Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Hey Pickleballers. Goodbye Hugh Hefner, hello Jamie Foxx. What do we mean by that? Let’s just say that there’s an exclusive and regular party going on in Los Angeles — and it’s not at the Playboy Mansion. It’s at the Jamie Foxx mansion, and it’s the hottest pickleball party around! Plus, we’ll take a look at how to improve pro pickleball as a spectator sport, how you can hit the perfect lob, and a whole lot more.

Let’s go! 👇

At one time, an invitation to the Playboy Mansion was the ultimate sign of making it or at least knowing that you’d be rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite.

In New York City, Studio 54 represented a similar hot spot in the late 1970s. But where is that place now? It may just be at one of Jamie Foxx’s pickleball parties. Yup, the multi-talented actor, singer, and comedian has been hosting regular pickleball parties at his very own Los Angeles mansion.

“If you get good at pickleball, you never know who you might meet,” said Taylor Chien, a producer who has partnered with Foxx in the gear company, The Best Paddle. “I tell young people it’s the greatest way to network. Doors open up quickly on the pickleball courts.”

Jamie Foxx’s estate has three pickleball courts, and his parties include swimming, dancing, a taco truck, and influencer-led cardio classes.

The parties used to have about 50 attendees, but that number has grown to 400.

“You never know when the Jamie Foxx pickleball party is gonna happen, but when you get the DM or texts, you know you’re in for a special treat,” said Matt Manasse, a pickleball coach to the stars with clients including Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, and Emma Watson.

Manasse continued, “It’s that unassuming party that starts at 3 p.m. and the next thing you know, you’re dancing and it’s 11 p.m.”

We can all relate, right? One minute you’re playing pickleball at your local park, and then the next thing you know, you’re dancing with models and closing multi-million dollar deals. 😄

Warm Up Before You Play

Even if it’s just for rec games! Doing a dynamic warmup including jogging, stretching, and other movements can prevent injury and help you play better. Warming up all your shots before starting a game will also help you perform better and reduce frustrations that come from not playing well, which will make your experience more enjoyable.

Wait for the right time to attack. Or as the great Patrick Swayze says in Road House, “Be nice, until it’s time to not be nice.” 👍

A Bed Made of Pickleballs?

Did you know that pickleball players have been known to sleep on a bed of pickleballs before a match to align their bodies with the compression of a pickleball? Actually, we made that up. 😄 

But who knows, maybe someone has? And if he or she did sleep on a bed of pickleballs, we hope they used the #1 ball out there, the Franklin X-40. Why? Because it’s the most balanced, consistent, and durable ball on the market with the perfect mixture of touch, feel, and power. That’s why it’s the official pickleball of USA Pickleball and yours truly, The Pickleball Clinic. Get some for yourself, and use code “clinic15” at checkout for 15% off.

Pickleball’s greatest player of all time, Ben Johns, did a little Q + A with us…

The Pickleball Clinic: What would you be doing if you weren’t a pro pickleball player?

Ben Johns: It’s hard to say exactly what I would be doing if it weren’t pickleball, but I currently own 3 businesses and enjoy being a part of them. So I’d probably be in business in one way or another, preferably in something that involves materials science, engineering, and technology.

Be sure to follow Ben on Instagram and YouTube.

Rake in Those Ratings

The Sports Business Journal recently wrote a piece about what it thinks pickleball needs to do in order to become a popular professional sport for spectators to enjoy on TV.

The article lists five things the sport should do, which includes improving the broadcast by introducing new camera angles to capture the speed of the game.

Other suggestions were to introduce statistics to fans and to bring in more betting. Statistics could be interesting, but what stats would we track? How about how many grunts each player makes per match. 😂

The last two suggestions involved pickleball’s leagues and governing bodies — and concluded that it’s essential to stop the infighting between them.

OK, good suggestions. But what do we think should be done? Well, the professional spectator sport that reigns supreme in this country is football. So why not do what they do?

Sure, pickleball is a different sport, but that doesn’t mean it can’t borrow elements of football fandom, like perhaps providing space for tailgate parties before big tournaments or encouraging fans to show up to matches wearing the jerseys of their favorite players.

Well, before we stop talking about watching the pro game on TV, we’ve got a question for you…

Six hours earlier…😄 

The Ultimate Double Whammy

Have you ever put on a pair of sunglasses and felt less cool? Take your time to think, we’ll wait. It’s pretty hard to think of a moment like that because sunglasses take us to a magical place where the world looks sharper to us, and we look sharper to the world. (Oooh, see what we did there — we should trademark that line. 😁)

Well, we stand behind that phrase, and that’s where 96 Shades comes in. With more than 15 brands and 1,000 models to choose from, 96 Shades is the place to go for all your sunglasses needs. 👓 Plus, they guarantee a perfect pair, which is backed up by their 30-day return policy. Check them out today.

The lob is a risky shot that we don’t recommend using too often, especially on 3rd shots. But if you use it sparingly while dinking (as an element of surprise), then it can be an effective tool. But when should you hit the lob and where should you aim it? Coach Matt explains below. 👇

Key Takeaways:

• Focus on hitting your lob over someone’s backhand, not their forehand.

• Cross-court lobs are higher percentage shots because you have more distance to hit them, which gives you more of a margin for error.

• You can hit lobs from out of the air from a volley dink position or you can hit them off a bounce. Especially when hitting a lob off a bounce, however, make sure you are on balance.

The Pickleball Hall of Fame has announced its three inductees for the Class of 2024…

From Brazil, Simone Jardim is a former #1 ranked woman in the world. She won the triple crown (singles, doubles, and mixed) at the U.S. Open in both 2017 and 2018, and won the U.S. Open doubles just last year in 2023.

From Florida, Kyle Yates is a former #1 ranked man in the world. His resume includes 7 U.S. Open doubles titles and multiple Tournament of Champions and USAP National Championships.

Sometimes called “The Father of Professional Pickleball,” John Gullo helped establish The Tournament of Champions as the first and highest-paying tournament for professionals. Gullo was also responsible for establishing pickleball in 10 Utah cities, which now include more than 360 busy pickleball courts.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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