Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

How do you stay healthy so you can play pickleball for years and years to come? Today, we'll take a look at how to manage your health in 2026, learn how to defend against pickleball skeptics, discover the biggest upsets of the year, and much more.

Let’s go! 👇

When it comes to pickleball, you will hear a ton about equipment, such as paddles, balls, and protective eyewear. And those are very important. You will also hear about technique, shot selection, court positioning, and strategy, which are all really important too.

But while everything above is crucial, we sometimes overlook the most important thing of all: our actual body and overall health. Sure, that means working out and stretching, but we mean even more basic than that—how are our bodies functioning?

In other words, how is our blood sugar, blood pressure, weight, recovery ability, and a number of other indicators that reflect our overall health? Do we need supplements, hormones, peptides (like BPC157 and TB500), or GLP-1s? And if so, which ones?

These are valid questions, and it's why companies have emerged over the past 5 years or so that make it easy for people to get on top of their health and put themselves in a better position for the future.

Plus, because of improvements in technology, people can now personalize their healthcare and take advantage of advancements in modern medicine that treat conditions including hair loss, weight gain, poor sleep, and decreased testosterone or libido.

One of the leading companies in the industry is Marek Health, which starts with lab work and then builds a personalized strategy that combines targeted supplementation, nutrition, and hormone optimization.

Stan Efferding, a world-renowned former bodybuilder and powerlifter, is the Director of Health Optimization at Marek Health and is the creator of the Vertical Diet. He has spent 25 years improving people's nutrition and lifestyle, from high school athletes to the strongest people on earth.

"It should be a lifestyle," Efferding said about being healthy and staying in shape. "It should be simple, sustainable, and sensible." And that's what attracted Efferding to Marek Health, where he was a client and then a partner for a while.

Clients at Marek Health, for example, get comprehensive bloodwork, a thorough review of their results, and time with their health coach to build a personalized plan. After the intake fee (you can take 10% off when you use CLINIC10), clients only pay for the medications and supplements they need.

The bottom line is that if you want to be playing pickleball for as long as possible, you have to start taking your health seriously. And that doesn't just mean stretching before and after you play. It means stepping into the 21st century and developing a plan for your health that is specifically tailored to you.

Practice Aiming Your Shots!

Pick a target for every shot instead of simply hitting the ball wherever it goes. This takes practice, especially for beginners, but it helps you build accuracy and control. Think of your paddle as an extension of your hand—where the paddle face guides the ball’s direction. Keep that in mind, choose your spot, and hit with intention.

Even Ernes come back sometimes. That’s why the other player has to cover the middle. 👇

If you have young kids or grandkids, then chances are you've noticed one of the most popular toys in the world right now—"squishies." What are they? They're basically soft, squishable balls that are so much fun to squish that kids can't get their hands off them. Admittedly, they do feel incredible, and you know what kind of feels like them? TheraICE bands. Yup, they feel amazing! Except they're not toys.

TheraICE uses the best materials and state-of-the-art technology to provide comfort and relief by using the natural power of compression and hot + cold therapy. It's as if they were specifically made for pickleball players because TheraICE bands treat the parts of the body that get sore after playing pickleball, like knees, backs, wrists, ankles, and shoulders. 

Plus, they're offering a TheraICE bundle: buy 2 products and get 15% off, buy 3 products and get 25% off! And when you use code (TPC15), you get an additional 15% off the entire order—or if you just want a single sleeve, you also get 15% off when you use that code!

We recently came across a comment on one of our social media channels that said something to the effect of, "…if you can even call pickleball a sport." As you might imagine, we took particular offense to that statement, largely because that line of thinking is flat-out false.

But unfortunately, when people who have either never played pickleball or played just a few times, look at a dink rally, for example, they might come to a similar conclusion. As pickleball players, this is very frustrating to hear because it's just not accurate.

Show us a high-level pickleball player, and we'll practically guarantee that he or she is an excellent athlete. Why? Because one simply cannot be great at pickleball without excellent eye-hand coordination, agility, body control, aim, touch, and the ability to use torque to create power.

In other words, that person has to be a really good athlete who would be successful in almost any sport, including baseball, tennis, basketball, golf, lacrosse, you name it. (The 4.0+ clinics that we work with, for example, are filled with athletes who played other varsity college sports when they were younger.)

Now, does pickleball require a ton of footspeed, strength, or jumping ability in order to be very good? No, compared to other sports, not really. And as a result, does it mean that pickleball can be enjoyed by a larger number of people?

Yes, it does. But that lower barrier to entry is not a bad thing. It's great that pickleball gets more people under the tent, more people enjoying the sport and having fun with newfound friends. We take great pride in that fact.

But don't get it twisted—just because our sport is accessible to more people doesn't mean that it's "easy" or "not a sport." Just think how silly that logic is. It would be like saying that track & field or soccer are easy and aren't really sports because everyone can run and kick a soccer ball.

In fact, as it pertains specifically to quick reflexes and hand speed, few sports in the world test and showcase eye-hand coordination quite like pickleball. In case anyone needs a reminder of that, just take a look at a point like this.

Rest? I’ll rest when I’m dead. 😄👇

The very best ball in pickleball is the Franklin X-40. It's the most balanced, consistent, and durable ball out there, which is why it's the Official Ball of The Pickleball Clinic. Franklin Sports has a long history (it was established in 1946) of making the highest quality sporting goods and equipment, from footballs and volleyballs to batting gloves and athletic bags.

So when you get a product from Franklin Sports, you know it's well-made. And the Franklin X-40 is no exception. In fact, it is so well-made that it has become the absolute standard ball for our sport. That's why it’s also the Official Ball of the APP Tour and the best-selling pickleball product in America! Grab some today and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

Above, we spoke about how much athleticism and coordination one needs to become a high-level pickleball player. But remember that pickleball is tremendously cerebral as well, which makes shot selection, court-positioning, strategy, and the use of angles extremely important. That's why we brought in PPA Champion and co-founder of RPM, James Ignatowich, to give you 5 tips on how to become a 5.0 pickleball player. Check it out below. 👇

The best pickleball players in the world were in Nevada this past weekend at PPA Las Vegas, and the theme of the tournament was: upsets. Ben Johns, who is widely considered the best male pickleball player of all time, lost in the finals of not one, not two, but three different draws! Granted, it's impressive that he made it to all three finals, but to lose all of them was a big upset.

In Men's Doubles, Johns lost for the first time all year with partner Gabe Tardio when they were defeated by Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu in the final. In the Mixed Doubles final, Johns and the undisputed greatest female player of all time, Anna Leigh Waters, lost to Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin. Finally, Johns lost in Men's Singles to Hunter Johnson, although that result was not an upset, since Johns was the 19th seed and Johnson was the #3 seed.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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