Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on a pickleball court? Today, we’ll reveal some hysterical pickleball stories, a new pickleball world record, how to hit a two-hand backhand dink, and more!

Let’s get into it! 👇

For starters, allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Adam Stone (not to be mistaken with another Adam Stone in pickleball😄, who plays on tour and is also a pro pickleball commentator.) This Adam Stone’s background is in comedy and writing, and I write most of these newsletters.

Additionally, I’m a pickleball coach for Montclair Pickleball, New Jersey’s largest pickleball academy with three locations, also founded by The Pickleball Clinic’s co-founders Aaron Reznik and Matt Slowinksi.

While coaching, I've witnessed some pretty amusing things on a pickleball court. Here are two that come to mind...

No Mas  

As most of us know, the third shot drop is not an easy shot to hit — it requires finesse and practice to be able to consistently drop that ball into the kitchen.

One time, a student hit a few third shot drops into the net, and that was it for her. She just walked off the court, packed up, and said, “No, I’m done with this. Thanks.” And she never returned again.

I’ve heard of these incidents in golf, which is notoriously frustrating. But never pickleball. Of course I don’t condone her decision, but part of me respects the thought process of “When I know I’m done, I’m done.”🤘

Kind of reminds me of that frustrated flight attendant who quit his 20+ career by taking two beers from the beverage cart, opening the emergency exit and sliding down the chute onto the tarmac.😀

Two Fingers

I was recently watching my students dink, and the rhythm of one student was particularly smooth.

But when I got closer to him, I noticed that he was holding the paddle with just two fingers. So I told him, “Great rhythm on your dinks, but why are you holding your paddle like that?”

He said, “I thought that’s how you wanted us to hold it.” That immediately made me think of the example that a fellow coach of mine and I sometimes give by holding the paddle with two fingers to demonstrate how loose your grip needs to be while dinking.

But somehow, the student thought that’s how he SHOULD GRIP the paddle.😂 I realized what had happened and nicely told him that holding the paddle with two fingers was just part of a demonstration, and not actually the way to hold it. 

But it does go to show, it is possible to dink by holding the paddle with only two fingers.😃 

Keep Your Technique Simple

There's no need to over complicate your technique. I find that once players hit the intermediate level, it is common for them to add unnecessary shots and techniques to their game.

These "frills" usually come in the form of backswings, follow throughs, and unnecessary attempts to spin the ball. In reality, the form required to be an advanced pickleball player is not complicated at all! Even the pros use similar techniques to those that we teach beginners on their first day of playing, with small backswings and conscious follow through lengths.

Pickleball’s greatest player of all time, Ben Johns, reveals what he’s most excited for about the 2024 pro pickleball season.

“Hey Bulletin Readers!

In the 2024 season, the thing I’d say I’m most excited about is the continued influx of new, skilled players. There has been an increasing number of good players for a number of years, and whenever there are new players there are new strategies and shots to be added. New players are what keep me actively improving and analyzing the game. I love that process, so that’s what I look forward to most.”

Follow Ben on Instagram and YouTube here!

Don’t Just Think It — Dink It!

The middle of winter can be a lonely time. The days are short, the temperature is low, and only two NFL fan bases care about football this late in the season.😃 The only thing you can do is think about pickleball coming up in the spring.

But wait. You don’t have to just think about pickleball, you can actually GET BETTER by practicing with The Dink Master! From Enhance Pickleball, The Dink Master is your new practice partner. You can hit thousands of shots every week to improve your muscle memory. It doesn’t talk much, so you still might feel a little lonely — but it will definitely improve your game! Get one today — and use code “clinic15” at checkout. 

Sometimes the only way to end a point is with an erne!💪 

Pickleball Goes on Record

Ever dream of breaking a world record? Ever dream of playing pickleball all day and night?

Well, a group of four people from Idaho (Dave Cook, 56, Dory Lerew, 42, Mike Nys, 53, and Joe Fraser, 56) decided to combine those two dreams by attempting to set the Guinness world record for the longest continuous game of pickleball!

The previous record was 24 hours.

According to the rules, the players were allowed to take a five-minute break for every hour of play, and they were allowed to stack the breaks and take them back to back.

So, did they break the record? Drumroll please... YES!

On January 20, at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula, Idaho, they broke the record! And you can watch the moment it happened here.

How many ernes were hit? How many ATPs were attempted? Did any part of it include nude pickleball? 

Sorry, we don't have any of those answers — you’ll just have to watch the whole video to see for yourself. 😃 

The 3 stages of drop shot glory. 😃

Finally… a Pickleball Movie!

Remember a few weeks ago when we mentioned that the first-ever, full-length feature film about pickleball was in the works? Well, it's a comedy called In a Pickle, written by Dan Brooks, Jason Reid, and Joel Boyd, and let's just say that there may be an exciting opportunity coming up soon surrounding this movie! STAY TUNED…

Want to learn how to hit an offensive two-handed backhand dink?!

Coach Matt shows you how below!👇

Key takeaways:

• Make sure you’re using the correct grip.

• Get down low to generate topspin.

• Generate power from your left hand (for righties).

• Don’t use this shot when stretched out wide.

Any fans of True Blood out there? If so, you'll be glad to hear that star, Stephen Moyer, is a big fan of pickleball. (You'll also be glad to know that he's actually married to his True Blood girlfriend, Anna Paquin!)

But back to pickleball, Moyer said that during the recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, "It was actually kind of holding me together." As for his daily schedule during that time, "I'd take the kids to school, and then I'd go play pickleball. And then when the picket lines opened, I'd do picketing for the strike, and then go back and do a bit of pickle and then school pick up. It was like school, pickle, strike, pickle, school."

Moyer joins a big list of actors who love the game, including Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, and Selena Gomez.

Thanks for reading. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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