Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Do you ever feel constricted by your clothes? Today, we'll explore the world of naked pickleball, check out the current landscape of professional senior pickleball, learn how to avoid hitting dead dinks, and much more.

Let’s go! 👇

Can you think of something that's more fun than pickleball? We know, it's not an easy task. How about nude pickleball?

Yup, that's not a joke. Well, the thought of it is pretty funny, but it is a real thing that many people partake in. But where do people play pickleball in the nude?

For starters, it's not too customary to be naked in public. It's also not legal. 😀 But there is a way around that problem, and it is through naturist resorts. Otherwise known as nudist resorts, these are establishments where guests can practice naturism—a lifestyle of non-sexual social nudity.

We like the sound of a "naturist resort." It's way more subtle than "nudist colony." Although in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, they get even more subtle by calling them "sun clubs."

Imagine getting invited to a friend's "sun club" for the afternoon expecting a day in the sun, and instead, you get not just the sun, but also the moon 🌕—actually, a wide variety of moons!

But all jokes aside, naturism believes in harmony with nature, respect for the environment, and not having to wear clothes in public. As a result, if you want to enjoy pickleball in the nude, then there's nothing stopping you at one of these resorts.

According to Pickleheads, there are nearly 40 naturist resorts spread out over 23 states (and probably more) where nude pickleball is played. But before you give it a go, consider some of the pros and cons...

Pros:
-Feeling liberated and connected to nature and the outdoors
-Potential increase in body image, confidence, and self-acceptance
-No chaffing or sweaty clothes

Cons:
-You may feel self-conscious or uncomfortable
-More sunblock needed for all parts of your body
-Scrapes and cuts usually reserved for knees and forearms might get you on other parts of your body.

So there you have it. Is nude pickleball something you would be willing to try? Write back and let us know.

Excuses Are Just That…Excuses

Remember that you and your opponents are dealing with the exact same conditions. It’s easy to blame the wind, sun, ball, or court when things aren’t going your way, but everyone on the court is facing the same challenges. The conditions may make the game tougher, but they’re out of your control. Instead of letting them get in your head, focus on adapting and making the most of what you’re given. Your ability to adjust—not the conditions themselves—can be the difference between winning and losing.

Pro doubles pickleball at its finest. 👇

If you haven't checked out TheraICE, then you're hurting way more than you need to. That's because they created something that's not only innovative, but wearable, and it combines the healing power of compression and cold therapy. Essentially, your ordinary ice pack just got the ultimate upgrade!

TheraICE combines reactive relief and proactive prevention, supporting you not only when pain strikes, but also beforehand by keeping your body ready for what’s next. Plus, they're offering a TheraICE bundle: buy 2 products and get 15% off, buy 3 products and get 25% off! And when you use code (clinic20), you get an additional 20% off the entire order—or if you just want a single sleeve, you also get 20% off when you use that code!

Pickleball has many great attributes, but one of them is the fact that people can enjoy the sport—and be really good at it—at almost any age. Because it's not a contact sport and doesn't require all-out sprinting and jumping, our agility and reflexes can hold up well into our 50s, 60s, and beyond.

In this sense, pickleball is a bit like golf, where a star like Phil Mickelson was able to win the 2021 PGA Championship (one of golf's 4 biggest annual tournaments) when he was 50 years old.

Back in 2009, all-time great Tom Watson, actually tied for the final lead at the British Open, another of golf's 4 major annual tournaments, when he was just weeks away from turning 60 years old! (He ultimately lost in a playoff but at the end of regulation, no one had a better score than he did.)

Because of golf’s ability to allow world-class play at older ages, it has long had a very popular senior professional league. So why shouldn't pickleball? The good news is, it does! And not just one, but several! Let's take a look at them...

We'll start off with the Association of Pickleball Players (APP), which runs more than 10 tournaments a year, consisting of singles, men's/women's doubles, and mixed doubles. The APP has two divisions, the APP Champions (for ages 50+) and APP Masters (for ages 60+), and both divisions are sponsored by AARP.

Another important league in the senior professional landscape is Champions Series Pickleball (CSP), which used to be called the National Pickleball League (NPL). It focuses on team competition like Major League Pickleball (MLP) does, and it actually just partnered with MLP a few months ago. The CSP also has Champions (50+) and Masters (60+) divisions, and it recently added an age 40+ Prime division as well.

The U.S. Legends Pickleball League (USLPL) is yet another senior professional pickleball league that was created in 2025, and it recently expanded from 12 to 16 teams.

Rounding out the group are senior pro tournaments held by the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), and the Senior Pro Tour (SPT), which has a consolidated senior ranking system that incorporates results from multiple senior-pro competitions.

When it’s all said and done, senior professional leagues are a great way for top-level players who may or may not have been pro athletes when they were younger to experience it for the first time or to taste it once more.

If you are a high-level pickleball player, hopefully this inspires you to reach new heights in your game and potentially play senior pro pickleball yourself! But for the other 99%+ of us, don’t worry, we can still play and compete across many amateur skill levels. 💪

Guilty as charged. 😂👇

We hope you've signed up to meet with your new dedicated health coach at Marek Health because a ton of us at The Pickleball Clinic already have. That's because instead of piecing together labs, supplements, and advice from many different sources, Marek Health members get one dedicated health coach and physician-led team that manages everything from blood work and treatment plans to prescriptions and follow-ups—all in one place.

Just fill out an intake form and Marek Health will take care of the rest. You will get a specific blood work diagnostics panel based on what you and your health coach discuss, you will then review those results together and get a personalized plan, along with any prescriptions or medications. Take 10% off when you use code (clinic10). Plus, there’s a Labor Day Sale running for Marek Diagnostics from September 4–7, offering 15% off sitewide. That promo code is LABORDAY15.

When you’re up at the kitchen line, you ideally want to take balls out of the air—and in a perfect world, your opponent leaves balls high so you can attack them. But that’s not always going to happen. As you get better, the balls that you can reach out of the air are often not high enough to attack. But you also don’t want to hit dead volley dinks every time. So what do you do? Roll volley dinks! Good thing coach Matt is here to show you exactly how to hit them. Check it out below. 👇

Above, we spoke about senior professional pickleball leagues. Some players in those leagues are former Division I athletes or pro athletes in other sports, but we don't know of many who are all-time greats in their previous sports. Well, not so fast.

One of the best tennis players of all time, Ivan Lendl, who won 8 major tennis titles and was ranked #1 in the world for 4 years in the 1980s, is an avid pickleball player and often competes in tournaments. Here he is in last year's 65+ gold medal match at the US Open in Naples, Florida. Lendl is 66 years old and currently has a 5.2 DUPR rating.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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