^{Advertise | The Dink Home | Shop Gear | Subscribe}

Just admit it. You’ve watched a pro match and thought, even for a fleeting moment on your best day, that you could do that.

Life Time is challenging you to put up or shut up. Their inaugural LT Open pickleball tournament invites all singles players, men and women, rec level to top pros, to come out to Georgia this October for a shot at the $50,000 podium.

How’s your confidence level now?

In This Issue:
— 484 kids, one pickleball lesson
— Think like a frisbee for a better flick
— A singles pickleball tourney like no other

Time to start drilling.

From a power serve that ended with a paddle to the face to body-bagging a senior citizen, this Reddit post is full of people reliving their most embarrassing on-court moments.

Young gun Hayden Patriquin put on an absolute clinic at MLP St. Louis, going 10-0 while dominating entire games with his signature swagger. Part of this display involved a few nuke-level bodybags that had some wondering: Part of the game or too much?

Pickleball is the great equalizer, fun for all body shapes, sizes and skill levels. Even UFC fighters are picking up a paddle — at least as part of a reality show challenge hosted by Dana White. Low on skills, big on heart.

The Dink is teaming up with Buick, Friday Pickleball, pro Riley Newman and a bevy of other rad partners to kick off our new Courted social pickleball series at Hell’s Kitchen Pickleball Club in NYC, August 2. Come see what all the fun’s about.

The next time you play, track how many times you hit a ball off the bounce with a one-handed backhand. Spoiler alert: It’s a lot.

If you’re looking to dictate more points, you need to be speeding these up on the regular. To master the proper motion for executing the one-handed backhand flick, just imagine you’re throwing a frisbee.

Selkirk pro James Ignatowich breaks it down:

1️⃣ First, you want to keep a low and balanced stance. This gives you more leverage to flick up on the ball and maximize topspin.

2️⃣ For full power, your point of contact should be out in front of your body. Arm fully extended, directly out in front of your chest.

3️⃣ To master the motion, imagine you’re throwing a frisbee. Snap your arm through the elbow and wrist in a fluid but firm motion, contacting the ball at the furthest point from your torso.

👉 Watch the full video.

You don’t wear flip flops to play pickleball. So why are you still lifting in running shoes? The NOBULL Outwork was built for the grind.

Flat, stable, and practically indestructible. Leave your high-stack bouncy sneaks at home and grab the NOBULL Outwork if you want to hit a box jump or lock in a heavy lift.

The sole keeps you grounded. The wide toe box lets your feet actually do their job. And the upper? One-piece Liquid Ceramic that flexes where it should and takes a beating without falling apart.

These have been the go-to gym shoes for ten years for a reason. Right now, your first pair is just $99 with code FIRST50.

Get yours before you hit legs in the wrong shoes again.

What happens when you put nearly 500 kids on a pickleball court at once?

Lots and lots of smiles.

Mark Miller hosted 484 kids ages 5 through 13 in a pickleball lesson Monday at the Danny Cunniff Park pickleball complex north of Chicago.

The event is being lauded as an “unofficial world record” and was a joint project between Miller's Munchkin Programs for youth sports education, the Park District of Highland Park, and MLP's Chicago Slice.

Miller coached tennis to kids in Chicago for 18 years before turning his attention to pickleball. The incredible turnout bested his previous mark of 300 participants in Arizona in 2023.

"I made a living teaching tennis to little kids," Miller told ABC 7 Chicago. "I think pickleball's a lot easier to learn."

👉 Check out the video.

The grueling Major League Pickleball season grinds on, with this weekend’s action taking nine Premier level teams to Dallas, TX. For the first time in four consecutive weekends, Challenger gets a break.

Participating teams: Carolina Hogs, