is responsible for the sport’s name. In rowing or crew, a “pickle boat” is a team of rowers made up of leftover rowers (those who have not been selected to compete as principal rowers). Joel Pritchard was one of the three creators of the sport, and his wife, Joan, said that she named the sport after the pickle boat because it was created from pieces of equipment that were left over from other sports.

Interestingly, the Pritchards’ dog was named “Pickles,” which some people think is how the sport got its name. But Joan Pritchard said that the dog came after the sport was already named, so it was the dog that was named after the sport, not the other way around.

Let's talk about pickleball injuries and more importantly, how to avoid them. Sure, it's not the most pleasant of subjects, but pickleball injuries are real, and the more prepared you are, the less likely you will be to get hurt.

We still stand by our long-held belief that there is nothing inherently dangerous about pickleball. But it does have a few challenges in the injury department...

For starters, it is played on a hard surface. So unlike sports played on grass, for example, if you fall, the ground does not provide for a soft landig area.

Second, the barrier to entry is quite low. By this we mean that it doesn't require a lot of running or strength, and people with little to no background in sports can begin to enjoy the game pretty quickly.

This is great for inclusion and overall enjoyment, and it also means that pickleball is a very attractive sport to seniors. But as we age, we lose things like balance, bone strength, and overall coordination—all things that can contribute to getting injured.

With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at some common injuries and how we can try to prevent them at any age...

Injury: Strains and sprains of tendons, ligaments, and muscles

Prevention: Stretching and warming up before you play. Don’t just rush into playing by going from 0 to 100 percent.

Injury: Broken Bones. Unfortunately, a very common pickleball injury happens when someone attempts an overhead and falls backwards, which results in either hitting the back of their head on the ground and/or bracing themselves with one of their hands and then breaking their wrist.

Prevention: If you do find yourself falling backwards, try to tuck your arms and neck into your body so that neither of those injuries happen to you. While it’s easier said than done, there is a way to fall gracefully. So try to fall in such a way that doesn’t create such a violent impact. Instead, try to roll when you fall and distribute your weight more evenly, or at least to try to fall on fleshier parts of your body like your glutes or the sides of your thighs.

Injury: Eye injuries (corneal abrasions or detached retinas)

Prevention: Safety glasses or goggles. It’s that easy. Period.

But perhaps the best thing you can do, in addition to using protective eyewear, is to know your limitations. Seriously. If you have issues with balance, then you need to know how much you can run for or stretch out to reach a ball. 

If a lob goes over your head and you’re someone who doesn’t have great balance, then let your partner get it. Or just don’t get it at all. It's OK! You’re probably not going pro any time soon, and it’s not worth going to the hospital even if you were.

Can’t we all just get along? 😃

Dinking is very important. But good players can dink forever, which is why you need to have the speedup weapon in your bag. However, you can't hit speedups all the time and from any position. Good thing coach Matt is here to show you exactly how, when, and where to hit your speedups. 👇

Elon Musk is no doubt a controversial figure these days. But we’re not talking politics here. Instead, we’re talking about how his business, The Boring Company (that aims to solve urban traffic congestion by building high-speed, underground transportation networks) recently opened Hyperloop Plaza in Bastrop County, Texas, which features pickleball courts for $1 per hour. 😱 This community space is located near Musk’s SpaceX offices, offering residents access to courts alongside a “Boring Bodega” convenience store.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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