Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

We have found that the overwhelming majority of pickleballers are nice and respectful people looking to be social and to have a good time. But there are some outliers. Today, we'll take a look at the worst etiquette displayed on a pickleball court, get you caught up on all the rule changes for 2025, show you three pro strategies you need to incorporate into your game, and a lot more.

Let’s go! 👇

If you follow our Instagram or Facebook pages, or are members of our Facebook Group (the largest online forum in the world for pickleball), you’ll know that we like to ask pickleball-related questions — and we always get amazing responses from you!

Our most recent question was “What’s the Worst Etiquette Mistake on a Pickleball Court?", and as you might expect, we got some spirited responses.

Some etiquette violations were mentioned a lot, including walking onto another court to retrieve your ball without waiting until the other court's point ends (super rude), constantly looking at or speaking into your Apple watch (yup, we've seen that), and giving unsolicited advice (if someone doesn't want advice, then don't give it).

Other common grievances included serving when the opponent isn't ready (stay tuned, there's a new rule about that below 👇) and not apologizing after hitting someone. Yes, hitting someone with the ball sometimes happens in pickleball, but it's customary to apologize to convey that you didn't mean to hurt your opponent.

Now for the funny ones…

A woman named Shannon wrote, "Not wearing deodorant! So many stinky people." Good point, Shannon. 😀 And a guy named John wrote, "Showing up without a knee brace on either knee. It tells the rest of us you have two good knees and that is just braggadocios." You heard John, no playing pickleball without a knee brace! 😂

Geno wrote "Aiming at someone, hitting them and then yelling 'eat it.'" You're right, Geno, that's definitely not good etiquette. Speaking of eating, Thao wrote "Playing & eating! Very annoying." Wow, we've never seen someone eat while playing pickleball! 😄

Quite a few people referenced the wild viral video that went around last month, as Kerry wrote "Uh….the guy getting kicked in the face." Yes, that is about as poor etiquette as it gets, although the below scenario isn't too far behind...

Kurt wrote "Younger players constantly lobbing the two 80-year-old opponents and laughing about it, and yelling "Are you dead yet!" This was said on a court! Truth!"

While we never condone kicking anyone in the face, if we were told that someone had to be kicked in the face, and our only choice was to choose who got kicked, then we'd probably choose those guys who picked on the 80-year-olds. 😀

Anyway, thanks to everyone who responded. Do you have a question you think would be perfect to ask our whole pickleball community? Then hit reply and write back to us. 👍 Who knows, maybe we’ll be featuring your question next!

Remember to Run to the Kitchen Line After Every Return of Serve!

I find that beginners commonly forget to move up to the kitchen after returning. Positioning yourself at the net after hitting the return puts you and your partner in an offensive position so that it’s harder for your opponent to score a point. There really aren’t any situations in which it’s advantageous to stay back after the return, so make sure you move up no matter what!

You know what they say: “With patient dinking, there’s no stinking.” Actually, no one has ever said that. 😀 But you get the idea.

What Do You Want to Be?

It’s time for some questions. If you were a dog, which breed would you be? OK, what about a food? Something sweet or savory? We'll go with a bulldog and dulce de leche ice cream. 🍦 Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what kind of shoe would you want to be? A boot or high heel? Or maybe a sandal? 

As you might imagine, we would want to be a pickleball sneaker. And there's no sneaker we'd rather be than the Diadem Court Burst because then we'd be fast, comfortable, stable — not to mention easy on the eyes. Get yourself a pair so you can see for yourself, and use code “clinic10” at checkout for 10% off.

When you think of New York City, what do you think of? Tall buildings? Central Park? Perhaps the Plaza Hotel, especially if you're a fan of the children's book/movie, Eloise. Well, there just so happens to be a 14 court facility located right in the middle of it all, inside Central Park and just steps away from the famous Plaza Hotel.

The courts are run by CityPickle, and its exact location is in Wollman Rink, which is an ice-skating rink. So while you can play pickleball there in the warmer months, in the winter, yes, people are skating on it. How cool is that? Wait, what if we combined the two seasons and played pickleball on ice? It would probably look something like this.

Anyway, the next time you're in New York City, try checking out this amazing facility, which was also the site of an MLP tournament back in September that hosted all of the top players in the world.

New Year, New Rules

A new year in pickleball also means new rules. Now we don't mean entirely new rules, but slight tweaks to help make our game as good as it can possibly be. Here are the main changes to be aware of in the Official USA Pickleball Rulebook for 2025...

