Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

No matter how much you like playing with your pickleball partner, they will inevitably do something that annoys you. Today, we'll take a look at the most annoying things pickleball partners do, find out the percentage of tennis courts in the U.S. that have been converted to tennis courts, discover how to really improve your serve, and a lot more.

Let’s go! 👇

If you follow our Instagram or Facebook pages, or are members of our Facebook Group (the largest online forum in the world for pickleball), you’ll know that we like to ask you pickleball-related questions — and you always give us amazing responses!

Our most recent question was “What’s the Most Annoying Thing Your Pickleball Partner Does?”

Some people answered honestly but used laugh emojis to soften the blow, like "Pop ups😂," and "Gets stuck at the transition zone. 😂" Nothing wrong with that feedback.

We did see a "Constantly commenting on my mistakes" comment, though, and that's not cool. Yes, it can be tough to play with someone who makes a lot of mistakes, but telling them that while they're playing isn't very nice — and it will generally make them play even worse!

But back to the question, people had tons of funny comments, which are often our favorites...

Some people were self-effacing: "If they don't move up/back with you. Or if they get caught ball watching. No wait, actually that's me. 😂"

Others were a little passive aggressive: "My partner is (they can’t ever remember the score) perfect!!" 😀

Still, others revealed that they're not really at liberty to answer the question honestly: "I'm married to my partner, she does everything right. 😂"

But our favorite response was actually an exchange between two partners! On Instagram, @roannematsui wrote: "@mgeezayy leaves town." OK, shots fired, albeit gently.

Then @mgeezayy fired back with: "@roannematsui takes pictures with other partners and posts it. 😂" Oh snap, now it's on! 🥊

Anyway, thanks to everyone who responded to our question. If you missed the post and want to share your answer now, then feel free to hit reply and write back to us. 👍

Keep Your Paddle Up in Your Ready Position Between Shots

One very common error I see among beginners is that they drop their paddle down to their side between shots. It’s imperative that you leave your paddle up and in the middle of your body while you’re waiting for your opponent to hit so that you are prepared in case they decide to attack. If your paddle is at your side, you will be vulnerable to attacks since you will have to raise and turn your paddle very quickly to defend, taking away your time to hit a good shot. If your paddle is up while you wait, all you have to do to defend is turn it.

If you want to see what high-level pickleball looks like, then take a peak below.

Less Lost, More Found

How is your memory? Pretty good? OK, then take a look at this number: 7146-5302-78. Now close your eyes and try to repeat it. How did you do? Now try to remember the street name of the first job you worked at. Were you two for two? Or zero for two? 😀 Either way, we're pretty sure that at some point you’ve forgotten your jacket, umbrella, hat or even your wallet — and probably all of those things.

Well, for many of us, we can add our pickleball paddle to the list of things that we’ve accidentally forgotten. The good news is there’s now a solution. PaddleTrac has developed a QR code sticker to put on the bottom of your handle, which basically acts like a lost-and-found tracking device for your paddle. PaddleTrac sells the stickers on its website, but you can get one for free when you use code “SavingTheLost”.

If you’re reading this, then we're pretty sure pickleball is either your favorite sport or at least one of your favorites. But what's your favorite water sport? Kayaking? Water skiing? Swimming? Well, do you want to know our favorite water sport? OK, it's... pickleball.

Yup, if you take a look below, you'll see that pickleball is being played on the high seas. It might be a little rocky at times when the waves get high, but hey, as long as the elements are the same for everyone, then it's fair game. Just think, it's a new excuse you can use to replay a point 😉 — along with “my piña colada spilled,” and "I just saw a whale!" The court below is on a Holland America cruise ship, and evidently most of their ships have pickleball courts — as does Princess Cruises' Discovery Princess ship.

We Came, We Saw, We’re Conquering

Remember we told you over the summer that Novak Djokovic, perhaps the greatest tennis player of all time, was worried about pickleball? 

He said that while he thought tennis was still on top (we're not so sure about that), "On a club level... if we don’t do something about it globally and collectively, they’re gonna convert all the tennis clubs into padel and pickleball because it’s just more economical."(Now he's onto something. 🤔)

Have you also noticed that tennis has been pushing something called "red ball tennis," which is a beginner-friendly version of tennis played on a court roughly the size of a pickleball court and with a ball that's bigger, less bouncy, and easier to control than a tennis ball?

No, you haven't heard about those things? Then at least you’ve probably heard that pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in America for several years in a row. 

If you haven't heard of anything mentioned above, then maybe you’ve noticed that pickleball is being played regularly by celebrities including Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Drew Brees, and Jamie Foxx. Or maybe you saw it featured in a Super Bowl commercial last year?

Well, if you haven’t noticed any of those things, then maybe you've just walked by your local park and compared the numbers of people at the pickleball courts with those at the tennis courts.

Our point is that the writing is on the wall — and it has been for quite a while. But now there’s an important stat to back it up: the United States Tennis Association (USTA) recently admitted that at least 10% of tennis courts in America have been converted for pickleball use.

That’s a pretty big number, especially since most people had never even heard of pickleball more than five years ago.

We're not purposely rooting against tennis, and we think the two sports can peacefully coexist. But are we happy that pickleball is continuing its ascent — you're darn right we are! 💪

As long as all four of you don’t forget the score at the same time, then you should be fine.😀

The Pickleball Revolution

Pickleball is here, and it ain't going nowhere. Why? Because it's a movement, a revolution, a new way of being. It's definitely not tennis or golf, with the collared shirts and pastel colors. No, it's way more chill and inclusive. Sure you want to win when you're out there, but hanging out and smacking some balls around with your friends is way more important.

Well, it's about time that something came around to represent that bold and independent vibe. Meet Club 002 — and get ready to express your love for the game with confidence, a little humor and a lot of individuality. Check them out here, and use code "TPC10" for 10% off.

The serve is undoubtedly becoming more of a weapon in pickleball. Occasionally you can hit it so well that your opponent misses their return, but especially as your level increases, the serve doesn’t necessarily earn you the point immediately. Instead, it improves the overall court positioning for your third shot. Coach Matt is here to tell you that the strategy you need to drastically improve your serve actually doesn’t require massive speed and spin. Watch below. 👇

Key Takeaways:

• Try stretching your opponent laterally (either out wide or up the middle), which will force your opponent to move sideways.

• This lateral movement stops their forward momentum, which will make it much harder for them to get to the kitchen before you hit your third shot.

• If your opponent is favoring one side over the other, then go ahead and hit it to that open space. Sure, they will get their favorite shot, but they will have to move sideways to hit it, and therefore take more time to get up to the kitchen.

A major merger on the international pickleball scene was recently announced: the International Pickleball Federation (IPF) will combine with the World Pickleball Federation (WPF) to form a joint federation.

The newly unified organization will operate under the name World Pickleball Federation (WPF), but it will incorporate the IPF’s core mission of “No Country Left Behind,” and both federations will have equal input within the new partnership. The move hopes to unify the sport’s global community, and the new organization has also reached out to the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) and other governing bodies within pickleball to consider further consolidation.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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