Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

What would you do if pickleball didn't exist? Today, we'll discover what holes pickleball fills in our lives, find out the best excuses to use for skipping work to hit the courts, discover a game-changing footwork drill, and much more.

Let’s go! 👇

"If pickleball were never invented, what would you be doing every day?" We recently asked this question to all of you via our Facebook and Instagram communities. Let's take a look at how you responded...

The majority of people mentioned other physical activities. Some of the top ones were tennis, golf, racquetball, hiking, and pickleball. That totally makes sense, as you would still want to get your body moving somehow.

A few of you mentioned non-physical activities like playing cards, cooking, and day trading. Then of course there were the funny responses, like "I would not have bruises on my hips or scrapes on my knees! 😮"

Some other humorous answers included, "Prison...JK," “Not icing," “Inventing pickleball," and "My business would certainly be better!" All solid responses.

But then there were some answers that were really inspiring, like this one: "Sleeping. It has definitely improved my DEXA scan numbers [related to bone density]. Now at 82 I have terrific T and Z scores of a much younger woman."

Even this response that seems light on the surface is actually quite deep and meaningful: "Being a workaholic without ever taking an exercise break. Plus, I wouldn’t have best friends or loads of laughter and camaraderie."

Others wrote that they would be drinking, eating, or sleeping all day, and a few wrote answers like: "Don't even want to think about life without pickleball."

We're happy we asked this question because your responses were very revealing. Life obviously existed before pickleball was invented. But there is no doubt that pickleball has enhanced the lives of so many people.

How? Because it provides many of life's positives, including socialization, exercise, and fun, while reducing some of its negatives, including boredom, anxiety, gluttony, and isolation.

Set Small, Specific Goals to Maximize Your Improvement

Instead of saying, "I want to improve my forehand," identify one aspect of the shot you want to refine. Broad goals can make it difficult to measure progress and often lead to reinforcing the same habits.

For example, a more effective goal might be, "I want to shorten my forehand backswing." Focusing on one specific adjustment makes it easier to practice with intention, track your progress, and build lasting improvements. As you accomplish each goal, move on to another area of your game. Consistently making small, targeted improvements is one of the fastest ways to elevate your overall performance.

Want to see a 40+ shot pro point with dinks, drops, lobs, and hands battles? Here you go… 👇

As we talked about above, pickleball brings us an incredible amount of joy. But it is a sport, which means that aches, pains, and overall soreness are par for the course. And that's where TheraICE comes in. Trust us, when it comes to cold and heat therapy, TheraICE is like nothing you have ever experienced before—it actually feels like the TheraICE sleeve is molding to your body.

Because of our partnership, we can now offer a TheraICE bundle. Here's how it works: buy 2 products and get 15% off, buy 3 products and get 25% off. Plus, when you use code (CLINIC20), you get an additional 20% off the entire order! If you want to heal and recover this summer, then here is your chance!

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

Pickled (verb, past tense)

When a team gets “pickled,” it means they lose 11-0. A “golden pickle” is an even more extreme version because it means that not only did a team lose 11-0, but it lost every single point consecutively and therefore never even got the chance to serve.

If you're reading this, then we're pretty sure you like pickleball. You probably even love it, and you may even be obsessed! No judgment here, we're obsessed too!

Well, sometimes that pickleball obsession will combine with a strong desire to not go into work one day, which can sometimes lead to something called ... playing hooky. 😄

We're not saying that you should do it that much, but if you're planning to, then we're here to help with a few excuses—along with what to say if you get caught.

#1: "My kid got in trouble at school and I need to go pick him or her up." This is pretty solid and builds some sympathy for you, even though it kind of throws your son or daughter under the bus. 😀

If for some reason you get caught, and it gets back to your boss that you were seen playing pickleball, that's when you explain that the school principal and vice principal threatened to expel your kid unless you played pickleball with them TODAY.

#2: There’s nothing wrong with the classic "I'm sick" excuse. And if you get caught playing, you can say that your doctor told you that playing pickleball is healthy. So by extension, since you're sick and you want to get more healthy, then you thought it would be a good idea to play pickleball—you know, in order to feel better. 😂

#3 - "My car was stolen." This one is pretty solid because not only does it build sympathy for you, but it's a big life event so it makes sense that you wouldn't be able to focus on work and would instead need to stay home and deal with the situation.

If you get caught playing pickleball after using this excuse, you can say that the police found your car (which you'll have to say at some point in the next few days anyway) and to celebrate, you and the police officers decided to play pickleball. 😉

Warning: If your boss is also a big pickleball enthusiast, then there's a good chance she or he reads this newsletter. In that case, we recommend tweaking these excuses a little bit.

P.S.: Whenever you play pickleball, even if it's not while playing hooky, don't forget that you can also use excuses for your poor play. The super six excuses can be remembered with "SWIPE-L" (Sun, Wind, Injury, Partner, (too) Early, (too) Late).

It’s not a pretty sight… 😀👇

The RPM paddle was created and designed by a team including PPA champion, James Ignatowich. His knowledge and experience translated to the paddle, which is why it took the pickleball world by storm and became one of the best-selling paddle brands in the world.

It started with the RPM Friction Pro, and then more versions came out like the elongated RPM V2, pictured below. For those who want a full-foam paddle, there's the RPM Q2, which balances controlled aggression, accessible power, and long-term durability. Grab your RPM paddle today, and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

We love the reflexes and hands battles in pickleball. But especially since the World Cup is going on, we thought we'd pay a little tribute to our feet. Yes, even though we need to use our hands in pickleball, a big part of becoming a good player actually comes down to our footwork. Here's Matt with a footwork drill that will improve your footwork tremendously. 👇

The mid-season tournament for Major League Pickleball (MLP) took place over the weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The top players in the world representing 20 MLP teams were on hand, including 4 guest or extra teams with players not currently signed to MLP teams. Those teams were: Team Australia, the College All-Stars, Team Canada, and Team Europe. 

While none of the "extra" teams beat the pro MLP teams, it was a great way to take a look at some up-and-coming talent. As for the pros, the final featured the top two ranked teams in pickleball, and in the end, the St. Louis Shock defeated the New Jersey 5s to win the title.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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