Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

There’s some serious beef on the courts. Today we’ll take a look at a social media feud between pro pickleball and tennis players, the best things about pickleball, how to hit a reset, and a whole lot more!

Let’s do this! 👇

We all know there's tension between pickleballers and tennis players. And it makes sense. After all, we're fighting over turf 😄 and for the hearts and minds of potential players.

Well, it looks like the feud just got ratcheted up a notch and moved to the pros. 😮

How? It all seemed to start when pro pickleball player (and former college tennis player), Christian Alshon, posted a tweet, or whatever they call those messages on X these days. 😄

Alshon tweeted, "Pickleball has made me a much better athlete than Tennis ever did. Faster reaction time and speed are needed since the ball is only coming from 10 feet away. Point for point, pickleball requires more skill than tennis."

Evidently these were fighting words, and several current and former pro tennis players came to the defense of their sport, including tennis "bad boy," Nick Kyrgios.

"Yeah. Let’s hide under the bed after this statement,” Kyrgios wrote. “Hahahaha bro get me the best pickleball player and compare his talent to Roger Federer. Wild tweet, wild thought. Delete right now 😂 I love pickle. But you had too many tequilas 😮"

Then retired tennis pro, James Blake, piled on with, "Haha. That might be because you were playing a pretty low level of tennis. Maybe if you were familiar with the athleticism it takes to excel at the sport you would realize how ridiculous this statement is."

Former tennis star Andy Roddick, and current pro tennis players Jessica Pegula and Christopher Eubanks also chimed in about Alshon's tweet.

Here's our take. Christian Alshon may not have used the best words in saying that "pickleball requires more skill than tennis," but we understand what he means about "faster reaction time and speed."

If his statement just said that pickleball requires "faster hand speed," then we'd probably agree, since that athletic ability is not tested at the same level in tennis simply because you have more distance to react to the ball. 

But tennis definitely requires more running and foot speed. As for skill, unless we're comparing chess and checkers, it's pretty tough to say that certain sports or games require more or less skill than others.

Nevertheless, it's kind of fun that Alshon's tweet ruffled some feathers in the pro tennis community. 😄 And hey, we understand how tennis players might be a little sensitive, maybe even a bit jealous, of pickleball's meteoric rise the past few years. 

Ever stop by a park these days and look how many people are playing tennis as compared to pickleball? If we were tennis, we'd be a little on edge too. 😂💪

When in doubt, aim for the kitchen.

If you’re ever in trouble, or don’t know whether to hit hard or soft, your “default setting” should be soft into the kitchen. Desperation winners and speed ups without a purpose usually aren’t successful in pickleball because there isn’t enough open court to hit to.

Erik Lange is a pro pickleball player who commented on a very interesting question: Should you quit your job to play professional pickleball?

The setup: You are a 5.0+ player and are trying to decide if you can make a living playing professional pickleball.

The positives: Daily freedom, active pursuit, meet hundreds of new people, travel and exploration, challenging yourself, possible to make good money.

The negatives: No steady income, uncertainty, gone from family, possible injuries, loneliness, pickleball becomes a job.

“The decision to play professional pickleball is very situationally dependent. For me, it came down mainly to one thing — would I regret not taking a calculated chance on myself? I decided to make the switch, open my eyes to all possibilities, and have created my own luck. You can do the same, just make sure you weigh all pros and cons and be satisfied with your decision.

I’d like to help others who may be wrestling with their options. I charge nothing. While I’m not a licensed counselor or agent, I find joy in helping people realize their dreams, whatever that may include. 21 years (still) married, 20+ years in the racquet sports industry, 16 years as a father, and 8 years playing pickleball is real life experience. If you’d like my opinion on your situation, please reach out to me on social.”

Reach out to Erik or follow his pickleball journey on Instagram. 👍

OMG This Pickleball Documentary…

See this court above? It’s one of the coolest courts in the world, and almost certainly the coolest indoor court. Why? Because not only is it attached to the headquarters of Jigsaw Health, our official electrolyte partner and the place to go for all your feel-good supplements, but it’s also home to The Orchard and Tuesday Night Pickleball.

