Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever been playing pickleball when all of a sudden, it started to rain? Or snow? Or even hail? Today, we'll reveal what started raining down on some unlucky (but actually really lucky) pickleballers. Plus, we'll take a look at a new pickleball-themed toy, meet a man who plays without something really important, get a tip from a pro pickleball player, and a whole lot more.

Let’s go! 👇

When you're playing pickleball, there are a few things you've got to look out for in terms of safety.

You want to make sure that another ball hasn't rolled onto your court so that you don't accidentally step on it and twist your ankle.

Also, don't backpedal (run directly backwards) in order to attempt an overhead, and wear protective glasses. Those are the main things to watch for while playing pickleball — until now.

What's this new danger we have to prepare for? ROCKS falling out of the sky!

We wish we were kidding, but no, this actually happened last week in Penfield, New York, when large rocks rained down on the Shadow Pines pickleball courts and playground.

First and foremost, the great news is that no one was injured. And that really is great news because one eyewitness described some of the rocks being "a little bit smaller than a basketball." 😮

What was the reason for this insane stone shower? According to local officials, there was a scheduled blast at the nearby Dolomite Quarry.

OK, so at least we know that it was caused by an intentional mining blast. But maybe go a little lighter on the dynamite next time? 🤏 Just a thought. 😀 

The incident is under investigation, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation required the quarry to halt all blasting activities until further notice.

In the meantime, if you're playing near a quarry, and you hear a blast, then get down and cover your head. 👍

Hitting Soft Doesn’t Mean Stopping Short

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 cause 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.

If you like good defense, then something tells us you might like this point. 👇

The Game is Changing

These days, pickleball is getting a lot faster and more offensive. In other words: bigger serves, more speedups and more drives. Do you know one of the main reasons for this? It's because paddle technology has improved so much that players are able to control the ball more and therefore keep hard-hit balls in the court by using topspin. 

That's not to say that the soft game of dinks, drops and resets are going bye-bye because they definitely aren't. You need that touch and precision from your paddle too. So yeah, you still need to master the hard and soft games. But don't worry, we know you can handle it. 💪

If you’re looking to dink in complete luxury, then you may want to consider heading over to the Hamilton Princess Resort and Beach Club in Bermuda. With beautiful pink courts set alongside the classic teal Bermuda ocean water (and wine or dark rum cocktails at your fingertips), this is about as decadent a pickleball experience as you’re going to get.

We’re taking a wild guess and assuming that it might cost a pretty penny to stay at this resort. 😉 But at least once you’re there, the courts, paddles, and balls are all complimentary. So if you get the chance to play on these courts, be sure to stay on them from morning ‘til dusk! 😀

Another Feather in the Cap

Now that autumn is officially here, it means that the holiday season isn't all that far away. 

Do you need a good gift idea? Because we've got a great one, assuming the person you're getting it for is on the young side. 

What is this amazing gift? American Girl's "Girl of the Year 2026" doll. Her name is Raquel Reyes, and take a guess what she plays... pickleball!

This doll isn't skipping out on accessories. Raquel's pickleball set comes with a visor, 2 paddles, 3 pickleballs, a water bottle and a pickleball bag.

Plus, there's a little backstory on the listing page: "Raquel Reyes learns how to play pickleball in Mount Bedford with the help of her relatives. Her cousin Sloan picks out this outfit for her to wear when they play."

But it gets even better: "Raquel tries pickleball for the first time on vacation and later DJs at a pickleball tournament." 😆

Hey, if that's what the kids are doing these days, then so be it.

And even though Raquel is playing for the first time, all of her gear makes it look like she knows what she's doing. 💪

Do you believe in free will? 😆

Long Live Circles!

This physical world of ours is filled with all different shapes. Rectangles are great for paintings, smart phones and refrigerators. 🙂 Then we've got triangles, which are perfect for hangers and ice cream cones. And then there are circles, which in 3D become spheres, aka balls.

Of all the shapes in the world, the ball is the one that bounces the truest because it's round and moves through the air in a straight line even though it ironically has no straight lines. Physics aside, we should all be super grateful to the circle because without it, we wouldn't have pickleballs. Not only are pickleballs circular, but the best pickleball in the world is made with 40 precisely-cut circular holes, which allows the air to move through it smoothly. So we've got three words to say... Long Live Circles! Use code "clinic15" for 15% off. 

As we know, pickleball is evolving rapidly, and there are new shots and strategies that can take your game to the next level. But there are also some tried and true ones that can get your DUPR going up too. Today, we've got one of the best players in the world, James Ignatowich, to show us how to take more dinks out of the air. 👇  

Key takeaways:

• Don’t reach too much because that will lead to pop-ups

• Instead, move side to side so you can get your feet behind the ball and make contact with the ball in between your feet.

• Get as low as you can so you can extend the length of your comfortable reach.

Some people have little quirks or habits while they're playing pickleball. Maybe you have a special serving ritual (like Rafael Nadal) or perhaps you always wear a lucky headband or only play at night. Well, one pickleballer in Tucson, Arizona does something pretty unique... he only plays barefoot. 

Raven Peer is 31 years old and he's been used to playing many sports barefoot, including soccer, martial arts (well, sure), and tennis. It turns out that despite not wearing shoes, he's actually quite good at pickleball. "Last week we were shocked when this barefoot wonder came on and thrashed us all," said Bill Weld, a regular player at the Udall pickleball courts in Tucson.

Peer admits that the courts get a bit too hot to play on from about noon to 4pm, but he thinks that playing barefoot improves his balance, and he just likes to do it. We don’t recommend that all of you go out and play barefoot, but if it works for Peer, then good for him!  

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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