Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

What's more important when you're playing pickleball: winning or having fun? Today, we'll find out how all of you answered that question, discover a $1.5 million pickleball facility that is closing due to poor planning, visit a TV star pickleball tournament, and much more.

Let’s do this! 👇

Can you feel it? Yup, it's time to hear from all of you in response to a pickleball-related question we asked via our Facebook and Instagram communities.

The question was, "What's more important when playing pickleball: winning or having fun?" Let's hear what you had to say...

Most people gave answers with varying versions of "fun," although a few of you wrote "winning," and we appreciate that honesty.

Then some people said "both," which is kind of skirting the answer, just like how one player wrote, "I'm taking the 5th." 😄

But at some level, we do get what people mean by “both,” as articulated by players who wrote, "Having fun is winning," and "Having fun + winning is fun."

One person probably took it a little too far by writing, "I ONLY have fun when I win," but hey, to each their own.

And of course there were some funny responses, like the one from this player, who wrote, "I almost always lose, so if I were doing it just to win, I'd be in trouble." 😄 Well said, and great perspective!

There is one person, however, for whom this question doesn't even apply. But it’s just one person: The Man Who Never Lost. 😀

Focus on Your Footwork!

If you feel out of rhythm or like your timing is off, start by focusing on your footwork. A lot of sloppy play begins with poor movement and inactive feet. When your feet stay active, you’ll position yourself better in relation to the ball, which naturally improves your timing and consistency. Good footwork creates better balance, cleaner contact, and more controlled shots.

In case you’re wondering, the pros hit lobs too. 👇

More and more people are playing pickleball, the average player is getting better, and the difference between consistently winning or losing is often due to a pretty small margin.

For all of those reasons, you need a paddle that gives you an edge. The RPM, designed by PPA champion, James Ignatowich, is that paddle because it perfectly combines power, control, and spin. RPM took the pickleball world by storm when it first came out last year, and now it has improved upon itself with its new Q2 and V2. Grab yours today, and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

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

Rally (noun and verb)

In pickleball (and in tennis), the word "rally" means to hit the ball back and forth over the net—it describes that exchange of shots during a point. Sometimes people use the word "volley" interchangeably, but the words do not mean the same thing. In pickleball, a "volley" simply means the act of hitting a ball out of the air without it bouncing.

In the world of pickleball, there is something that is beginning to get predictable, almost guaranteed. What is it? What is pickleball's version of "death and taxes"?

It's "fun" (because almost everyone enjoys playing), and "noise complaints." Despite the sport's best efforts, including noise reduction screens and playing curfews, it can't seem to eliminate this problem.

The latest example comes from Martinez, California, where the Martinez City Council voted to permanently close the 8-court Hidden Valley Park pickleball facility due to noise complaints from nearby homeowners.

What's particularly crazy about this complex, however, is that it just opened in February of 2025 after $1.5 million was put into building the facility!

It has been well known for many years now that the sound of pickleball presents a noise issue to people who live nearby. So why would the town possibly have built these courts within 50-100 feet of homes when it is recommended that they be built at least 300-600 feet away from them?

We don't know the answer to that, but we do know that an independent acoustical engineer was brought in to look at the Hidden Valley Park courts and determined that there is no current sound-mitigation system that can help these courts because they are simply too close to nearby homes.

So it looks like the pickleball courts at Hidden Valley Park are a lost cause. But if anyone reading this is currently involved in planning to build outdoor town pickleball courts, please don't make the same mistake as your predecessors.

In other words, pickleball is awesome, but so is peace and quiet. And both things are possible because noise mitigation does work—but only up to a point. You cannot put pickleball courts right next to homes and think there won't be a problem. Because there absolutely WILL be.

Try using a two-handed backhand. That should help even you out a bit. 😂

If you've been around pickleball for a while, then you've probably seen or at least heard of a shot called the "Erne." If not, it's a really cool shot where someone jumps off the court by traveling over the kitchen before, during, or after they hit a volley over the net. But how do you hit an Erne? Good thing we've got Christina “PickleballOnIce” Chin to show you how! 👇

If you like pickleball and you like TV, then you’ll love to hear that the annual Emmys Pickleball Slam took place this month at the Calabasas Pickleball Club in Calabasas, California. 

The charity doubles tournament benefis the Television Academy Foundation and was hosted by Jason George (Grey's Anatomy) and Phil Keoghan (The Amazing Race). Other notable celebrities who played in the tournament included Wayne Brady (host of Let's Make a Deal), Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons), Da'Vinchi (BMF), Shawn Hatosy (The Pitt), Simone Kessell (Yellowjackets), pro boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, and celebrity chef, Jet Tila.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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