Plus, it’s the setting for “Breaking Pickleball,” a documentary that follows Season 1 of the Arizona Pickleball League. This documentary is one of the funniest and most engaging journeys you will ever experience. It's got competition, drama, humor, heartbreak and so much more. Ben Johns even calls it "the feel good sports documentary of the year."

To watch it, go to BreakingPickleball.com, sign up with your email address, and you’ll receive a private YouTube link. Check out the official trailer here. And for the ultimate sugar-free electrolyte drink mix, get yourself Jigsaw Health’s Pickleball Cocktail today — use code “clinic10” for $10 off.

There’s nothing quite like finishing a point off with a smash. 💪

100 Things We Love About Pickleball

We recently set out on a 100 post journey that listed 100 different things we love about pickleball.

They ranged from funny to serious to heartfelt, and as usual, our community had tons of comments. Below are the Top 5 in terms of likes and/or comments. (In no particular order.)

“One thing I love about pickleball: When my partner is super fast and can chase down all lobs, drop shots and those super annoying balls that hit the net and dribble over onto our side of the court. 😁”

A lot of people either agreed that this type of partner is great to have — or admitted that they were that person. 👍

“One thing I love about pickleball: Out-dinking a banger.”

This post got the MOST likes. Wow, people really don’t like bangers. 😂

“One thing I love pickleball: Touching paddles at the end of a match (hopefully after winning😃). It's just as friendly as a handshake except a lot more hygienic.👍”

Many people said that it wasn't really more hygienic because you're all touching the same ball. Touché. And many others said that paddles are way too expensive to tap these days. 😂👍

“One thing I love about pickleball: How every time someone makes an unforced error, they look down at their paddle as if they're going to find something wrong with it. 😂 Like maybe a piece of it will be missing or a shard of glass will be coming out of it. (No buddy, you just shanked it! 😄)”

Just a lot of agreement. 😂

“One thing I love about pickleball: How welcoming and friendly it is.”

In all seriousness, it really is an inclusive sport and people feel the love. 👍

EVERYONE rejoiced when they banned this serve — EXCEPT for those who could hit it really well. 😂

Hail to the Shoe! 👟

Remember when pickleball was just starting to take off? You had to explain that it wasn’t a sport based on pickles. 😂 You had to play on courts that weren’t actual pickleball courts. 😥 And you had to wear sneakers that were created for other sports. ⛹️

Well, the times have changed! Almost everyone has at least heard of pickleball, pickleball courts are popping up left and right, and finally, we have a pickleball SHOE! Not a shoe you can use for pickleball or a tennis sneaker that works for pickleball, but a shoe that was actually designed with the sport of pickleball in mind. It’s Diadem’s Court Burst, which was engineered by a team of elite footwear designers and engineers dedicated to creating the ultimate blend of speed, comfort, and performance.

Get yourself a pair today, and use code “clinic10” at checkout for 10% off.

If you want to take your game to the next level and master the soft game, you need to be comfortable with the “reset,” a soft, defensive shot hit into the kitchen from anywhere on the court. It’s difficult to master, but it’s the best way to move from a defensive to a neutral position on a pickleball court. Good thing Coach Matt is here to show us how it’s done.👇

Key takeaways:

• Keep your paddle out in front.

• Do not swing (just let the ball bounce off your paddle).

• Use a loose grip (about a 3 out of 10 grip pressure).

• Get behind the ball and get low.

It seems like everyone is playing pickleball these days, and that includes professional golfers. The number 1 golfer in the world (and winner of The Masters over weekend), Scottie Scheffler, is a big fan of pickleball. Last fall, Scheffler played in the Carvana Celebrity Pickleball Showdown in Dallas with former NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd — and he’s an investor in his home state’s pro pickleball team, the Texas Ranchers.

Other pro golfers who like to dink include Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Tony Finau, Sherri Steinhauer and Amy Olson.

Hope you enjoyed the newsletter. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Join the conversation below! ⬇️