Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

There are a lot of great sports out there, but we're pretty confident that pickleball is the best. Today, we'll see how our sport stacks up against the rest, discover an upcoming nationwide event, learn how to hit a two-handed backhand counterattack, and a whole lot more.

Let’s do this! 👇

If you're reading this, chances are you're already a big fan of pickleball. That's awesome! But let's take a look at some other sports out there and see how pickleball stacks up. Here goes...

SOCCER: Widely regarded as the most popular sport on the planet, soccer is definitely a formidable foe. It's easy to learn, but difficult to master, which is similar to pickleball. It also clearly requires a ton of athleticism and strategic thinking. But we do have some issues with it...

For starters, you can't even use your hands. Also, there isn't enough scoring, it's a bit tough to get 21 one other players together 😉, and it's pretty hard to play at any respectable level past the age of 50. And don't even get us started on the amount of faked injuries that happen during pro matches…

BASKETBALL: This is also a sport that requires tons of athleticism. Plus, you can use your hands, so that’s an improvement.🤚 It's also easier to get 10 people together than 22. Maybe you can still enjoy the game until you're 60, but that's even pushing it due to the non-stop running up and down the court.

Plus, let's face it — the coolest parts of basketball are dunking and swishing long distance 3-pointers. Are any of you dunking? (Congrats to the three of you who raised your hands. 😆) And yes, more of you can hit 3-pointers, but can you sink more than 2 out of 10?

GOLF: OK, now here's a very different sport from the two above. Unlike soccer and basketball, golf can certainly hang with pickleball on the longevity level — as a 75-year-old can crush a lesser skilled player in golf. What it also has going for it is being outside, which gives you the ability to enjoy nature. 

On the other hand, golf is extremely difficult to learn, such that it might take years for someone to get to a level where they can truly enjoy the game. Plus, it takes way too long to play and it has too little movement — especially if you're riding in a cart, you might go hours without even breaking a sweat.

So in our totally unbiased opinion 😁, we conclude that the best sport is... drumroll please... PICKLEBALL.

When in Doubt Use the Continental Grip!

Many beginner-intermediate players are unsure of which grip they should be using. I always teach the continental grip because it can be used to comfortably hit every shot in the game. If you don’t know how to find it, pretend you’re shaking hands with the paddle.

Now THAT’s how you hold your ground. 💪

Do You Need to Wear a Shirt?

Some people play pickleball shirtless — and that's totally cool as long as it's not making people uncomfortable. Hey, some people even play naked. (Seriously. Look it up, it’s a thing.) It makes sense because pickleball is all about being loose, chilling with friends, and having a good time. 

So if you want to give off those laid-back vibes — and still wear clothes 😄 — then there's no better way to exude that sense of pickleball fun and personality than with Club 002 tees. The Club 002 collection of tees are clever, easygoing, and the perfect shirts to wear when you head out to the court with friends. Check out their collection of tees and use code "TPC10" for 10% off.

Pictona is a pickleball club in Daytona Beach, Florida with 49 pickleball courts, a 1,200-seat stadium, and various recreational amenities set on a 15-acre campus. While all the courts are outside, 13 of them are covered, which allows for play during a rainstorm. The stadium is used for pickleball tournaments as well as concerts and other events. Where did the name "Pictona" come from? The creators simply combined "pickleball" with "Daytona." (And there we were thinking it was named after some remote Italian village or something. 😄)

Inaugural Open Play Day?

We know we've been talking about Andre Agassi a lot these days, but he's one of the hottest things in pickleball right now.

First off, he seems like a really cool and charitable guy. Second, he is a huge name in the world of sports. And not just sports, but tennis, which competes with pickleball for players and courts.

So the fact that Agassi is an advocate for pickleball around not just the country, but the world (he recently went to Vietnam and China to help spread the game) is a really big deal.

It would almost be like if a famous baseball player were to leave the legendary New York Yankees to go play for the newer crosstown rival, the New York Mets. (Wait, didn't that just happen? 😆)

Anyway, since Agassi loves pickleball and is such a popular figure, the sport wants to associate itself with him in as many ways as it can.

So April 12th is being designated as the “Inaugural Agassi Open Play Day”, when Life Time, which operates 700+ pickleball courts across North America, is inviting thousands of players to play in a simultaneous open play from 12 pm to 3 pm EST.

Will Agassi himself be playing on Agassi Open Play Day? Of course! He's scheduled to be playing just outside of his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Well maybe not ALL of them. But definitely most. 😆

Going Strong at Almost 80 Years Old!

Remember the ball sports from up top? Well, Franklin makes balls and equipment for not only all of those sports, but tons more, including football, baseball, hockey and lacrosse. After more than 75 years of experience in the sports industry, there isn't much in the sporting world that Franklin hasn't been a part of.

And pickleball is no exception. In fact, the Franklin X-40 pickleball has become the gold standard for pickleballs. They are the most balanced, consistent, and durable balls out there, which is why the X-40 is the official ball of USA Pickleball and The Pickleball Clinic.

If you want to be imposing up at the kitchen, then you’re going to want to be able to counterattack. In other words, when your opponent speeds up a ball at you, you’re going to stuff it right back down their throats — well, actually at their feet. One important weapon to have in your counter attack arsenal is the two-handed backhand counter. If only there was someone who could show us how to hit it. 😉 Don’t worry, Matt is here to do exactly that. 👇

Key takeaways:

• Make sure you have the correct grip — your dominant hand should use a continental grip. Your non-dominant hand goes above that hand.

• If the ball comes at your chest, don’t use this shot because it is awkward from that position. Instead, just use a one-handed backhand.

• Avoid taking a big backswing and a big follow-through.

Major League Pickleball just got a new name. Earlier this week, Major League Pickleball (MLP) and DoorDash announced a multi-year sponsorship that will make the official name of the league, MLP presented by DoorDash. The announcement was made in a social media video featuring pro pickleball players Tyson McGuffin, Anna Bright, and MLP team owners, Dude Perfect.

The DoorDash logo will appear on all official MLP team uniforms and will go behind both baselines at all league events. Plus, for a limited time (now through April 15th), DoorDash DashPass members can redeem a free jar of pickles by using the promo code PICKLE on a grocery order of at least $12 😆

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

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Join the conversation below! ⬇️