Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

We know there are lots of characters you may encounter on a pickleball court. But have you ever played alongside an animal? Or a robot? Today, we'll take a look at a robot that played in a professional pickleball match, check out some animals that have tried to dink, find out four tips you need to become a 4.0 player, and a whole lot more.

Let’s do this! 👇

If you live in the middle of a big city, then it can be easy to forget that we actually do share this planet with other animals.

Sure, you'll see a ton of pigeons and pets, but in the realm of actual wild animals, you're definitely shielded. 

For the rest of us, we've got to share the world with our furry (or not so furry) friends — even if that's… on a pickleball court. 

Let's take a look at some animals that have been spotted hanging out near the kitchen. 👇

In Colorado, a legless creature — yes, a rattlesnake — was spotted on court. A snake probably has great reach, but the whole not-having-limbs thing makes swinging a paddle a bit tough. 🐍

Then, in Tahoe, California, there was the case of some cute bear cubs that seemed to actually want to play pickleball.

A moose tried to get some drilling in, but the fence got in its way.

And in Florida, it looks like an alligator was tired of all the pickleball noise and decided to take matters into its own hands — or mouth.

Do you have any encounters with wild animals on a pickleball court? If so, let us know, and send a picture or video to prove it. 😲

Don’t Blindly Run Up to the Kitchen Behind Third Shots

Wait to judge the quality of a third shot drop before rushing into the net behind it. If your drop was too high, stay back by the baseline and try again. This way you’ll be able to defend if your opponent slams your shot. If you hit a good drop (either it bounces or is being volleyed below the knees), proceed forward, but stop when your opponent hits, even if you haven’t made it all the way up yet.

Nice point, Anna Leigh Waters. With shots like that, you might actually have a future in this sport some day. 😂

Walking on Air

Every sport has its iconic moment or feeling. The swish of a basketball jump shot, the ping of a perfect golf drive, the explosion of pins from a strike in bowling. These aren't just winning plays, they're much more than that. They are what bring us to sports in the first place and what keep us coming back time and time again. These iconic moments represent that unmatched feeling of accomplishment when you feel like you're walking on air.

Pickleball has a few of these moments: an ATP, a winner at the end of a hands battle, a perfectly struck dink that your opponent can't touch. We play sports for these experiences. In pickleball, that means the sound and feel of your paddle hitting the ball in the absolute perfect way. So keep on playing, and be sure to feel those moments the way they're meant to be felt with JOOLA, makers of the absolute best paddles in the world.  

Pickleball’s male GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), Ben Johns, answered the question, “What’s the most important thing a player can do to go from 3.0 to 4.0?”

“To get from a 3.0 to a 4.0 I’d say the best thing you can do, despite it being a cliché by now, is to improve your 3rd shot drop and the associated shots in order to get to the kitchen line safely. If you increase your percentage of getting to neutral at the line, you’ll drastically increase your win percentage.”

_{You can follow Ben Johns on Instagram and YouTube!}

Robot Plays in Pro Pickleball Tournament

If you haven't been living under a rock the past few years, then you know that AI is entering our lives more and more each day. 

Whether it's self-driving cars, ChatGPT or robots on city streets, AI is here and it's not going anywhere. Well, guess where else AI has entered? You guessed it, pickleball. 

A robot named Jamie Dinks recently played in an official MLP pro pickleball match — and actually won! Take a look here.

Jamie's partner for the match was Sylvia Stephens, who was really impressed with the robot. 

"Wow, that's one good robot," Stephens said. "Jamie doesn't speak much, but she's a great listener and has a nice level attitude on court."

Stephens went on to list some of the pros and cons of playing with a robot. "On the positive side, because Jamie is made of metal, she has absolutely no body odor."

"But being made of metal isn't all good because unlike when I play with humans, if I bump into Jamie, I can cut myself pretty easily."

"Jamie doesn't yet understand humor that well," said Stephens. "Like she swung and missed at a ball that went out so I said 'Nice leave.' But then Jamie immediately said, 'I was trying to hit that ball.'"

It can also get a little awkward between matches because instead of eating, Jamie needs to get plugged in to charge.

OK, we're just KIDDING. This whole story is made up and the only AI thing about it is of course the video that made it look like a robot was actually playing pickleball.

Sorry that we messed with you, BUT do you think robots will ever play pickleball?

If you look at where the world is heading (and at something like this real robot sporting event in China), then it seems that it's only a matter of time until robots actually do play pickleball. But let us know what you think!

Being compared to a sloth isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it’s not great either. 😂

It’s Evolving Before Our Eyes

They say that pickleball is getting faster and more aggressive — less drops and dinks, more drives and speedups. That might be true at the higher levels, but drops and dinks are still crucial shots to have in order to get to and stay at those levels. The serve is also being used as a weapon more and more, as is the two-handed backhand dink.

Sure, pickleball is evolving, but it also depends who you're playing with and against. It's an amazing sport and we're lucky to be playing it in this period where it's still in its infancy as a major sport. So when you're done reading this newsletter 😃, grab some Franklin X-40s and get out on the court. Use code “clinic15” for 15% off.

Are you looking to get to that prestigious 4.0+ level? Well, Matt is here with 4 tips to help get you there. 💪 If you implement these tips (and put in your practice time), you can be on your way to the big 4.0! Check it out below. 👇

Key takeaways:

• Start implementing patterns. For example, dink crosscourt and then move to the middle to cover a speedup or a dink that gets popped up.

• Hone in on your transition strategy — in other words your approach up to the kitchen line when you are the serving team. If you prefer driving your 3rd shot, then go for a 3rd shot drive / 5th shot drop combo. If you prefer to drop your 3rd shot, then that’s fine too, but make sure it’s dependable and consistent.

• Identify or develop a weapon in your game, and then try to put yourself in as many positions where you can use your weapon during a match.

• On the flip side, hide your weaknesses. For example, if you’re a righty and your weakness is your backhand dink, then play on the right side and have your partner take dinks that are hit to your backhand.

Over the weekend, the MLP Finals were held in New York City's iconic Central Park located in the heart of Manhattan. The top 4 teams squared off against one another, which included the Columbus Sliders, St. Louis Shock, L.A. Mad Drops and New Jersey 5s. Those teams consisted of some of the best players in the world, including Anna Bright, Gabe Tardio, Paris Todd, Andrei Daescu, Hayden Patriquin, and the male and female GOATs: Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters. 

The atmosphere was incredible, the level of play was phenomenal, and even the weather was perfect. In the end, the Columbus Sliders defeated the New Jersey 5s in the final to capture the title.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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