Pickleball's Infrastructure Continues to Grow (But Tennis Players Aren't Happy)

Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic newsletter!

Today we touch on how Pickleball’s professional ecosystem continues to grow, a hostile feud with tennis players, and tips to improve your game.

Let’s dive in 👇

With pickleball continuing to grow like wildfire, we’re now seeing sports agents enter the space.

John Tobias, VP at GSE Worldwide and a veteran tennis agent has signed Parris Todd, this year’s U.S. Open Pickleball Championships winner.

Kelly Wolf, an Octagon vice president who oversees the agency’s tennis division, and now represents Jay Devilliers and Anna Leigh Waters.

Wolf has negotiated massive deals for Anna Leigh Waters:

• Fila

• Carvana

• Paddletek

• Lock Laces

So why’s this important?

Sports agents typically receive 20% of endorsements and 2-5% of prize money.

Agents entering the space show they believe in the future of pickleball (and the money fueling it)!

Here’s what the No. 1 player in the world had to say about the increase of sponsorships in pickleball ⤵

A weekly thought from pickleball’s GOAT Ben Johns 🐐

Hey, readers! With pickleball being the hot commodity — this week we’re talking all business.

To me, it’s very cool that there are many pros that make a living just playing tournaments year-round (and many more that supplement that with teaching pickleball).

There is the merchandise side - paddles, apparel, and all kinds of other stuff with cool spins to make their products stand out.

You have “Chicken N Pickle” models popping up all over the U.S. where businesses have found success pairing pickleball with food, drink, and other fun in a Top Golf-esque manner.

On the investment side, you have Major League Pickleball selling ownership of pickleball teams.

In content, there are newsletters (like this one), blogs, forums, podcasts, channels, and so much more.

I even personally have two pickleball companies. Pickleball 360 and Pickleball Getaways, in the online instructional content and travel/vacation package spaces.

With the endless possibilities in Pickleball, I think it’s great to appreciate all the businesses pickleball has birthed.

And maybe as the reader you’ve thought about starting a pickleball-related business or you already have one, either way, get after it and good luck!

- Ben

For more from Ben, follow his Instagram here: @BenJohns_PB

The Brightest Ball We’ve Ever Seen

At this point, you know we’re big fans of the PCKL Elite 40 because of how it stands out on the court, plus its more durable than other balls we’ve tried before…we’re still on our first 4 pack! Let us know your thoughts on this ball, now available in packs of 4, 12, 24 or 48 balls plus use PBCLINIC10 to save 10% off their entire site or grab a 4 pack on Amazon.

You don’t need a partner to get better at pickleball.

If you really want to improve but don’t have anyone to play with, there are plenty of drills you can do by yourself.

Beginner? I highly recommend bouncing a ball with a paddle up and down to train your mind to learn the behavior of the ball. This drastically improves your timing and hand speed as you are starting out. When we play pickleball we have to quickly and intuitively react to the shots that are hit to us, and this requires a subconscious understanding of how the ball behaves, which we can train by hitting the ball against the paddle.

Intermediate-Advanced? Hit against a wall. You can do volleys, dinks, and even groundstrokes by hitting against a wall. You will improve your hands, ball judgement, timing, and form. A wall is a great practice partner because it never misses!

If you really want to get better, there are no excuses. Get out and drill!

We all know this player 😂

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Find more about Splish and take a step down your road to wellness here.

Vandalism Hits Pickleball Courts

Not everyone is a fan of the growing popularity of pickleball…

Last week in Needham, Massachusetts police found four pickleball nets cut diagonally and destroyed.

Apparently, there’s a dispute going on between local tennis and pickleball players.

Police don’t know who did it, but they have a good guess.

The tennis players.

And that’s not all…

Players also reported nets were tossed out of the courts during a high school girl’s tennis match Monday afternoon.

Poll Question:

Interview

Aaron spoke in person with top-doubles player, Patrick Smith.

A variety of topics were discussed including:

• How Patrick maximizes his drives

• Keys to a strong doubles partnership

• What pickleball might look like in 10 years

Looking to improve your game?

Mastering this shot will bring your DUPR from a 3.5 to 4.0+!

In today’s video Matt breaks down how to hit a backhand punch volley👇

One of the main keys…

“Do not flick your wrist” ❌

The first pickleball paddles were made entirely of wood.

However, in recent years, lightweight materials like carbon fiber and fiberglass have been incorporated to lessen the weight of the paddle.

We want your feedback!

What type of coaching videos do you want to see more of? Reply to this email and we’ll make videos for the most common answers!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Join the conversation below! ⬇️