Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever been frustrated while playing pickleball? Today, we’ll list our Top 5 most frustrating things to happen on a pickleball court, welcome some pro tennis players to pro pickleball, learn about different types of dinks, and a whole lot more!

Let’s go! 👇

If you're reading this, chances are pickleball is a sport that brings you great joy. Chances are you probably also know that (like any sport) there can be some extremely frustrating experiences on a pickleball court too.

Here's our list of the Top 5 most frustrating things that happen while playing pickleball.

1. A "Double Fault": So you get up to serve and miss it in the net. Pretty frustrating, but hey, at least your partner has a chance. Then... they miss their serve too! You just had a side-out without the other team even having to be on the court.😂 (Sorry to laugh, we know that's very frustrating.)

2. The Dreaded Ball on Court: You've had a nice long rally, moved your opponents around, induced a pop-up and just as you’re about to smash an overhead, you see a ball rolling onto your court. "Ball!!!" you hear from your opponent as you easily put away your shot for winner — but no, you've got to replay the point. (Of course, being on the opposite end of that feels pretty good. But hey, this isn't a most relieving list, it's a most frustrating one!😄)

3. Whose Ball is It Anyway?: You're dinking back and forth. You've been moved around a bit, but now here comes a pretty easy dink right up the middle. Your partner has it. Or at least you think they do. Wait, does your partner think you're taking it? But it's their shot, right? You have time to communicate, it's a slow-moving dink. But it's now about to bounce twice. Wait, it just did — and neither of you even swung at it. Frustrating!  

4. Nasty Nelson Victim: You're up at the kitchen line getting ready for your partner to return serve. But the serve is headed out, way out. In fact, it's heading toward you. You've heard of such a thing — it’s called a Nasty Nelson. But is that happening right now? To you? Yes, it is. The ball is getting closer, and closer. (Smack!) It hits you, and now everyone is laughing! (That's OK, you'll see that person later in the parking lot. 😂)

5. Missed Match Point(s): You've played a solid game and you're up 10-4. All you have to do is win this point, that's all. OK, it didn't happen, that's fine. Side-out. You miss the return. 10-5. Your partner hits one in the net. 10-6. No big deal, you'll get it back. 10-7. Just lost three points, no need to panic. 10-8. 10-9. Hmm, what's going on here? 10-10. It's tied?! 11-10. They're winning?! 12-10. You're tapping paddles at the net? And you LOST?!!! 😫

OK, how'd we do? Which one of these frustrating pickleball experiences is in your top 5? Which ones did we miss? Reply and let us know.

Return and Run!

Make sure that you hit your returns with your momentum going forward and try your best to get up to the kitchen. If you stay back on returns you're putting yourself at a massive disadvantage, and taking away the inherent opportunity that the returner has to gain leverage in court positioning.

The creators of pickleball meant to put the returner at an advantage and the server at a disadvantage, so make sure you claim the kitchen on your returns!

🚨Giveaway Alert🚨

We’ve partnered with Franklin Pickleball and The Pick to give 5 winners an AMAZING gift basket including 100 X-40s, glow in the dark balls, a bag, a hat, a water bottle, and a ton of awesome merch. You can enter here via Instagram or Facebook.

*Winners will be chosen on 1-26, good luck!

From Canada, Steve Deakin was a professional tennis player who won 11 Canadian national tennis titles. After being introduced to pickleball by his dad, Steve became a professional pickleball player and has won 5 Canadian national titles in pickleball.

“The way I see [pickleball] is the beginning of many decades of health and wellness for a very large part of the population. Pickleball just took its time with a slow bubbling under growth until a pandemic forced communities to find ways to have fun and stay active.

The online social world then spread videos of people having fun playing pickleball while also activating that inner competitive edge. What could be more fun than playing a game of giant ping pong/shrunken tennis? Great for the body, great for the brain.

Working hard at a sport within an ever-changing organization (PPA) can be a huge challenge at times but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. I know that a decade from now, all the hiccups will be done and the young professionals will all have stars in their eyes as they grind daily on court in the hopes of becoming a Ben Johns or A.L. Waters. They will likely never have to negotiate a thing on their own behalf in order to make a mortgage payment. Everything starts somewhere and great things take time. Get out there and support your favorite players on the pro tour.”

@stevedeakinpickleball

Pure Filth!

You know when you see a sweet ATP? Or an amazing firefight? Maybe you let out a sigh or shake your head in disbelief. However you respond, when you witness something that’s filthy, you just KNOW it!

Enter one of Bread & Butter’s most popular paddles called, wait for it… The Filth. Made with the same raw carbon fiber face found in the best paddles on the market, The Filth has the perfect balance of touch, power, and durability. And as you can see, it looks gorgeous too! In short, this paddle is called The Filth because it’s absolutely filthy! Get one to see for yourself – and use code “clinic15” for 15% off.

Can you say “defense”?!!! 👏

Rackets to Paddles at the Masters

This past weekend saw the best pickleball players in the world come together at the Masters in Palm Springs, California — one of the four big "slam" tournaments of the year.

It was also the debut tournament for tennis stars Genie Bouchard and Donald Young — and the almost debut for tennis stars Jack Sock and Sam Querrey.

Tennis Credentials...

Genie Bouchard (age: 29) Career high singles ranking - #5 in the world - Wimbledon finalist in doubles

Donald Young (age: 34) Career high singles ranking - #38 in the world - French Open finalist in doubles

Jack Sock (age: 31) Career high singles ranking - #8 in the world / doubles - #2 in the world. Wimbledon and U.S. Open winner in doubles

Sam Querrey (age 36) Career high singles ranking - #11 in the world / doubles - #23 in the world. Wimbledon semi-finalist in singles, U.S. Open semifinalist in doubles

And now for this weekend's results...

Genie Bouchard - Lost in first round of women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles.

Donald Young - Lost in first round of men's doubles and mixed doubles. 

Jack Sock - Semi-finalist in singles, Quarter-finalist in mixed doubles, Round of 16 in men's doubles.

Sam Querrey - Lost in first round of men's doubles. 

Well, at least Jack Sock did pretty well. But it's just one tournament. Good luck to all you tennis pros turned pickleball pros in 2024! 👍

Well, “improves” is a strong word. Maybe “reveals your lack of” is more accurate. 😄

UTR Sports to Co-host Golden Ticket Events!

UTR Sports has partnered with USA Pickleball and is hosting two Golden Ticket Qualifier Events in 2024!

Playing Golden Ticket events is the only guaranteed path for amateur players to compete in the USA Pickleball National Championships (see the full schedule here).

The UTR Sports Golden Ticket events are part of its new year-round series of USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments called the UTR Sports Pickleball Amateur Series. The Series will cultivate a world-class experience for amateur players at exceptional venues across the U.S.

LEARN MORE!

Should you use a push dink or a topspin dink on your forehand?

Coach Tanner gives his answer and demonstrates the proper technique for both shots.👇

Key takeaways:

• Lock wrist on a push dink

• Brush up on the ball (as if waving) on a topspin dink

• Only use topspin dinks when your opponent gives you an easy dink

If this isn’t the coolest pickleball court you’ll ever see, it’s definitely one of them! It’s on the rooftop of the Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood, California — and on weekends, it transforms into a disco court with DJs and cocktails.

Plus, you can rent it out for private tournaments or parties with up to 75 guests! Now that’s a party we’d all be up for! 👍

Thanks for reading. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Join the conversation below! ⬇️