Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Are any of you watching the World Cup? Or at least up until Monday when the USA lost? 😉 Well, today, we'll preview the Pickleball World Cup coming up in August, find out what country is offering free pickleball to all of its students, learn how to master the topspin drop, and much more.

Let’s do this! 👇

Everyone is talking about the World Cup these days. (Pour a glass out for the USA. 😢) But there's another World Cup on the horizon.

And take a guess at what sport it's for... pickleball! Yup, the tournament is set to take place in Da Nang, Vietnam from August 30th to September 6th.

Da Nang is a beautiful coastal city, known for its beaches and bridges (see below). Plus, it's becoming a fast-growing hub for pickleball!

The Pickleball World Cup is planning to host more than 4,000 athletes hailing from 80+ countries on 97 courts spread across 7 venues for a $500,000 prize pool.

This year, the tournament has some pretty big sponsors, including Heineken (the official name of the tournament is the "2026 Heineken Pickleball World Cup"), and Franklin—the official ball of the tournament is the Franklin X-40.

The inaugural World Cup started in 2023 in Lima, Peru, the home of its founders, Peruvian siblings Hercilio and Miranda Cabieses. It was played there for two years before heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2025.

Professionals will of course be competing in the tournament, but there will also be amateur divisions, including junior and senior divisions. Good luck to all the participants, and go pickleball!

Add Topspin to Your Drives

Adding topspin to your drives is one of the best ways to improve consistency. Because topspin makes the ball dip back down into the court, you can swing with more pace while still keeping the ball in play. Compared to a flat drive hit at the same speed, a topspin drive has a much better chance of landing in.

To generate topspin, start with your paddle below the ball and swing from low to high, brushing up the back of the ball as you make contact. Getting into this position starts with your legs—bend your knees so you can get underneath the ball, then drive upward using your legs and shoulder through the shot. While advanced players may add extra spin with their wrists, most players will benefit far more by focusing on proper leg drive and a smooth low-to-high swing path.

The lob can be a great weapon to use when you’re up at the kitchen… 💪👇

Above, we told you about the Pickleball World Cup, where the official ball will be the Franklin X-40. It's also the official ball of the APP Tour and of yours truly. Hmm, are you noticing a pattern? 😉

If you take pickleball seriously and want to experience the sport the way it's supposed to be played, then you're going to play with the Franklin X-40 because it's the most balanced, consistent, and durable ball in the world. That's why it’s not just the best-selling pickleball, but the best-selling pickleball product in America. Get some Franklin X-40s today, and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

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

Scorpion (noun)

A "scorpion" is essentially a forehand overhead counter hit by a player while in a squatted position up at the kitchen line. It is a more offensive counter in lieu of what would have otherwise been a backhand volley.

There is a huge problem of kids being glued to their phones rather than being physically or socially active, and it's not just happening here in the United States.

This screen addiction phenomenon is happening all over the world, and one country decided to do something about it. 

Led by its Ministry of Youth and Sports, Malaysia recently took the bold step of making pickleball free for all students in Malaysian schools on weekdays.

The goal of the pickleball initiative is two-pronged: to both reduce screen time and to increase physical activity among young people.

But why pickleball? While the decision is great for growing our sport, it didn't have to be pickleball.

Well, the Malaysian government liked that it was easy to learn and relatively inexpensive, as courts can be set up by adapting badminton or tennis courts, and the equipment required is fairly limited.

Malaysia also determined that pickleball is inclusive (it is played by both genders equally) and safe, as it is not a contact sport, thus reducing the risk of injury.

The central pickleball location for the initiative is the new Pickleball Stadium at Kenanga Wholesale City in Kuala Lumpur, and the program supports the country's National Sports Vision 2030, a long-term plan to transform Malaysia into a sporting powerhouse by developing talent from the grassroots level.

What do you think the answer is? Find out below. 😀👇

If you or someone you know is planning to build pickleball courts, then you've got to work with the experts. Why? Because the stakes are simply too high. You won't be able to compete in this day and age with subpar pickleball courts, and you certainly don't want to rebuild your courts because they didn't come out right the first time.

Enter Court Kings, the one-stop shop for pickleball court construction because they handle everything from site prep and concrete work to surfacing, nets, fencing, and consultation. As our nationwide court surfacing partner, Court Kings installs both acrylic and cushioned court systems, and they help clients choose the right surface and color combination based on their goals, usage, and budget. To learn more, contact [email protected].

Remember how Matt suggested adding topspin to your drives above? Well, guess what, you can use it on your drops too. Not always—because it's a little riskier than hitting a regular flat drop—but hitting topspin drops is a good idea for short returns because they will generally move faster and drop quicker than your plain drops without topspin. Here's Matt to show you exactly how to hit it. 👇

Adaptive Pickleball (APB) is an organization dedicated to bringing the physical and social benefits of pickleball to people with diverse-abilities throughout the Upstate South Carolina area. Sandy Halkett founded Adaptive Pickleball in 2020 in order to teach people with physical, cognitive, and developmental challenges how to play pickleball. The non-profit group has grown to over 1,000 participants, and it provides equipment ranging from paddles to $4,000 specialized sports wheelchairs, all for free. 

Now, twice a month, a facility in Malden called Pickle Yard shuts down for the day for the Adaptive Pickleball community to come in and play. “We’re trying to make pickleball playable for anybody, whether they have a diverse ability or not,” said Sandy Halkettt. “APB has given our athletes another outlet to be sociable and to get out of the house. And when you ask a lot of the athletes what they think about APB, they say APB, it’s family. We’re family."

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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