Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Hey Pickleballers. Have you ever been in a fight? If so, where was it? We’re pretty sure it wasn’t on a pickleball court, but we know of a recent one that was! Today, we'll take a look at a pickleball brawl, learn about a tournament that's paying in Bitcoin, find out how to hit the third shot drive/drop hybrid, and a lot more.

Let’s do this! 👇

When you think of the future, what comes to mind? Hoverboards? Robocops? Self-driving cars on every street?

Sure, all that makes sense, but let’s not forget about pickleball and cryptocurrency.

Santa Monica sure hasn’t, as it will be hosting a Bitcoin-themed pickleball tournament as part of the Bitcoin Peer to Peer Festival on October 18.

Called the “Picklebit Open,” the tournament will be held at Pickle Pop and is presented by the Proof of Workforce Foundation and the Fold App.

For those not familiar with Los Angeles, Santa Monica is a section of the city located right on the beach. It also recently became the first town to ever have a Bitcoin Office in the United States.

Some of the office’s main purposes are to educate the community about Bitcoin, and to identify Bitcoin initiatives and partnerships to bring about economic growth. Voilà, a Bitcoin-themed pickleball tournament!

“This will be an incredible event, bringing together two talented and high-growth communities, Bitcoiners and Pickleballers, to support creative re-use of commercial space on the [Promenade],” said Proof of Workforce Foundation Founder, Dominick Bei.

The PickleBit tournament will have semi-pro and amateur mixed doubles brackets and $5,000 will be on the line — of course paid in Bitcoin, making it the first pickleball tournament to award winnings in that currency.

Don’t Overlook Your Serves and Returns

If you are an intermediate or advanced player who likes to drill, don’t neglect practicing your serves and returns. Because serves and returns are relatively simple shots, players don’t always make them a focus of their drilling sessions.

That being said, if you want to reach the higher levels of the game, it is important that you can consistently serve and return deep and with accuracy. Being able to do so puts you at an advantage early in the point and makes you less attackable. The best way to master these shots is by practicing them and making them a priority!

Slow. Slow. Slow. FAST! Think of yourself as a cobra when you’re up at the kitchen line. 🐍

Big Foot Has Arrived

Have you ever tried to fit a square peg in a round hole? It doesn’t work very well, which is why they made a saying out of it. 😉 The same concept applies for trying to fit a big foot into a small shoe or even the opposite, a small foot into a big shoe.

Well, too many people with big or small feet were trying to put themselves into Diadem Court Bursts so they too could experience the unmatched stability and comfort specifically made for pickleball. Diadem got wind of this news and decided that enough is enough – they’re going to expand their range of sizes to Women's 5-11 and Men's 6-14. Welcome aboard, people with big and small feet! Get yours today, and use code “clinic10” at checkout for 10% off.

Alia Brown is a professional pickleball player who is just 18 years old. We recently asked her how the growth of pickleball has impacted her experience as a player and what aspects of pickleball she finds most challenging.

“As a player who’s only been involved in pickleball for two years, my journey has been both fast-paced and full of rewarding milestones. After winning eight medals in the 5.0 bracket, I was encouraged to step up to the professional level about a year and a half ago at the age of 16. I’m beyond grateful to Ken Herrmann for the opportunity to join the APP national team. My training has also been enhanced by incredible drilling partners like Danny Wuerffel, Sue Johnston and Ewa Radzikowska, whose guidance has helped me elevate my game. Their insights have been invaluable as I work hard to make my mark in the pro circuit.

One of the challenges of trying to consistently compete at the pro level is the constant necessity of funding travel to all the tournaments. I am deeply honored to be sponsored by Paddletek, ACE Pickleball Club, Wilson and Bauerfeind, and I am immensely thankful for the constant support from my parents. Win or lose, I thank God for the opportunity that has come my way in the professional sport of pickleball!

You can also follow Alia on Instagram!

A Brawl Heard Round the World

We do not condone violence here at The Pickleball Clinic, especially on a pickleball court.

With that said, we kind of wish we could have seen the fight that transpired recently between two elderly women at Rossmoor, an upscale retirement community in Walnut Creek, California.

The fight broke out due to a disagreement over politics. Words led to shoves, which led to punches, hair pulling — and yes, clumps of hair being left on the court 🫨, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Walnut Creek police were called to the scene and one person was cited and released, although no charges were filed.

So if any of your friends think pickleball isn’t tough, tell ‘em about this story, and then threaten to pull their hair out. 😀 

The two women were contacted by the UFC for an official fight in the octagon later this year. No, no, that part is a joke. 😂

But all kidding aside, the fight led to the community restricting protests to once every two weeks, and political commentary was banned in the community newspaper.

These decisions led to further protests about restrictions on freedom of speech, with one resident, Michael Goldberg saying “They're infantilizing us, with the idea that we can't express ourselves. They know better.”

Rossmoor is now dealing with the tricky issue of freedom of speech vs. maintaining law and order. Good luck! Our only request is that if another fight breaks out on a pickleball court, please break it up quickly — but also film it. 😁 

The “wind” is one of the all-time great excuses. That’s not to say it isn’t real. But it is to say that your opponents have to deal with the wind TOO! 😂

What’s better than a drive or a drop? A drive/drop hybrid. Well, that’s not always true. But if you can hit this shot, you will have a serious new weapon in your bag. Good thing Coach Matt is here to show you how to hit it. 👇

Key Takeaways:

• Your goal should not be for this hybrid shot to necessarily land in the kitchen, like a drop, but rather for your opponent to have to hit the ball from a low position.

• To hit this shot, hit a topspin drive — but at 40% of your maximum pace.

• Try to stay as relaxed as you can when you hit it. If you are tight, your shot will probably go higher than you want it to.

Remember the sports comedy movie called Dodgeball starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn?

Well, Stiller is back at it again, except this time, the movie is about pickleball! Starring Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, and Ed Harris, The Dink follows a washed-up tennis pro who must play pickleball in order to save a tennis club in crisis and to win his father’s respect. Ben Stiller will have a supporting role, along with tennis star, Andy Roddick.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Join the conversation below! ⬇️