Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Has anyone ever stolen your idea and made money off it? Today, we'll look at a paddle company that's suing its competitors for patent infringement, visit the only county in America that has varsity pickleball in its high schools, discover an all-new pickleball docuseries, and much more.

Let’s do this! 👇

JOOLA has filed a new patent infringement lawsuit that has set the pickleball world abuzz. The case centers on intellectual property rights for its paddle technology and is being brought against 11 paddle companies.

Which companies are they? Franklin Sports, Proton Sports, RPM Pickleball, Engage Pickleball, Friday Labs, Diadem Sports, Facolos, ProXR Pickleball, Paddletek, Adidas Pickleball, and Volair.

The lawsuit alleges that these 11 paddle companies have infringed on JOOLA’s patented technology, specifically its innovations related to propulsion-style core construction in its 3S, 3S Dual, Pro IV, and Pro V models.

According to JOOLA, the reasoning behind the lawsuit is simple. They have invested tons of money and countless hours into research, development, and testing, and they want to protect those investments.

One notable aspect of the lawsuit is that JOOLA chose to file it with the International Trade Commission (ITC) and not in a standard federal court.

The ITC does not award money, which means that JOOLA is not looking to get money from these companies. But what the ITC can do is block products from coming into the country that are manufactured overseas.

Since the majority of paddles are manufactured in China or other parts of the world, if the ITC rules in favor of JOOLA, then it won't allow the infringing paddles to enter the United States.

If that happens, many of the paddle companies will either go out of business or consolidate, resulting in fewer paddle companies. But JOOLA maintains that its intent with this lawsuit is not to reduce its number of competitors.

“Protecting our innovation is not about limiting what others can do – it’s about ensuring the investment, creativity and engineering required to advance this sport are rewarded,” said Richard Lee, CEO of JOOLA.

“The brands that will shape the future of this sport are the ones willing to innovate on their own," continued Lee. "We encourage every brand to bring their own ideas, their own engineering, and their own creativity to the category.”

When in Doubt, Drop It in the Kitchen

It’s easier said than done, but the smartest defensive play is usually a soft shot into the kitchen. A well-placed drop is tougher to attack and buys you more time to recover, since it stays in the air longer than a drive. In your next practice session, focus on resets and drops from different areas of the court. Sharpening your defensive skills is one of the fastest ways to start winning more matches.

Sometimes you’ve just got to say “step aside, I’m the GOAT.” 💪

Spring is in the air, and boy does it feel good. It means taking strolls in the park, driving with the windows down, dining al fresco, and... outdoor pickleball! Indoor pickleball is great, and it removes the elements like sun, wind, and rain. But there's just something about being outside in the fresh air that, as the kids say, "hits different."

So go ahead and play some outdoor pickleball! You're going to need some fresh, new balls to play, though. So grab the best balls out there, the Franklin X-40s. And by the way, the Franklin X-40 ball also hits different. Get some today, and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

Welcome back to the section where we define a word or term that is widely used in the pickleball world…

Chicken Wing (noun phrase)

A "chicken wing" refers to the position your arm makes with the elbow bent up and away from the body as you attempt to hit a backhand volley on a ball heading toward your dominant side's shoulder or hip. The name comes from the fact that this position looks a bit like a chicken wing. It’s a very awkward position to hit a ball from, which is why higher level players purposely aim at opponents' dominant shoulders or hips in order to get them into the chicken wing position. 

Pickleball continues to grow, and it is very popular among young people, which is great news for the future of our sport.

With that said, pickleball has only been popular at the national level for 5-7 years, which means that it is lightyears behind other sports in terms of having established pipelines for nurturing and developing junior talent.

Case in point is the fact that only one county in the entire country offers pickleball as an official varsity high school sport.

That county is Montgomery County, Maryland, and we recently spoke with Rebecca Salzman, a parent of one of the varsity pickleball players.

We learned that pickleball is played in the fall season, the teams are co-ed, each team has between 10 and 15 students, and all of the matches are doubles, not singles.

In Montgomery County, pickleball is also designated as a corollary sport, which means that the teams include students with and without disabilities. That is so cool👏—and representative of pickleball, where inclusion is baked into its DNA.

Salzman's son plays for Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland, about a half hour outside of Washington D.C. The team practices every day during the season and they play on tennis courts with taped pickleball lines.

As one might expect, there is a big range in level among students, going from beginner to 4.0+. While pickleball is not yet an official NCAA sport, a few hundred colleges have club teams—and roughly 10 of them offer pickleball scholarships—so there is an incentive to become a strong player.

It's only a matter of time before more counties add pickleball as a varsity sport, which is why we asked if Montgomery County realizes its pioneer status. "We're fortunate to have the opportunity," said Salzman, "to see pickleball develop at the high school level."

That's awesome, Montgomery County, keep up the good work. As for anyone reading this who can influence their county to introduce pickleball, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and do it! 💪

We know it’s tough to stop playing due to injury, but hang in there, you’ll be OK. 👇

There are tons of important shots in pickleball, but there is only one that starts every single point: the serve. You need to have a solid and dependable serve in order to be a decent pickleball player. Plus, it's the only shot you have complete control over. By that we mean your opponent cannot put pressure on you on the serve like they can with every other shot in pickleball. Good thing we've got coach Matt here to walk you through the right serving motion, from the beginner level all the way to advanced. 👇

Pickleball has appeared in Super Bowl commercials, TV shows, and movies, but it's time for a brand-new docuseries. A six-part series called "Partners," was recently made by Shutterstock Studios, which went behind the scenes of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour to see what the experience of a pro pickleball player is really like, from competition, friendships, romantic relationships, breakups and more. The series is set to premiere on May 5, 2026, on Prime Video, the PPA Tour YouTube channel, and PickleballTV.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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