Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever been involved in a lawsuit? Today, we'll take a look at a couple suing a city for not doing enough about pickleball noise pollution, find out how much the global pickleball equipment space is valued at, learn a shot from a pickleball legend, and more.

Let’s go! 👇

There was a time not that long ago (less than a decade actually) when pickleball wasn't nearly as popular as it is today.

Just 7-10 years ago, not only did the majority of you probably not play pickleball, but we're betting that most of you had never even heard of it. 😀

Fast forward to today, where people are coming out of the woodwork (sometimes literally 😉) to play pickleball.

Courts are popping up everywhere, and both new and existing brands are jumping into the pickleball equipment space.

There are roughly 1,000 paddle manufacturers worldwide, and they have produced more than 4,000 approved paddle models according to USA Pickleball.

And those are just paddles. According to a study by Meticulous Research, the global pickleball equipment market stands at about $1.7 billion now and is expected to reach $3.1 billion by 2032.

That's a lot of pickleball paddles and other accessories. It kind of makes you wonder how long the equipment will last — remember this video? 😂

And what about all those pickleballs? Where will all of them go? (We'll talk about that in the "Did You Know?" section below.) Keep on reading. 👇

Back Up Before an Attack

Don’t be afraid to take a step off the kitchen line if you’re about to be attacked. Some players have a misconception that in order to play high-level pickleball you should never retreat from the kitchen line. However, if you know that you are about to be attacked, taking a step back can keep you in the point! The pros do this all the time, and it gives them more time to either reset the ball or counter the attack. In a game where every split second matters, this additional reaction time can be the difference between making or missing the next shot.

Do you like hands battles? Then it’s time to sit back and enjoy. 🙌

Seeing Is Believing (as Long as It’s Not Foggy 😀)

Have you ever been in a cloud or in total fog? It’s incredible because while you can see in front of you to let’s say 50 or 100 feet, it becomes totally white and blurry beyond that. Well, imagine that the fog isn’t 100 feet away, but rather less than an inch away from your eyes, right inside your glasses? In fact, that’s what you’ll experience with most protective eyewear.

But not with BLUE CUT. Thanks to their FogEX™ Anti-Fog Ventilation Technology (check out how it works here), air is allowed to come in through precision-cut ventilation holes, which in turn removes the fog. Get yourself a pair of BLUE CUT glasses today and use this link for 20% off.

Pickleball’s greatest player of all time, Ben Johns, did a little Q + A with us…

The Pickleball Clinic: What’s your favorite shot?

Ben Johns: My favorite shot is definitely the backhand roll. I’ve done a number of videos on it and hit it very frequently. It’s smooth, it’s pretty, the result is often fun, there’s nothing not to love!

_{You can follow Ben Johns on Instagram and YouTube!}

Hands Battles and Legal Battles

If you've been around pickleball for more than a few months, then you've probably discovered that our one big Achilles heel is... noise.

The "pop, pop, pop" sound of pickleballs being struck by paddles is a nuisance to some local residents whose homes are within earshot of the courts.

Pickleball itself is very aware of the issue and has taken many steps toward mitigating its noise pollution, including the installation of sound barriers around courts and the creation of quiet paddles with felt-like surfaces.

Nonetheless, complaints, petitions and lawsuits continue to emerge around the country, and one particularly aggressive legal action is underway in Boise, Idaho, where a couple is suing the city because of the noise.

The issue of who is "right" in this scenario is of course a subjective one. According to the complaint, the “loud music, outbursts of vulgar and offensive language from players and a party social atmosphere” has disrupted the couple’s “peaceful neighborhood living.”

From the statement above, it's impossible to know if this behavior happens multiple times a day or if the couple is overstating an issue that has only happened a handful of times.

But the complaint goes on to say that they are both experiencing auditory hallucinations of pickleball noises, even when no one is playing.

Moreover, one of them says that the noise has caused situational anxiety, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and panic attacks. That sounds awful! But again, has their experience really been that bad or are they using hyperbolic language to garner sympathy? (Probably a little bit of both.)

When it's all said and done, the noise issue remains a serious one for pickleball. However, the sport is taking it seriously and continues to explore new remedies.

“The angle of my dink was so good that not only did it zip right by my opponent, but it didn’t stop rolling for three more courts.” 😂

It’s Not a Coincidence

If you know pickleball at all, then you know that it's not just a game of power. In many ways, especially up at the kitchen, it's actually quite the opposite. When you're dinking, it can often feel like you're playing chess as you carefully place your shots with complete control and precision.

So if pickleball requires that much touch and feel (PLUS power on shots like serves and slams), then don't you think those who play the sport professionally would want to use the best possible paddle they can get their hands on? Yes, that would be a good assumption, and yes, they do use the very best paddles out there — paddles made by JOOLA. Check out all of JOOLA’s paddles right here.

We recently met up with pickleball legend and member of the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, Riley Newman, who showed him one of his signature shots, the forehand pancake counter. It’s a really useful shot because it allows us to avoid the backhand “chicken wing” location and instead hit a more aggressive volley from that position. Fortunately, we were filming their practice session, so you too can learn how to hit it. Check it out below. 👇

Key takeaways:

• In your ready position, don’t “cheat” to your backhand volley as much when the ball is in front of you. Instead, stay neutral so you can hit a forehand or a backhand.

• When the ball is hit to your dominant shoulder, hit a forehand instead of a backhand. To do this, bring your elbow in toward your body, turn your shoulders, and keep your paddle out front.

• Don’t take a big backswing (if your paddle leaves your peripheral vision, you’ve gone too far back) or a long follow-through (stop your swing before you cross your nose).

Remember up top how we were talking about the growth of the pickleball equipment space. That's great in many ways because it means that more and more people are expected to pick up our awesome sport. But there is one side effect of that growth that isn't so great — added waste.

Well, not so fast. In Portland, Oregon, a recycling company called Ridwell is partnering with Jumbo's Pickleball facilities to recycle worn-out pickleballs. “There’s over 500 million pickleballs being created every single year, which translates to 77 million pounds of plastic waste,” said Taylor Loewen who works at Ridwell. As a result of the partnership, the pickleball facilities will now serve as collection points to recycle the plastic pickleballs so they don't wind up in landfills. 👍

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

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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