Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Do you know someone who you share a first name with? Most likely. But do you know someone who was named after you — and not a family member? Today, we'll take a look at a baby boy who was just named after a professional pickleballer, find out how pickleball may be able to help people with Parkinson's disease, get tips from two of the best players on the planet, hear what Charles Barkley had to say about pickleball, and a whole lot more. 

Let’s do this! 👇

Parkinson’s disease, a condition that affects the brain, nervous system, and muscle control, is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.

In the United Kingdom, where it affects more than 150,000 people, some people who suffer from the disease are taking part in a pilot project that involves pickleball.

The program is happening at the Cirencester Leisure Center and funded by Cotswold District Council.

Kevin Young, chairman of the Cirencester, said that for people with Parkinson's, their symptoms seem to be "less of an issue" while playing sports because they are "concentrating on what they're doing."

"It seems that with sport, and particularly when it's a reflex action, you haven't got the time to think and it seems to come easily,” said Steve Webber, one of the participants in the program.

Other senior centers around the United Kingdom, including ones in Stevenage and Letchworth just outside of London, have bought into pickleball as an important sport for Parkinson's patients.

"Pickleball is an ideal sport for people with Parkinson's," said Kirsty Jones, Area Contract Activity and Wellbeing Manager at Everyone Active. "The controlled movements help maintain coordination and balance, while the social aspect of the game can help combat isolation, which is often experienced by people living with the condition."

These seem like wonderful initiatives in the UK, but pickleball is also helping people with Parkinson's right here in the States. One such person is Bob Helder, who plays in Naples, Florida.

For those living with Parkinson's who are playing pickleball, keep up the good work! And for those who haven't yet tried pickleball, why not give it a try?!

Make Sure to Follow Through!

If you find yourself forgetting to follow through all the way on your forehand drives, serves, and return of serves, try catching the paddle with your non-dominant hand at the end of your swing. This will help you get your follow through all the way over your shoulder!

We’ve already got Ernes, Scorpions, and Nasty Nelsons. But do we need to make room for a “snake shot”? 🐍

The Face of Pickleball

If you had to associate one image with pickleball, what would it be? We can really just think of two. It could be a paddle. Or it could be a ball. Yup, that bright yellow ball with its many round holes has become quite iconic and representative of our sport.

But no other ball is as iconic as the Franklin X-40. It’s balanced, durable and consistent — which means you know you’re getting the perfect playability and bounce every time you step foot on a pickleball court. It’s no wonder why the Franklin X-40 is the official ball of USA Pickleball, the APP Tour and… yours truly. 👍 Get some for yourself today and use code “clinic15” for 15% off.

Welcome back to Ask Jilly B, a monthly thought-stream from coach & top pro player, Jill Braverman.

RIP Dinking?

I just faced off against Anna Leigh Waters (#1 in world) and her mother Leigh Waters in the finals of the US Open. Their aggression and creativity is legendary, but experiencing their twisting arcs and off-speed (and high-speed) attacks first hand was a different (and painful) story. But the licking they gave me came with maybe the most valuable lesson of my career: bombs away. Dinking is dead (or at the very best, on life support).

The old advice was “speed up only on green balls” (balls higher than the net). New school reality? Speed up until it doesn’t work — just like the Waters.

They say don’t underestimate your opponents. But maybe it should be "don’t overestimate them."

Don't give them credit until the credit is earned.

Be sure to follow Jill on Instagram and YouTube.

The Name of the Game

What’s in a name? Well, quite a lot. Some people name their children after dead relatives while others pass along their own name to their children.

Regardless of the custom, the name you give your child is a very important decision because you are choosing how he or she will be identified for their entire life.

So imagine how JW Johnson felt when he found out that two of his fans were naming their newborn baby after him!

“A few months back I signed a onesie for a couple who said they were naming their son after me,” said Johnson in an Instagram post. “This past weekend at Pickle Rage in Jacksonville, I finally got to meet Baby Dub in person. My biggest (or should I say smallest) fan! 🤩”

Baby JW and his parents met with JW Johnson and his mom — and they even took a very cute picture of both moms kissing their baby JWs.

Speaking of cute, did you notice that adorable mini paddle that baby JW has? (It happens to be an Engage, which means he’s got good taste in paddles. 💪)

Anyway, this is a really nice story all around. But if someone names their kid after you, one would think it might add some more pressure on you to be great.

Well, JW Johnson played in the PPA’s Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships this past weekend, and all of the top players in the world were there. Out of 48 teams in the men’s doubles draw, JW and his partner CJ Klinger were seeded #5.

How’d they do? They WON it — and beat the #1 and #2 seeds (including Ben Johns) along the way. Nice job JW. Way to make baby JW proud! 😀

No one tells Batman they have to leave a pickleball game early. 😃

A Pickleball Player’s Best Friend

You know what they say: a paddle is a man’s best friend. Or is it a dog? We’re not sure. 😉 But we do know that a paddle is a pickleball player’s best friend. Why? Because it has to be. Our sport is one that requires a tremendous amount of accuracy and finesse. And yet you also need power and hand speed to succeed, especially at the higher levels. So your paddle has to be capable of delivering both touch and power at the same time.

That’s why you want to play with an Engage paddle. Engage is all about using the best materials and technology to make world-class paddles, like their new Innovation model that uses advanced torque acceleration, optimized twist weight, and SpinCore technology, which strategically places mass to enhance power, control, and spin. Find out what we're talking about today, and use code "clinic10" at checkout for 10% off.

In this section, we usually tell you things you should be doing while playing. Well today, we’re switching it up and telling you 3 things you should NOT do on a pickleball. Who will be revealing these no-nos? One of the best players on the planet, James Ignatowich. Check it out below. 👇

Key takeaways:

• Don’t use a lot of wrist on your drops and dinks. You can add a little spin, but don’t finish above your head and don’t flip your wrist over to the opposite side of your body.

• When you’re up at the kitchen, don’t lean sideways and have one of your feet come off the ground. Instead move your feet and shuffle side to side in order to get behind the ball before you hit your dink.

• When you are hitting forehand volleys, do not bring your elbow back behind your torso. Instead, keep it out in front.

Charles Barkley has become a bit of a national treasure over the years, known for his hot takes and brash honesty. Well, it looks like pickleball just caught a stray from Sir Charles. While talking about golf, which he loves, he said “It’s one of the few sports you can play when you get older. I’m not stupid enough to try to play pickleball. That’s just stupid.”

Based on the actual footage, it’s not quite clear what Barkley is saying. Is he saying that pickleball is stupid? Or is he saying that it would just be stupid for him to try it? We’re hoping he meant the latter, but it was probably the former. With his golf swing, though, (which he has since fixed), we can only imagine what his pickleball swing would look like. 😄

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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