Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Do you ever wonder how things are made? Like a car, refrigerator or... pickleball? Today, we'll discover where and how pickleballs are ACTUALLY made, find out if a current pro pickleball player regrets ending his pro tennis career, hear an instant classic Michael Jordan story, and a whole lot more.

Let’s do this! 👇

If you love pickleball, which we hope you do, then you sort of have to love pickleballs. After all, without a ball, we wouldn't have a sport…

Plus, the ball of our sport is pretty cool. It's got that shiny bright yellow color and all those little holes, which makes it fly through the air gracefully but without being so heavy that it's tough on our joints.

But how are pickleballs made? Well, there are two main ways. The first is with rotational molding, where plastic is poured over a mold, and then once it has dried, the holes are drilled with a multi-drill machine.

The second way is called injection molding, where the mold has holes already in it. Two halves of the ball are made separately, and then they get glued together.

Most of the major brands of pickleballs are manufactured in factories throughout China, and some in the United States.

As for "indoor" vs. "outdoor" balls, that distinction is really a misnomer because whether there is a roof over a pickleball court or not does not impact the ball that should be used.

What determines the ball you should use is the surface of the ground you're playing on. If you are playing on an actual hard pickleball court, then you should be using an "outdoor" ball, whether you are playing indoors or outdoors.

That's why pro pickleball players are always using the same "outdoor" ball, whether the tournament is played outside or inside.

You would use an "indoor" ball when you are playing on a smooth, polished surface like vinyl or a wooden basketball court you find in a gym. That's because an indoor ball is made to grip that surface better.

So there you have it: a little bit about the different types of pickleballs and how they are made. Now go outside (or inside), and hit some pickleballs!

Aim for Your Opponents’ Feet!

Aim for your opponents' feet on slams. If you can hit your balls to your opponents by their feet, it will be incredibly hard for them to hit a good shot back. This is usually the best spot to attack on pop ups and other high balls.

Make sure the sound is on so you can listen to the footwork up at the kitchen line. 👂

The acronym, RPM, which stands for Revolutions Per Minute, refers in the automotive world, to the number of times an engine's crankshaft turns in one minute. In the world of computers, RPM refers to how fast the disk platters are spinning inside a hard drive.

Well, in pickleball, the revolutions of a pickleball per minute (or how fast the pickleball spins) is our RPM. That's why pro pickleballer, James Ignatowich, chose it as the name of his new pickleball paddle (that he created himself!), the RPM Friction Pro — because it has been tested at hitting a pickleball with a record-breaking 2300+ RPMs. That doesn't feel like it should be legal — but somehow it is. Since James loves us, our community can get 15% off right here, or just use code clinic15.

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

Why You Should STOP Resetting!

We recently had a video go viral on why I hate teaching resets. It's because too many people think they should reset when in reality they need to keep the fight going. I'm a professional and I've struggled with this so don't despair! It wasn't until Andrei Daescu told me (in the middle of the finals of last year's APP Delray) that I had to stop trying to reset against Gabe Tardio's attacks. "STAY IN IT!" he implored. And he was right. It was an eye-opening moment for me.

So how do we know when to reset the ball?! It's simple: If the firefight is happening at your shoulders the ball is probably out. If it's below your hip, it's time to reset. And if it's happening at your torso level, STAY IN IT. Be here for it.

Be sure to follow Jill for more insights and instruction on Instagram and YouTube.

Do you know the name Jack Sock? Granted, it’s a pretty cool name: the first and last names each have one syllable and they both end in "ck."

But we’re not here to talk about the name so much as the person with the name. If you don’t know, Jack Sock is a professional pickleball player who is currently #6 in the world in men's singles.

But what makes him unique from a pickleball perspective is that he was the highest-ranked male tennis player to switch from tennis to pickleball. His highest career tennis world ranking was #8 in the world for singles and #2 for doubles.

Sure, Andre Agassi was #1 in the world and far more accomplished in tennis than Sock, but we mean the highest-ranked tennis player who made the switch while still in the prime of his or her career.

Plus, while Agassi has played in pro pickleball tournaments, he's not a regular touring professional pickleball player.

But back to Sock. In a recent interview, Sock revealed that he actually does regret stopping his tennis career when he did, at the age of just 30 years old.

He did have his reasons, though. “Retiring from tennis had a lot to do with becoming a father,” Sock said. “I knew once I became a dad, I wanted to be very present and be around as much as possible, and obviously, with tennis, as people know, the schedule is insane, you’re traveling all year long.”

Pro pickleball also involves traveling, but not quite as much, especially not as much internationally — at least not yet. And pickleball is definitely a passion of Sock’s, "I love pickleball. I love playing. I love competing." 💪

Well Jack, we wish you continued success in your pickleball career. (Plus, you made the right choice: pickleball is WAY better than tennis! 😄)

Click the picture below to find out what he said. 😉

In the story up top, we talked about how pickleballs are made and the difference between indoor and outdoor balls. But we didn't discuss specific brands or pass judgment on any of them. Well, that's about to change. 😄

Why? Because we've known for a long time that the Franklin X-40 ball is the best pickleball in the world. It's the most balanced, consistent, and durable ball out there, which is why it’s the Official Ball of The Pickleball Clinic. (It's also the official pickleball of the APP Tour.) Get some Franklin X-40s today, and use code clinic15 for 15% off.

Pickleball is getting faster and relying more on the drive. So it's more important than ever to create as much power as you can on that shot. That's why we brought over pro pickleball player, Eric Oncins, to talk with Matt about how to create maximum power on your forehand drive. 👇

Key takeaways:

If you haven't heard this cool story yet about Michael Jordan, then it's about time you did. The Ryder Cup (an international golf tournament between the USA and Europe), was held last month at the Bethpage Black golf course in Farmingdale, New York. Michael Jordan rented out a nearby house for several days so he could attend the event.

The owner of the house, who was surrounded by his grandkids, asked if they could all see Michael shoot just one free throw on the basketball hoop they had at the house. Jordan, who maintains that he hasn't touched a basketball in a long time said, "It's the most nervous I've been in years." He knew the kids had high expectations of him based on the stories they had heard, and he didn’t want to let them down.

So did he make it? What do you think? Take a look and see. And while you're watching it, notice where this basketball hoop is — yup, it's on a pickleball court! 💪

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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