Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

The new year has begun, and it's time for some change. Today, we'll reveal the new rules you need to know, give you the top 5 New Year's pickleball resolutions, check out a pickleball movie with some highly questionable play, and much more.

Let’s do it! 👇

Every year, USA Pickleball (USAP) announces a ton of new or modified rules in an effort to improve the sport.

Well, this year is no exception. There are so many tiny changes each year that it's almost impossible to keep track of. So we're giving you the ones you need to know. Here goes...

Double Hitting: Last year, USAP said that a double hit was legal, as long as it was part of one continuous and single-direction swing. This year the rule goes even further by saying that it can be a triple hit or beyond. The new rule is essentially saying that if you accidentally hit the ball a few times on your paddle as part of one swing, then the exact number of accidental hits doesn't matter — it is still a legal shot.

Spin on Your Serve: A few years ago, the "spin serve" was outlawed, which meant that you could no longer apply spin from your hand to the ball before you hit it. However, many people misinterpreted the rule to mean that you could not put any spin on the ball, which is not true at all. So USAP clarified the rule to make it clear that spin on a serve is absolutely legal, as long as it is applied with your paddle and not before making contact with the ball.

"Clear" Rules for the Volley Serve: In an effort to be even more strict with the basic tenets of the volley serve, USAP added the words "clear" and "clearly" to its 3 main rules governing how and where the paddle can make contact with the ball: the paddle must be moving in an upward arc, the highest point of the paddle must not be above the wrist, and the ball must be no higher than the server's waist. This rule modification shouldn't alter much except during tournament play, where referees will now be able to call service faults if one of those three rules is not clearly followed.

Making "Out" Calls: USAP is getting more strict about how quickly an out call is made. So now, if you think a ball lands out, but you return it and don't call “out” before your opponent hits the ball or it becomes dead (meaning it lands out or into the net), then play must continue as if the ball were in. If you do not attempt to hit the out ball, then you have a little more time to make the out call, but it still must be made promptly.

To sum it up, the major rules of pickleball haven't changed all that much. But if you're aware of the new rules above, you'll be better prepared when you're out on the court. 

Be Patient After Your Third Shot Drops

Approach the kitchen line with control, not urgency. Avoid rushing forward immediately after your third-shot drop, especially if it sits up and can be attacked. Instead, hold your ground and wait for a better opportunity. When your drop forces your opponent to reach or let the ball bounce, that’s your cue to move in.

As you advance, pause and split step at the moment your opponent makes contact. You should never be moving while striking the ball. It’s completely normal not to reach the kitchen line after a single drop — even top players often need two or three. The key is to move forward with intention and to back up if your shot gives your opponent an easy finishing opportunity.

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Welcome back to the section where we will define a word or term that is widely used in the pickleball world…

Shake & Bake (noun)

A "shake & bake" is a designed pickleball play where one player hits a third shot drive down the line and his or her partner moves forward and looks to poach (come across the middle line) in order to smash the next ball out of the air. It looks like this and usually requires a strong drive, a slightly popped-up volley from your opponent, and a decisive poach. When it works, it is an extremely effective play.

2026 is here, and we're sure that many of you have made some New Year's resolutions. But have you made your pickleutions? If not, we've got 5 that you can use…

1. "I will no longer call a ball out BEFORE it lands."

Thinking the ball is going to be out, being 90% sure it's going to be out, or even 99% sure does NOT mean the ball is out. You can wait that extra half second to see where the ball actually lands — even with the latest rules.

2. "I will try not to hit balls that are going to hit the fence."

Speaking of out balls, it can definitely be difficult to judge whether or not a ball is going out. BUT if the ball is whizzing by your ear, and you're standing in the middle of the transition zone, then don't touch it!

3. "I will sign up for tournament brackets that are close to my actual level."

Let's say your DUPR is 3.7 and you've never won a gold medal, which has been your goal for years. OK, so you sign up for a 3.5 tournament in order to win your first gold. That's not great, but we get it. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean you play in a 3.0 bracket! How is winning that even gratifying? If it's just the medal you want, then sign up for a 2.5 bracket. 😀 In other words, pick on someone your own size.

4. "I will not sigh or roll my eyes or put my hands up in frustration when my partner makes a mistake."

We're all trying to have fun on the court, and no one likes making mistakes. But what makes it a LOT worse is when your partner is visibly bothered by your errors. That behavior makes your partner feel awful and makes you look really bad. It also usually makes your partner make even more mistakes, not less.

5. "I will try to get better at pickleball and not use excuses for my poor play.”

There are many ways to improve your game. You can take a clinic at your local club, find a partner to drill with, watch our coaching videos — or probably all three! But just playing in the same way and for the same amount of time as you usually do will just keep you at the same level.

So there you have it — 5 pickleutions you can start working on today! Or you may have others that are specific to your game. Whichever ones you choose, good luck and try to stick with them! 

If you really want to get good at pickleball, then you’ve got to start playing in airports. 😆👇

As pickleball evolves and more people begin to play, shots that may not have been that popular a few years ago are now extremely important, especially if you want to play at higher levels. One such shot is the two-handed backhand dink because it allows you to be aggressive with your dinks on both sides of your body — not just with your forehand. Coach Matt shows you exactly how to hit it below. 👇

We like movies, and of course, we love pickleball. So we were happy to hear about Lifetime's pickleball-themed movie that came out over the holidays called "A Pickleball Christmas." Admittedly, we haven't seen it yet, but many people seemed to like it.

However, pickleball fans almost all agreed on one thing: the level of pickleball play was awful — like really low. We're not asking that this mixed doubles team look like Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters out there, but using some actors (or stunt doubles) who are at least at an intermediate level could have been nice.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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