Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

According to philosophers like Aristotle and John Stuart Mill, the meaning of life is to attain happiness, and therefore we should all strive to maximize happiness in our daily lives. Today, we'll take a look at how pickleball maximizes happiness, reveal a major development in the quest to bring pickleball to the Olympics, watch a pro pickleballer try to break his paddle, and a whole lot more.

Let’s go! 👇

A recent study conducted by Apple suggests that pickleball isn't just healthy for you physically, but it's also really good for your mental health.

The study indicated that pickleball players experienced on average a 60% drop in depressive habits after playing, and they found themselves to be happier overall.

And among players under the age of 18, happiness levels increased roughly 90% after playing pickleball. 💪

Now to be fair, all physical activity provides a bit of a mental boost as a result of the release of endorphins into the body. However, pickleball is special in its own right...

How? Because while taking a jog alone in a park releases endorphins, it doesn't bring you together with other people like pickleball does. No knock against running, it's just not the same.

We're sure that competing in the football state championships to try to take home a title for Coach Johnson in his last year before he retires brings people together too. 😀 But how many of us are playing football, let alone after the age of 18?

What makes pickleball truly special is that it fosters a sense of community unlike most other sports or activities out there.

Whether it's the relatively small size of the court or the fact that people of all ages can enjoy it or that it's very easy to pick up — whatever it is, the sense of inclusivity and camaraderie that pickleball provides is truly special.

So here's to building community, being happy, and playing pickleball! 🍻

Remember to Stop!

Stopping before you hit is especially important, and it’s sometimes overlooked in the transition zone. After hitting the third shot, a common mistake is rushing into the net, sometimes running through the next shot en route. Make sure that you stop as your opponent returns your third shot so that your body is as stable as possible. And remember, you don't need to make it up to the kitchen in one shot! Sometimes it will take 2 or 3 and that’s OK!

If you want to know what good defense looks like, just watch the team in white. 💪

Ask Yourself This…

Do you think that Ben Johns might want to use the best pickleball paddle out there to hold off the young guns and maintain his dominance over the sport? What about Anna Bright? She's half of the best women's doubles team in the world. While we're at it, what about Tyson McGuffin or Dekel Bar? And let’s not forget about Andre Agassi. As he continues his transition from tennis to pickleball, don't you think he would want to use the best equipment out there?

The answer to all of those questions is a resounding "yes." And that’s why they all choose JOOLA. So if the best players in the world are using JOOLA paddles, then you might want to be using them too. All you need to decide on is which model of their new Pro IV series you want to try — the Perseus (standard), Scorpeus (wide), Hyperion (curved) or Magnus (elongated). You can also go with the new Agassi Pro, which has a totally unique shape. Check them all out right here! 

It feels like much of the country is dealing with a heat wave right now. So this instant might not be the best time to think about fun in the sun. But on almost every other day of the year, one of the more popular notions of paradise is warmth, sun, palm trees and beaches. If you throw in beautiful blue ocean water, then that's even better!

Well, that's what you'll get if you ever visit the Club Med Turkoise in Turks & Caicos. With 10 dedicated pickleball courts, it may be the most at any Caribbean resort. (What a beautiful picture! If only someone could crop out the tennis courts, then it might actually be a perfect photograph. 😂)

The Big Question

When you tell people that you play pickleball, we assume that the rest of your conversation goes a little like this...

Them: "I've been hearing a lot about that sport." You: "Yup, it's getting bigger and bigger. There are pro leagues and it's on TV." Them: "Wow, is it in the Olympics?"

We're not quite sure what everyone's fixation is with a sport being in the Olympics, especially since pickleball is already played by more Americans than probably 90% of the sports already in the Olympic games.

But hey, it seems to be something that's important to a lot of people. Well, a major development just happened that may very well pave the path toward pickleball's participation in the Olympics. What is it?

It's the recent merger between the International Pickleball Federation (IPF) and the World Pickleball Federation (WPF), which will unite under the WPF name.

The Olympics has specific guidelines for aspiring sports, including the number of countries that actively participate in the sport and the existence of one international governing body.

This merger, which includes a proposed headquarters office in Lausanne, Switzerland — also home to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) — bolsters pickleball's chances of being admitted to the 2032 Olympic games, and maybe even the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

There is one other international pickleball organization still out there, however, called the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF), which may get in the way of this progress.

Will the GPF join as well or hold out? Only time will tell. But don't worry, you don't have to wait the whole time, we'll keep an eye on it for you. 😉

Pickleball feels good. Like Tom Cruise singing “Free Falling” in a car good. 😄

No More Fog?!

Do you want to do the smart thing and protect your eyes while playing pickleball — except that every time you wear protective eyewear, your glasses fog up? That's really annoying because then you wind up having to take them off because you just can't see well with them on. Well, that issue is now a thing of the past thanks to BLUE CUT’s FogEX™ Anti-Fog Ventilation Technology.

The science is pretty straightforward: when the heat and moisture from your face meets a cold lens surface, fog develops. But BLUE CUT's FogEX™ Anti-Fog System disrupts that process by allowing air to come in through precision-cut ventilation holes in the lenses themselves. The holes balance the temperature and humidity between your face and the glasses, and voilà, no more fog! Get yourself a pair of BLUE CUT glasses today and use this link for 20% off.

Are you an intermediate player who is looking to get to the next level? Then you NEED to watch this video. From analyzing where to stand after your serve and which areas to target on your opponent, to learning the 3rd shot drive / 5th shot drop combo, Matt will give you an invaluable 20 minutes of pickleball knowledge. Check it out below. 👇

Key takeaways:

• Don’t just “serve and stay.” That concept is for beginners to make sure that they follow the rules of letting the return bounce. The real term is “serve and step back,” so you are prepared for every return, even the deep ones.

• Target your opponents’ backhands. Most people have weaker backhands than forehands and even if someone’s backhand is good, they probably can’t attack you as easily as they can with their forehand.

• If you’re not using the volley serve (hitting the ball out of the air as opposed to off a bounce), then you should. And when you do, let the ball fall out of the air for a bit as opposed to hitting it almost directly out of your hand.

Pro pickleball player Zane Ford recently tried to break his paddle after he lost a singles match. While that's not exactly the best example to set for the kids 😀, but we get it, sometimes your emotions get the best of you. The only problem was that when Zane tried to break the paddle over his knee, it didn't quite break the way he wanted it to. So he tried again… and again. If you're going to break your equipment, just make sure you do it smoothly, like this pro golfer did. 😂

By the way, you know who Zane Ford was playing when this happened? Regular contributor to The Pickleball Clinic coaching videos, James Ignatowich!

Thanks for the read. See you out on the courts!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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