Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Hey Pickleballers. From wild weather and politics to the Olympics and international conflicts, we know there’s a lot going on in the world right now. So it’s a good thing we’ve got pickleball! This week, we’ll take a look at how Taylor Swift has helped grow our sport, find out how much money all of you have spent on paddles 😄, learn three strategies that will help you beat any opponent, and a lot more.

Let’s do this! 👇

When it comes to pop stars, there are stars and then there are STARS.

And in the past year or so, there is one person who even puts all the other STARS to shame. That person, of course, is Taylor Swift.

When you are the biggest star on the planet and you live in an age of social media, then whatever you do gets shown to the world.

Well, when Taylor published a 15-second YouTube Short that included just one short clip of her swinging a pickleball paddle, it caught people’s attention.

Even though her pickleball footage lasted for just about a second, the skirt she was wearing in the clip evidently sold out within minutes of the post.

It wasn’t just the skirt that people noticed. People all over the world noticed the sport Taylor was playing as well.

“Social media has a big part to play in the trend,” said Richie Ong, the 37-year-old co-founder of That Pickleball Shop in Singapore. “When people see Taylor Swift posting a picture holding a paddle, I think many people will be interested.”

Also in Singapore, Jeremy Soh and his fiancé, Jeovanne Poernomo, recently created a pickleball facility called Performance Pickleball.

“We saw the sport is growing in the rest of Asia and we see the merit of a sport like pickleball that’s just as challenging in hand-eye coordination but not as physically taxing or difficult to learn like tennis,” said Soh. “We see that as the driver of its growth in Asia.”

Singapore is just one of many Asian countries including China, India, and Vietnam, where pickleball has begun to take hold.

Thanks Taylor Swift and other young celebrities for helping to expose our great sport to younger generations around the world — hopefully ensuring its prosperity for years and years to come. 🥒

Be Disciplined with Your Speed Ups

Many players will continue to try to play fast after one speed up is hit regardless of whether or not it was successful. At the higher levels of the game, players will quickly switch between going fast and going soft if their attack did not give them the opportunity that they were looking for to finish the point.

At the lower levels players will continue to play fast after one fast shot regardless of whether or not they are in position to do so. Continuing to play fast when you are not in position to attack will likely cause you to lose the rally. Instead, try resetting the ball and trying your attack again later on at a more opportune time.

When all that hustle pays off (and the crowd goes wild)!

It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane…

No, it’s Tyson McGuffin, a.k.a. the most electrifying man in sports. Tyson doesn’t mess around, he’s on the cutting edge of everything. That’s why he’s sporting the new JOOLA MOD TA-15 pickleball paddle. It’s USAP Approved, and it’s very similar to the Gen 3, but it’s the original prototype version.

The JOOLA MOD-TA-15 combines the most up-to-date technology with incredible design, and the best pros in the world tested the paddle and gave input on it throughout the process. We’re not saying that Tyson was standing there watching every single paddle get made, although hey, maybe he was. 😂 But back to the point, the JOOLA MOD TA-15 is as good as it gets — so get one for yourself today.

Augie Ge is a former Division 1 college tennis player from the University of Arizona and current professional pickleballer, playing alongside JW Johnson on the MLP team, the Dallas Flash. Today, he discusses some concepts around lefty/righty teams.

“Hello Picklers! We know that there are some advantages to lefty/righty teams, traditionally with the lefty playing the right side and the righty on the left. The biggest advantage of this is that both forehands are in the middle, which makes it very difficult to attack such a team there. However, as the increase in paddle grit and power has led to the rise of offensive shots like the backhand flick and the forehand off the bounce speed up, as well as more and more players wielding strong two-hand backhands, perhaps we can consider lefty/righty teams with the lefty playing the left and the righty on the right.

