Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Remember when finding something to eat near a pickleball court was almost impossible? Well, times have changed. Today, we'll take a look at how pickleball has become a big part of the $120 billion "eatertainment" industry, discover what we need to do when our opponents go off script, learn how to master the transition zone, and much more.

Let’s do this! 👇

Playing a sport at a high level is a great feeling. It really is. But let's face it, more than 95% of us have DUPR ratings of less than 4.5, and just a fraction of 1% of us can play at the professional level.

Granted, there are some people who are so competitive they would probably be fine playing pickleball on a bumpy dirt road with stick-carved lines drawn in the mud just for the thrill they get from beating their opponents. 😄

For a lot of us, though, we're looking for more when it comes to our sporting experiences. Sure, the sport might be the main course, but we want appetizers, desserts, and a nice ambiance.

That's why sports like bowling have bars or snack bars and golf courses have fancy club houses with beautiful dining rooms. They are designed to enhance the playing experience, keep people at their facilities longer, and thus make more money.

Do you see where we're going here? Yup, now that pickleball has entered American culture, it has also joined the party when it comes to adding entertainment, drinks, and food. And this hasn't gone unnoticed.

In fact, Aljazeera just wrote an extensive article on the subject. In the article, writer Michelle Bruton demonstrates how pickleball is already a major part of the "eatertainment" landscape, which is currently valued at $120 billion worldwide.

What is "eatertainment"? Rex Reservations defines it as any venue that combines a full food-and-beverage operation with one or more interactive activities, including bowling, golf simulators, axe-throwing, arcade games, karaoke, pickleball, mini-golf, escape rooms, and more.

Because pickleball is played with groups of people, games last roughly 20 minutes, and there is already a culture of sometimes waiting until the next game, it is perfectly designed for eating or drinking in between matches.

Dine-in pickleball chains, such as Crush Yard (pictured above), Chicken N Pickle, Pickle & Social, and Electric Pickle, are major players in the space, although local facilities are also a big part of the industry.

This attention to high-quality food is good news for us pickleball players because it means that we can get more than just a banana or an energy bar while we're playing.

“We’ve never viewed ourselves as a pickleball venue with a restaurant attached," said president of Chicken N Pickle, Kelli Aldredge. "From the beginning, we set out to build a chef-driven restaurant that also offers incredible experiences.”

Shorten Your Follow-Through on Dinks

To avoid popping up your dinks, keep your follow-through compact, just long enough to return to your ready position. A follow-through that’s too high or too long can cause you to lift the ball too much and slow down your recovery, leaving you unprepared for the next shot.

If you can attack from the beginning, and your opponents can’t get the ball to your feet, then sure, keep on attacking. 💪👇

There are tons of paddle brands out there—like hundreds of them. But good players don't play with too many. No, good players play with a handful of brands because they know how important their paddles are. They know that in a sport where you're not allowed to touch a live ball with your hand, your paddle essentially becomes an extension of your hand.

Well, RPM has quickly become one of the iconic paddle brands in our sport because its paddles allow you to do anything with the ball. PPA champion, James Ignatowich, and his team, use cutting-edge technology to create a balance of controlled aggression, accessible power, and long-term durability. Grab your RPM paddle today, and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

Pickleball has a long list of things you should do in order to be successful. And for the most part, you should follow these tips. Here are some of the big ones...

"Return and run." This means that whenever you are the player returning serve, you should immediately run up to the kitchen line instead of waiting back near the baseline. (This one in particular is so important that it's almost non-negotiable. But read on.)

Other helpful tips include: "avoid hitting 3rd shot lobs," "don't speed up cross-court," "try to hit to your opponents' backhands," and "don't speed up all the time—instead earn your speedup by moving your opponent around with dinks." 

All of these pieces of advice are well-conceived and battle-tested. Plus, the reason we know about them is because, for the most part, they are effective strategies and ones that will help you become a smarter pickleball player. Trust us, they will.

HOWEVER, pickleball, like many other sports, is a game of adjustments. After all, you want to be using your brain out there as opposed to blindly following strategies without understanding why you're following them.

When you understand the "why" behind the strategies, you'll realize that almost any strategic "rule" can be broken as long as you can justify breaking it. In other words, an exception or change has come up during your match, and you need to adjust to that change.

For example, if your opponent's backhand is actually better than their forehand, then hit to their forehand, right? That's pretty straightforward. But let's look at another pickleball "rule" from above that's a little more complicated: "avoid hitting third shot lobs."

This is usually good advice—and has been a core strategy for years—because the court is too small for lobs to be effective when you are hitting them from further back in the court. BUT if your opponents really struggle with their overheads, and they are good at handling your drives and drops, then against that team, hitting 3rd shot lobs might actually be a good tactic to use.

On the flipside, if you are that team struggling to respond to those third shot lobs because you’re constantly running in and then having to back up, then guess what "rule" you should probably break in response? The sacred "return and run" rule. (You shouldn’t break it, but amend it.)

You’re still going to want to return and run, but probably not as aggressively, and you might want to put on the breaks a little sooner than you normally would. By not running in as quickly on your return, your opponents will have a tougher time getting their lobs over your head. Then they might resort back to hitting third shot drops or drives—which is what you want!

See how that works? You make an adjustment, your opponents make a counter-adjustment, and then you adjust yet again. Pickleball is a very cerebral game, and these constant adjustments and counter-adjustments are a huge part of it.

Our parting advice on this subject is just to avoid getting carried away with breaking basic pickleball strategies just for the sake of breaking them. These unwritten rules are well known because they work. So if you’re going to break one of these "rules," then make sure you have a good reason for doing it.

There aren’t too many things you can say this about in life. 👇

Remember the reference above to the "bumpy dirt road with stick-carved lines drawn in the mud"? As a reminder, that was a JOKE! These days, players expect immaculate courts, and they’ll notice anything that's wrong with them. If the court isn't perfectly level, or the paint bleeds, or the surface is too slippery, players will notice.

That’s why you need to work with the pros. Court Kings is the one-stop shop for pickleball court construction because they handle everything from site prep and concrete work to surfacing, nets, fencing, and consultation. Court Kings installs both acrylic and cushioned court systems, and they help clients choose the right surface and color combination based on their goals, usage, and budget. To learn more, contact [email protected].

If you’re not comfortable and confident in the transition zone, then you're not going to be good at hitting shots from there. And if you’re not good in the transition zone, then you're going to have a tough time winning points. So we brought in one of the best players in the world, Andrei Daescu, to speak with Matt about what he does in the transition zone. Check it out below. 👇

Pickleball is a big part of "eatertainment" in America, but it has also become a staple of the collegiate space as well. One example is Purdue University, where its students can call a new pickleball facility home. The new complex expanded and resurfaced 18 pickleball courts, along with 2 tennis courts (we like that ratio 😉), and it also includes a social space where students can connect, watch friends play, and study.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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