Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever played pickleball on a cruise ship or at a resort? Today, we'll check out a type of pickleball event that has never happened before, discover how a man's life was saved on a pickleball court, learn about pickleball-themed burgers, and much more.

Let’s go! 👇

Pickleballer, Charlie Corle, was playing pickleball last month at Udall Park in Tucson, Arizona, when all of a sudden, he thought to himself, "Why do I feel dizzy?"

That is all Corle could remember because he then collapsed as a result of going into cardiac arrest. Corle fell to the ground, was unconscious, not breathing, and had no pulse.

That's the bad news. The good news is that one of the bystanders playing on a nearby court was a retired E.R. doctor, Dr. Ron Widman. Moreover, an off-duty Tucson paramedic was playing nearby, along with not one, but two retired nurses.

It's almost as if it happened at a hospital! Together, the medical team performed CPR, opened Corle’s airway, and ultimately delivered two shocks with an AED device that was retrieved by two other bystanders.

Soon afterwards, Corle began to breathe, his pulse returned, and he recovered remarkably well after the incident. As you might imagine, Corle was tremendously grateful.

“It’s just so hard to thank them every day," said Corle about his fellow pickleballers who helped save his life. "And you do it. You see them, you play with them, you hug them."

Corle was extremely fortunate to have been surrounded by so many experienced emergency medical workers, but not everyone is so fortunate. Local nurse, Manuel Montano, believes that Corle’s case demonstrates why we should all learn proper CPR and AED use.

“A lot of these cardiac events occur in the home, and if it occurs in the home, that usually means that person is a loved one," said Montano. "So, the more training, the better prepared you are, the better off and the more chances of great survival for them."

Tucson’s Carondelet Health Network helped organize a recent event at the park pickleball courts to celebrate the six bystanders who saved Charlie Corle's life.

Charlie has since nicknamed the group, “Charlie’s Angels," and at the celebration, he was wearing a Charlie's Angels shirt, which they all signed.

Pay Attention to Your Opponents

Pickleball strategy isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every opponent has different strengths and weaknesses. Some have a stronger backhand than forehand. Others defend their paddle shoulder well or hit better on the move than when the ball comes straight at them. Pay attention, adjust your shots, and make them play outside their comfort zone.

When it comes to dinking, a nice angle is helpful. But so is some pace with heavy topspin. Or you can just combine all of that into one shot. 😀👇

There are tons of pickleball paddles out there, but when you look at the brands of paddles that good players, or players who want to get good, actually use, you’ll discover that it's not a very big list of paddles at all. In fact, it’s a pretty small list, and within that small list, the one that continues to be talked about more than the rest is RPM.

Why? Because good players know a legit paddle when they use one. And the all-new Jade is the most well-rounded RPM to date. By combining the control of the V2, the power of the Q2, and that signature RPM grit for insane spin, it makes sense that the Jade is the most anticipated paddle of the year. Period. Order yours today, and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

Remember pickleball during its meteoric rise a few years ago? As it gained more and more popularity, the sport was seen across a variety of platforms.

Perhaps you saw it in your social media feed when a celebrity like Katy Perry, George Clooney, or Jamie Foxx was spotted playing. Or maybe you saw it featured in an ad, including two Super Bowl commercials in back-to-back years.

Pickleball courts also started popping up in interesting places, such as malls, hotels, rooftops, and even... cruise ships!

One of the first cruise lines to put pickleball courts on their cruise ships was Holland America, which did so in 2022, as it also partnered with the PPA Tour by becoming its official cruise line.

Fast-forward to today, and a pickleball court is not just perched on the deck of one Holland America ship, but on every single one! And daily open play sessions allow cruisers to easily meet and play with each other throughout the trip.

Plus, Holland America just renovated four pickleball courts on a private island in the Bahamas called RelaxAway Half Moon Cay, and on March 17th, those courts will host a professional pickleball tournament.

Dubbed the "Private Island Invitational," it will be the first-ever pro pickleball tournament held on a private island, and it will include players from the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP).

Leading up to the tournament will be four "Countdown Cruises" held during the months of November, October, and January. On these cruises, there will be appearances by PPA Tour pros, coffee chats, pickleball trivia, shipboard lessons, and dedicated clinics on the island where the tournament will be held.

The tournament coincides with the 30th anniversary of RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, and Holland America is planning to reveal the roster of PPA Tour pros in the next few months.

It can be rough starting out. 😄 But hang in there, you don’t actually need a degree in statistics. 👇

These days, we spend a lot of time on how we look. What do our faces look like for selfies or social media posts? How do our clothes fit? And there's nothing wrong with that if it’s important to you. But what about the inside of your body? How is it functioning? Do you need more Vitamin D, testosterone, or cortisol?

Well, that's exactly where Marek Health comes in. By closely analyzing your lab results, Marek Health tells you what you need to do based specifically on your body. So you no longer have to live in the dark about how your body feels—whether its aches in your joints after you play pickleball, low energy during the day, or whatever your particular issue is. It's time to step into the 21st century and develop a plan for your health that's specifically tailored to you. Plus, take 10% off when you use code (CLINIC).

As you get better, your serve should no longer be a shot that you just get in. After all, how many times have you noticed a big serve winning several free points in a game? Or even if it doesn't win the point directly, it leads to a weak return that allows for a very easy drive. Well, topspin allows you to hit with plenty of power because it brings the ball back down into the court. Coach Matt is here to show you exactly how to hit a big topspin serve. Check it out below. 👇

We know Burger King is the king of the whopper, but it may now be king of the pickle as well, thanks to a partnership it had with the Japan Pickleball Federation. As part of the marketing campaign, Burger Kings in Japan added two new burgers to their menus. Customers were given the option of either a beef or chicken pickleball burger, which came with 11 pickle slices—a nod to the fact that pickleball games are played up to 11 points. Each of those burgers also came with a free mini pickleball paddle keychain while supplies lasted. 🥒

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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