Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

What would you do without pickleball? Is the latest injury study significant or much ado about nothing? Today, we’ll explore those subjects, learn about footwork and warm-up routines, and a whole lot more!

Let’s get after it! 👇

A couple of weeks ago, we asked a question on The Pickleball Clinic Facebook group — "What would you do without pickleball in your life?"

As you might expect, there were many comments (hundreds actually) so we thought we'd share with you what we noticed...

The most common response was a version of: "be depressed," "cry," "be bored," and "I don't want to think about it." (That's very sad, but don't worry everyone, pickleball isn't going anywhere!)

Then there were people who explained other things they would do. Many would return to hobbies or sports they used to partake in. Racquetball, tennis, fishing, and golf lead the way, but there were also some bowlers, disc golfers, line dancers and knitters!

Of course, there were the funny comments... Joey Simione wrote "Be paying $200 a week to a therapist," and Vadim Zinkovsky chimed in, "Easy, I would've invented pickleball.😄"

Another common response was something along the lines of "I would have no friends and be a lot heavier," which just speaks to the emotional and physical benefits of pickleball.

And the most liked comment highlighted the same concept as above: "Pickleball for me is pure joy with my friends. Amazing exercise, cardio, lots of laughter. At 73, I cannot believe how it has made the quality of my life even more fun than it was before!" -Anne Montello Larson Walker.

The second most liked comment said something very similar — and both of those comments were met with tons of "I'm 72," "I'm 67," "I'm 74, and I feel the same exact way!" 

So one thing is pretty clear: pickleball, regardless of age, has created tight-knit communities that play big roles in people's lives. And for those of us who may be retired and have less opportunities to socialize with others, these communities have been truly life-changing.

We’ve got three words for everyone: Long Live Pickleball!!!

It’s OK to cross your feet to get to a dink — on your backhand side

The biggest fallacy in pickleball coaching is that you should never cross your feet at the kitchen line. This statement is only half true. You should never cross your feet to hit a forehand. There are really no exceptions to that. However, you can, and should, cross your feet to hit a backhand dink if you are pulled out really wide.

The reason for this is when you cross your feet to hit a backhand, you are able to cover more distance with your dominant side. When you cross over on your backhand side, you are crossing your dominant foot over your non-dominant foot, which in turn moves the dominant side of your body across the court.

When you cross over on your forehand side, you are moving your non-dominant foot over your dominant foot, which does not move the side of your body that your paddle is on.

An important thing to note is that the backhand crossover step should be reserved for high intermediate and advanced players, and it is really only helpful if you are pulled very far out wide. You should be able to shuffle to cover most backhand dinks, and staying square to the net will make it easier to prepare for the next shot.

Chuck Taylor is a professional pickleball player who grew up in Poulsbo, Washington, just miles away from the birthplace of the sport in Bainbridge Island. Today, Chuck discusses the importance of the serve.

“Serve for the Third!

The serve is often a forgotten and overlooked shot. It’s not just to start the rally! We have complete control of the shot, so let’s make it count! 3 keys to a great serve:

1- Decide where to stand. My good friend Rob Davidson introduced this idea to me. You want to position yourself so you can easily ensure that you will always hit your preferred third shot. For example, a right hander that likes to hit forehand thirds would stand and serve from the left side of the box. Any return to them should be a forehand. 

2- Figure out where your opponents are less comfortable hitting returns, usually the backhand. Then aggressively hit your serve to that spot. 

3- Practice! Get a bunch of balls and get reps!”

You can learn more about Chuck and his pickleball journey here!

Pillow Talk!

Do you like taking naps? Who doesn’t? Except “nap” sounds a bit lazy. How about a “siesta”? Yes, “siesta” sounds much better!😄 It sounds elegant and dignified — we can all get behind taking a good afternoon siesta.😃

Whatever you want to call it, chances are you’re going to need a pillow. And there’s a new one in town, the Splish Naturals Rejuvenation pillow, made with eight semi-precious gemstones that will emit energy to help relax the muscles and the mind. Check it out, and use code “clinic15” for 15% off!

At one point, we actually thought this rally would go on forever. 😂 

Much Ado About Nothing

A recent study presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons highlights the rise in injuries over a twenty year period from 2002-2022.

First off, that's like saying eyestrain from internet use increased a lot from 1990 to 2010. OF COURSE it did because no one was using the internet in the 90s! 

But back to the study. While it did not conclude that pickleball is inherently dangerous or that people should stop playing, it did mention some things that, if taken out of context, could sound scary.

The main finding was a 90-fold increase in pickleball-related fractures since 2002, with almost 90% of those injuries occurring in people over 60 years old.

Well, here's our take...

Pickleball is not inherently dangerous at all — at least compared to any other sport out there. If pickleball entailed running on a wet surface surrounded by sharp glass, then yeah, we'd say it was a risky activity.😄 But that's simply not the case.

What is the case is that pickleball has taken off because of the countless benefits that it brings people. But it still is a sport, and any sport presents the risk of injury.

If millions of people all of a sudden started playing basketball, guess what would happen? There would be more basketball-related injuries.

But that's only one part of the equation. The other part is that pickleball has not only brought in sports people, it has also attracted all different kinds of people, many of whom may not have played sports regularly before.

And that's great! Welcome! But when millions of people, some of whom have not been athletes previously, jump into a sport full speed ahead, it's inevitable that some of them will get injured.

The good news is that injuries can be prevented. Proper stretching before and after play is extremely important, as is easing into playing and knowing your own physical limitations. (Like if you're in your 80s, maybe lay off those ATP and Bert attempts.😀)

Of course, any type of exercise poses a risk. But you know what's even riskier to your health? Not exercising at all! 😂

OK, so you dodged a bullet — just don’t make it a habit, capeesh?!😂 

A Comedy MOVIE — with Balls!

Who watched the Super Bowl last week? How about the commercials? We noticed a ton of previews for action movies. But what about comedies? Or sports movies? Or better yet, a sports comedy movie!!

That’s the kind of movie we want to watch — and if it involves pickleball, then that’s even better! Good thing there’s one in the works! It’s called In a Pickle, and it’ll be the first-ever, full-length feature film about pickleball! Plus, the film is doing a Kickstarter, so you can be part of making it come to life!

If you want to be an investor in the movie, then that’s a possibility too. Just reply to this email and let us know.

If you want to play well consistently, it’s a good idea to have a consistent warm-up.

Here’s a warm-up routine from Austin "The Amazon Man" Tchikatilov, pro pickleball player and health guru.👇

Key takeaways:

• Spend time warming up dinks, volleys and drops.

• Don’t just hit the above shots to one spot — hit them down the line, in the middle of the court, and crosscourt.

• Use 5 key stretches! 👆

We all know that pickleball keeps growing and growing. But it's still nice to acknowledge the milestones along the way. The latest box to get checked? Being featured in a Super Bowl commercial! 💪

If you missed it, the commercial was for E-Trade and it featured two babies (below) playing pickleball against two grownups. The babies' form wasn't perfect 😄, but they'll work on it. And their outfits were on point! 👍😂 

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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