Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Do you know anyone who can predict the future? Well, you do now. 😃 Today, we will take out our crystal ball and look ahead to 2026. Plus, we'll give you the 5 keys to becoming a 5.0 player, check out the results from the Pickleball World Cup, see just how inclusive pickleball really is, and a whole lot more.

Let’s go! 👇

We're not done with 2025 yet, but we have less than 2 months to go, so we thought we'd look ahead to next year and make some 2026 Pickleball Predictions. Here goes...

Pickleball gets featured in a Super Bowl commercial for the 3rd year in a row. It's the most watched live event of the year, so advertisers want to target things that are really popular in America — like pickleball! That’s why pickleball-themed commercials aired during the Super Bowl in 2024 and 2025.

The global pickleball market surpasses the United States. This isn't to say that pickleball will be played by more people in another country, but that collectively, if you add up all the people around the world that play pickleball outside the US, it will be a higher total than the number of American players by the end of 2026.

Robots start playing pro pickleball. OK, this is a joke from a spoof story we wrote based on this fake video of a robot playing pickleball. But hey, robots are already playing other sports, so we actually take that back — robots will play pickleball in 2026, but probably not on any pro tours. 😄

Game 7 will be a pickleball match. This year’s World Series went to a deciding game 7, which was won in extra innings by the Los Angeles Dodgers. But next year, if the teams are again knotted at 3 games apiece, the deciding game will not be a baseball game, but rather a pickleball game played between the two best pickleball players on each team. (OK, this one is a total joke, but how exciting would that be? 😃)

Protective eyewear almost becomes mandatory. At least one of the professional pickleball tours or leagues seriously considers making protective eyewear mandatory for its players. Ultimately, a rule does not go into effect, but it influences the NCAA to make it a rule when pickleball becomes an official NCAA sport in… let's say 2028.

Juniors will take over. You know how pickleball used to be associated with seniors? In 2026, the trend will reverse, such that it will become a sport associated with kids and very young adults. But don’t worry, by 2027, it will come back to being the sport for people of all ages. 😉 

So there you have it, our 2026 Pickleball Predictions. Do you agree or disagree? Or do you have any predictions of your own? We’d love to hear them. Write back and let us know!

Communicate with Your Partner!

Good communication is key to winning games against opponents of similar levels. We have all seen two great players who struggle to win games together. Usually communication is the issue! Discuss topics with your partner, such as preferred side, who takes the middle at certain times, strengths, and weaknesses. If you understand your partner's game and what you are each comfortable with, you will both play better.

Additionally, I recommend calling shots in the middle by saying "mine" or "yours." This is especially important when you're playing with someone who you aren't used to playing with. This will minimize confusion and help you each feel more comfortable on the court.

If anyone tells you that pickleball isn’t athletic, go ahead and send them this clip. 👇

Taking a Spin

Have you ever been told "Your drive is OK, but it needs topspin"? Or "You need to hit a topspin roll," or "You should add topspin to your serve." Well, join the club, because topspin is far and away the most important spin in the sport of pickleball. It allows you to hit the ball hard without it going out, and it adds shape and control to your shots. But topspin requires a very specific technique that can be difficult to learn.

Enter the TopspinPro, a training aid that is specifically designed for players to practice hitting topspin the correct way by brushing up on the ball with a slightly closed paddle face. You can practice hitting topspin for a few minutes a day and the proper muscle memory the TopspinPro gives you will transform your swing and your game. Get 20% off right here or just use code clinic20.

California's Napa Valley is known as wine country, and that’s the main reason it welcomes several million tourists each year. But who said wine tasting is the only thing you can do out there? What about pickleball?

At Carneros Resort and Spa, two pickleball courts sit alongside an outdoor bar and lounge where resort guests have complimentary access to the courts from sunrise to sunset. The spa even offers a "Rally, Relax and Repeat" experience, which includes 90 minutes of playing and courtside bottle service. Sign us up for that! 🍾

Pickleball for ALL!

If you've been around pickleball for even a few weeks, then you know that our sport is all about inclusion and community.

We don't care what you look like, where you're from, how old you are or what disabilities you have. We all just want to have fun playing our awesome sport.

But let's take a closer look at that last item: disabilities.

One big way that pickleball tries to make the sport accessible is through the concept of "adaptive pickleball," which creatively modifies pickleball to allow people with disabilities to participate in a meaningful way.

For people playing in a wheelchair, for example, the rules are adapted to allow two bounces instead of just one.

Other players who are visually impaired have been using special pickleballs that produce sound from internal bells or beeper-like electronic devices.

There is even a non-profit organization called Adaptive Pickleball (APB) in South Carolina that teaches people with physical, cognitive, and developmental challenges how to play pickleball.

Most recently, Maryland’s Montgomery County school district added pickleball to its group of "corollary sports," which provides students with disabilities the opportunity to play a varsity sport alongside their peers.

Pickleball has inclusion and acceptance in its DNA, and it's up to all of us to continue that wonderful tradition. 💪

If you want to avoid some awkward staring, then do us all a favor and show up ON TIME! 😀 

Can You See What We Mean?

Do you remember our second-to-last 2026 pickleball prediction from up top? It was about protective eyewear and when it might be mandated for certain pro tours or eventually as an NCAA sport. Well, the reason we made that prediction is because it's a really big issue. Just a couple of weeks ago, it was the biggest pickleball subject online with yet another study on severe eye injuries.

We understand that there’s a slight risk we take when we play any sport — and if we choose to play that sport, we are saying that it's worth that risk. Great. BUT the eye injury risk is one that can literally be eliminated by wearing protective eyewear. It's just that simple. Plus, BLUE CUT's glasses not only look good but they have anti-fog technology to keep them clear while you play. You can get them here for 20% off.

One could make the argument that the holy grail in pickleball is reaching the 5.0 rating. For many, that rating might be 3.5 or 4.0. (And hey, for elite players trying to go pro, that rating is probably 5.5 or 6.0.) But 5.0 is the gold standard for being an excellent player. So today, Matt will give you his five tips for becoming a 5.0 player. Check them out below. 👇

Key takeaways:

• You CAN back off the kitchen line, BUT do it with one leg on a 45 degree angle, which is called a drop step.

• When you are in an offensive position at the kitchen, though, this is when you want to lean forward to maximize your reach so that you can attack a ball out of the air.

• Prioritize patient, consistent dinking at the kitchen line because over-attacking often leads to mistakes.

• Get very comfortable with your defensive shots like resets and “nothing” drops.

• Identify your best shots (your weapons) and figure out how to get yourself into a position where you can use them as often as possible.

Teams (and fans) from 68 countries descended upon The Fort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the Pickleball World Cup. Brackets ranged in age and skill level, and the event was thought to have brought in more than $8 million to the Fort Lauderdale area. While the tournament did not feature any of the world's very best pro players, the level was still very high, and the USA team came out on top, followed by Hong Kong and Portugal.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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