These three shots are crucial for this lefty/righty formation to reach its potential. The backhand flick is important to provide enough offense such that dinking to the middle will not be considered safe. The real value lies in the outside thirds of the court. Cross court dinking will always be with a forehand on the lefty/righty team, and it is generally easier to attack from these dinking exchanges with the forehand off the bounce rather than the backhand. The weakest part of the formation is when the lefty/righty team is attacked through the middle. A two-hand backhand counter is a must to help mitigate this vulnerability.

Shoutout to lefties Pesa Teoni and Jamie Haas who I have seen use this formation effectively at the pro level, as well as Ryan Finley and Ryan Dawidjan for bringing this up.

Cheers! Augie”

_{Be sure to follow Augie on Instagram.}

All About the Benjamins

Everyone needs at least one thing to play pickleball: a paddle. That's what prompted us to ask the question in our Facebook Group and on Instagram — "What’s the most you’ve spent on a pickleball paddle?”

As usual, we got a ton of responses from the community. While the majority of prices came in that $100 - $250 range, answers varied from “$20.00 at Walmart” to “$10k solid gold paddle.”

We're assuming the gold paddle is a joke, but what if it's not? Depending on what karat it is, it could be pretty soft, which would be nice on dinks and resets. 😃

Many people were proud of getting deals on their paddles. “$175 for a $199 paddle. Haven't paid full price on any of my 9 paddles to date.”

Others clearly have connections or sponsorships, as evidenced by this comment: “You guys pay for paddles?“ 😂

Some players were insightful: “It's not the arrow. It’s the archer! However, it’s nice to have different paddles to motivate me.”

At least one person was a carpenter: “Plywood laminate over a racquetball racquet, then cure with resin and 3M isotape. Use baseball grip tape counter-wrapped. Total cost about $17 a racquet.” (Not sure if that paddle is legal, but this is definitely a DIY person. 😲)

We also received a fair share of really funny comments, like “Mind your business,” “Too much,” and our favorite, “$600… after buying a $200 paddle I had to take my wife out for the weekend to make up for not asking permission. Hotel, dinner and a show. Can’t wait to buy my next paddle.” 😂

You know when you play an amazing point (and you were smart enough to film it) and you think to yourself, “I wish I could send this clip somewhere so everyone can see it.” Well, that time is now and that place is here! Just DM your video to us on Facebook or Instagram, and you may be featured on those platforms or right here in this newsletter!

Nice forehand, Batman! 😂 And we didn't know you were a lefty.

Where the Sun Does Shine 🌞

The summer is beautiful and warm, and it’s just a great time to be alive. But as wonderful as it is to be outside, it can also be dangerous because of the sun. Kind of like a super cute bear. It’s adorable, but if you get too close, it can hurt you. (That analogy may not completely work, but it’s close enough. 😃)

Anyway, make sure you stay protected from the sun with Sonrei, the best sunscreen out there, and the official sunscreen of The Pickleball Clinic. Sonrei is designed for all skin types and pigments, and it provides the very best water and sweat-resistant, fragrance-free, paraben-free, and vegan sun protection. So before you head out to the pickleball courts, get some Sonrei sunscreen, and use code "clinic20" at checkout for 20% off.

Want to learn THREE STRATEGIES that will help you beat any opponent?!! No? OK, then keep on reading. Well, if you answered “yes,” then you’re in luck because Coach Matt is here to elevate your game. 👇

Highlights:

• Hit to your opponent’s backhand.

• Don’t miss your third shot.

• Attack when it’s high, reset when it’s low.

August 8 is National Pickleball Day! Created by pickleball instructor Deirdre Morris in 2021, this is a day to celebrate all things pickleball. We know what you’re thinking, that’s every day! Good point, but on August 8 you can do even more, like go to work with two paddles glued to your cheeks — we were thinking face cheeks, but how you interpret it is really up to you. 😂 

If you’re not into the cheeks idea, then maybe you want to dress up as a giant pickleball mascot and ride on public transportation for 10 hours straight just to show your love for the game.

Whatever it is you do, try sharing photos and videos of your pickleball activities on social media and use the hashtag #NationalPickleballDay.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Join the conversation below! ⬇️