Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever wondered if experience in another sport might help your pickleball game? Today, we’ll explore the biomechanics of the pickleball swing as it compares to motions in other sports, peer into the future to see where pickleball will be in 10 years, discover a boxer who is starting a new pickleball league, and much more.

Let’s do this! 👇

We all know how popular pickleball has become in the United States, but what will happen in the next 5 or 10 years? Will it continue to expand its presence here? Or grow more overseas? Let's take a look...

According to the 2026 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) report, there were 24.3 million Americans who played pickleball in 2025, which made for an almost 23% increase from the previous year.

It has also grown by nearly 172% in the last three years, making it easily the fastest growing sport in America during that time. Furthermore, the age groups of 25 & under and 25-34 saw the greatest upticks in growth. 

Culturally, pickleball has also taken off such that town parks often have dedicated courts, and private indoor facilities are popping up all over the place. Moreover, pro pickleball can be watched on network television, and pickleball was featured in Super Bowl commercials in 2024 and 2025. 

On the other hand, while pickleball continues to grow, its rate of growth has slowed. Because while the 23% growth rate in 2025 is good, its growth from 2023 to 2024 was twice that, at 46%.

Also, while pro pickleball is being watched more, none of its athletes are household names outside of real pickleball fans. And remember the Super Bowl ads in 2024 and 2025? Well, there wasn't one in 2026. 

This isn't to say that pickleball has a problem. But it is a reminder that when there are a fixed number of people in a country, the growth rate cannot continue to increase forever. 

That's not a bad thing here in America. Rather than being the hot new toy, we may just have to exist as an established sport right up there with (and most likely surpassing in participation) sports like golf and tennis.

In terms of pure growth, however, there is still great potential in other countries, particularly in Asia, where countries like Vietnam, India, and China are starting to embrace pickleball in a big way. 

"Asia has grown quite fond of pickleball, and it's their new emerging sport," said Jack Munro, the #1 ranked men’s doubles player on the APP Tour. "My prediction is that Asia is going to produce a lot of the pickleball talent in the next 3-5 years."

When you consider that other non-Asian countries, including Canada and Australia, also have massive pickleball communities, its future as an Olympic sport is also very bright—probably not for Los Angeles in 2028, but very possibly for 2032 in Brisbane, Australia.

Vary Your Serves

Vary the speed, spin, depth, and placement of your serves to keep opponents guessing. Consistency is important, but that doesn’t mean every serve should look the same. Even subtle changes can throw off your opponent’s timing and rhythm, making it more likely you'll get a weak or short return. You don’t need to take big risks, just a little variety goes a long way in gaining the upper hand.

Have you ever heard about waiting for as long as possible (so the ball can get as wide as possible) before hitting an ATP? Well, this is what that looks like. 👇

Playing pickleball is tons of fun, and you will get a little better from playing more. But if you really want to get better, then not only do you have to learn all of the shots and strategies (many of which are constantly evolving), but you also how to execute them properly. You can learn from your local pickleball coach and/or by watching videos from elite coaches on The Pickleball Clinic YouTube channel, where you will join the more than 229,000 subscribers who are already getting coaching videos from some of the best coaches and players in the world. Subscribe here.

Welcome back to Ask Away where we answer a commonly asked pickleball question. If you would like us to answer one of your questions, simply respond to this email and ask away!

Question: “What is the rule on a let serve? I have been told different rules for the serve that hits the net.”

Answer: This is a good question because there are two answers. The main answer, which applies to everyone not playing in a PPA tournament, is this: there are no lets. In other words, whatever happens to the ball after hitting the net is the same as if it didn't hit the net. If the ball lands in the correct box, it's in and play continues. If the ball doesn't, then the serve is a fault. Period. However, in a PPA tournament, if a serve hits the top of the net and lands in, the serve is replayed. But if the served ball hits the net and does not go in, then it remains a fault and is not replayed.

Pickleball is unique in many ways. But when it comes to the mechanics of the swing, it is very much part of the larger sports world.

Let's start with the obvious comparisons: racket sports. While our rules, court dimensions, and equipment are different, the way we actually strike the ball with our paddle is extremely similar to sports like tennis, table tennis, paddle tennis, and badminton.

For that reason, people with extensive backgrounds in other racket sports will often have a leg up on the rest of us (at least when they first start) because those players are used to making clean contact between a racket and a ball, albeit in a different sport. 

Now let's take it up a notch to a sport like golf. Take a second now and mime a golf swing. Now remove your non-dominant hand, and try it again. What does that remind you of? Your pickleball serve or forehand drive? It should.

The way you load power—by turning your body and bringing your arm back—and then unload that power into the ball by twisting your hips as you bring your arm down is exactly the same.

If you don't like golf, then look at a hockey slap shot. Look familiar? And if you don’t relate to hockey, then pretend you're up at the plate ready to hit a home run. Yup, you guessed it, same basic swing.

In fact, the sport doesn't even need a stick or a club for the similar biomechanics to be observed. Imagine yourself bowling, or playing bocce or cornhole. A relaxed version of any of those motions should feel just like a pickleball drop shot.

Want to work on your one-handed backhand drive? Then just dust off the frisbee and start throwing it around with your friends in the backyard.

If you want to hit an overhead in pickleball, just take a look at a quarterback in football or a pitcher in baseball to see that you need to get your arm cocked back on an angle and then released with a straight arm.

When you really think of it, almost all sports use similar motions. You just have to look past the different equipment and realize that while the arm angles and swing planes may vary, the swing is largely the same.

So what does all of this tell us? You can devise any philosophical truths you wish.😉 But at the literal level, it means that if you have played almost any sport in the past, you should be able to translate some of that experience into your pickleball swing.

It’s always nice to find out who (or what) you were named after. 😂

The drop is one of the defining shots in all of pickleball because it utilizes the rules of the kitchen to get you and your partner up to your own kitchen line. But basic drop shots have a tendency to just sit up off the bounce, which often allows your opponent to be aggressive with their fourth shot. Enter the topspin drop, which adds more pressure to your opponents. Coach Matt is here to show you exactly how to hit one. 👇

Filipino boxing legend, Manny Pacquiao, is entering the sports arena again. And we don't mean just in boxing—because yes, at the age of 47, he is scheduled to return to the ring for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September. But what we're talking about has to do with pickleball, as Pacquiao plans to launch a new pickleball league in his native Philippines later this year. It's called the Maharlika Pilipinas Pickleball Tour, and competition will feature teams representing different cities and regions. 

“I know it's a relatively new sport in the Philippines, but it's exciting and easy to learn," said Pacquiao. "There is an abundance of up and coming talents in pickleball in the country. Giving them a chance to represent their cities and provinces will make the experience even more meaningful for them and those in their communities.”

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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