1. Volley Definition: Previously, the formal definition of a volley included the backswing, the contact point, and the momentum of your body after you hit the ball. The new rule states that the volley does not start until you make contact with the ball. This is relevant because now if you have your paddle touch the kitchen before you hit your volley, that is OK. Also if you begin your swing with a foot inside the kitchen but make contact with both feet outside the kitchen, then that is now legal as well. (This all makes sense to us. 👍)

2. Spectator Line Calls: Spectators can no longer influence line calls. So if someone on another court says the ball on your court was out, you are not supposed to take their word for it — you have to make your own call. (People used to have spectators help with line calls? That’s not a good idea. So yeah, good rule.)

3. Tossing with Your Paddle: On your serve, you can now toss the ball up with your paddle instead of with your other hand — as long as you are not imparting any spin with the paddle. (We're not quite sure why this rule was added, other than to potentially help people with one hand? Awesome, great. But you're telling us that people with one hand were told that they couldn't do that in the past? What?!)

4. Waiting Before a Serve: If you are not ready to return serve, you can now give a verbal cue to the server like "wait" or "not ready," and he or she has to give you time to get ready. (Again, not sure what animals you've been playing with who would ignore that request in the past, but now it’s an official rule.)

5. Calling Foot Faults: Both players have to agree that the opposing team's player committed a foot fault for that call to stand. If only one player calls the foot fault and the other player is not sure, then that call will not be granted. (This is going to cause some infighting within teams, but we like it. After all, calling a kitchen foot fault on someone is a pretty big deal, so it’s important that both opposing players are sure about the call.)

6. Good Sportsmanship: It may have been assumed in the past that you use good sportsmanship and that if you saw yourself or your partner commit a foot fault, you would call the fault on your team. But now that is a rule — you are now expected to call foot faults on yourself and your partner. (We like the forced sportsmanship. Not sure how much of an impact this will have, but hey, it's always good to be honest.) 

All in all, pretty good rule changes. Many of them seem pretty obvious, but you need clear rules to make sure everyone is abiding by them. 👍

Stay thirsty, my friends. 😀

Staying Calm Amidst the Storm

As we all know, the sport of pickleball is constantly evolving. Because it’s so new (at least at the national level, yes, it was actually invented in the 1960s), more and more people are playing it and bringing new strategies to the game. 

One big area where the game is changing is power. Because of advancements in paddle technology, players can hit the ball harder on serves, drives, and speed-ups because they can impart more and more topspin. Slice can also be more potent because of the increased grip on the ball that new paddles provide.

With all of these changes to the game, it's more important than ever to have a premier ball — one that can handle the increased speed and power of the fast game while still being able to showcase the touch and finesse of the soft game. That's where Franklin's X-40 pickleball comes in. It's the best and most reliable ball out there, which is why it's the official ball of USA Pickleball, the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships, and yours truly, The Pickleball Clinic. Get some for yourself today, and use code “clinic15” for 15% off.

Our friend and one of the best pickleball players in the world, James Ignatowich, is back and he’s here to tell you three things that the pros do that you can add to your game. Watch here. 👇

Key takeaways:

• If you are faced with a tough shot in the transition zone, reset that ball into the middle part of the kitchen, rather than attempting to hit fancy shots like really hard drives or lobs.

• Go for your serve. Depth is most important, but if you can hit your serve deep and hard, that’s even better. Even if a big serve doesn’t force a return error, it will usually lead to shorter or softer returns, which lead to easier third shots for you and your partner.

• When volleying, make contact with the ball out in front of your body. This will help you hit the ball downward at your opponent’s feet.

Quang Duong, the 18-year-old pickleball phenom from Vietnam, has found himself in a bit of a pickle after an incident at last week's Masters tournament in Rancho Mirage, California. After flubbing a backhand dink during his mixed doubles match with partner, Parris Todd, Duong went to his bench and switched paddles from a Selkirk to a Proton paddle.

That doesn't sound all that bad, right? Except for the fact that Duong is a signed Selkirk player who is contractually obligated to only use Selkirk paddles while playing on tour. In response to the snub, Selkirk issued a statement saying that because of Duong's actions, along with other previous breaches of contract, it decided to send Duong a cease and desist letter. Rumors went around that Selkirk served Duong papers on court, but Selkirk vehemently denied those claims.

Thanks for reading. See you out on the courts!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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