Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Everything is always evolving around us, and pickleball is no exception. But because our sport has taken off so fast, the rate of evolution is extremely high. Today, we'll take a look at exactly where the sport has grown, discover a new piece of technology that will change the game, find out what all 5.0 players do, and a lot more.

Let’s do this! 👇

Most of us probably know by now that pickleball was invented in the 1960s and that it didn’t start gaining significant popularity until around 2020. But we can really see the evolution of the sport if we look at specific elements. Here goes...

Paddles: In the year 2000, there were probably a handful of brands that made pickleball paddles. In 2024, that number is thought to be more than 700! As you'd expect, paddle technology has also improved exponentially, moving from wood to composite materials, such as fiberglass and graphite, and then to the technology we have today, which includes carbon fiber, honeycomb cores, foam-injected walls, and unibody design.

Proliferation: Prior to the pickleball explosion, it was thought that a few hundred thousand people played the sport, most of whom were senior citizens. Now, according to the APP, nearly 50 million Americans have played pickleball at least once in the last year.

Age: We all know that pickleball used to be a very niche sport for a predominantly elderly population. Now, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the group with the most participants is the 25–34 age group. Plus, many of the best players in the world used to be in their 40s. Now they're mostly in their 20s and early 30s — with a few still in their 40s, but just as many (or more) in their teens!

Pros: Speaking of the best players in the world, the pro scene barely existed more than five to ten years ago. But in 2019, the APP and PPA tours were established, and the MLP (2021) and NPL (2022) followed soon after. Nowadays, there are pro tournaments almost every weekend, pickleball can be seen regularly on TV, and the top pros make at least a few million dollars a year between prize money and endorsements.

Business: Pickleball is already a $1.5 billion industry and is expected to surpass $4 billion in the next ten years. Plus, thousands of courts, both indoor and outdoor, are being built in order to keep up with the demand.

Acceptance: Perhaps most importantly, pickleball has made it — in the cultural sense. It's hip, it's cool, everyone is playing it. No more comments like, "What kind of game is pickleball?" or "Isn't that just a game for old people?" (Well, some people may still make those comments, but they're sounding more and more stupid every time they do. 😀)

_{(Photo above courtesy of The Business of Pickleball newsletter.)}

Use Your Timeouts!

Pickleball is a game of momentum. It’s not uncommon for teams to rattle off 5+ points in a row when they have momentum on their side. If you’ve lost several points in a row, it’s important to try to break your opponents’ momentum by calling a timeout. I’ve been down 5-0 or worse in tournaments before and after calling a timeout was able to get a major momentum shift to come back and win.

Many players don’t like to stop for a break mid-game, but it’s so important to try to break your opponents’ momentum. Try it next time you get down in a tournament! Remember, you always have 2 timeouts, so try to take advantage. If I’m losing I will always try to use both of them to gain back an advantage. Not using them is a wasted opportunity!

After all that hard work, we’re not sure the tweener was the best idea — but it definitely looked cool.

How Does It Feel When You Get a Deal?

Black Friday is just two days away, BUT Franklin is starting the savings party early with 30% off on their X-40 balls right now! That’s the same amazing X-40s, but for 30% less!

Just imagine if your groceries were 30% less, or your mortgage payments — or your car! We think you get the point. But in case you don’t, we’ll say it one more time 😀... click HERE to get 30% off on your favorite X-40 pickleballs!

Game-Changing Technology

Picture this... You just had a great time playing pickleball at the park. You were able to keep up with Rita's dinks for the first time, and you hit a sweet counter against one of Big Phil's speedups.

This would normally be a cause for celebration, except for one big thing — you left your paddle at the courts! 😬

As soon as you realize it, you head back to the park, but your baby (your paddle) is no longer there! Maybe it was stolen or mistakenly taken by someone else. Or maybe it was picked up by a good Samaritan, but that person doesn’t know how to get it back to you.

The scenario above is sadly one that plays out every day all over the country — lost paddles that want to be used but can’t be because their owners accidentally abandoned them. 🥲

What if the paddles think it was something they did and that their owners intentionally left them behind? If there’s a dry eye still reading this, we’d be shocked. 😀

But seriously, it’s not fun to lose your paddle. First off, you develop a bond with it, and second, they’re not cheap. Well, the good news is that we found a solution…

There’s a company called PaddleTrac that came up with a QR code sticker you can put on the bottom of your paddle’s handle, which serves as a tracking device so you’ll always know where it is.

It’s basically a lost-and-found for your paddle. PaddleTrac sells them on their website, but you can get one for free when you use code “SavingTheLost”.

As for any thieves out there who intentionally steal your paddle, they'll just have to get ready for an all-out FBI raid of their house. 😉

Wait, what?! He’s not supposed to know how to hit an ATP!

Same, Same, But Different

30% off. Hmm, that sounds familiar. 🤔 If you're wondering where you recently read about that, it was right here in this newsletter! For whatever reason, our country has embraced giving great deals at this time of year — Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Save-Big Saturday, Woohoo Wednesday (well, the last two we made up. 😀)

But the point is that we’re all about savings and so are our friends at Diadem. That means you can get the ultimate pickleball sneakers, the Diadem Court Bursts, for 30% off! If you don’t have a pair, then you don’t know what you’re missing. And if you already have one, then try getting another in a different color combo.

No matter what level we’re currently playing at, all of us want to get better at pickleball. (Well, maybe there are some people who want to get worse, but those people probably have intense psychological issues that need to get worked out. 😆) Anyway, last week, we talked about moving from a 3.0 level to a 3.5. This week, let’s crank it up a few notches and see what it takes to get to the elusive 5.0 level. 👇

Key Takeaways:

• Work on being able to transition smoothly between the hard game and the soft game. Many times, this means resetting balls after an attempted speedup that your opponent has countered effectively.

• Make good decisions when you are up at the kitchen — this means attacking balls that are high and dinking balls that are low.

• Be patient and confident in working your way through the transition zone and up to the kitchen.

• Respect your opponent’s good 3rd shot drops. Don’t try to do too much to keep your opponent back if they have hit a really good drop. Instead, simply dink their ball right back into the kitchen.

The USA Pickleball National Championships were held from November 9th to the 17th in Mesa, Arizona. The best amateur players from all over the country competed across different levels and age groups. But the championships also included professional draws as well — and in the pro men’s doubles tournament, the bronze medals went to Tanner Tomassi and Richard Livornese Jr.

Here’s why that’s significant. Co-founders of The Pickleball Clinic, Aaron Reznik and Matt Slowinski, are also the co-founders of a pickleball academy in New Jersey called Montclair Pickleball. Early in their pickleball journeys, the two met Richard and Tanner, became drilling and playing partners, grew close friendships, and brought them onto their coaching team! You can also catch a new coaching video from Tanner every Wednesday on our Instagram! Small world! Anyway, congratulations guys, and keep up the good work. 💪

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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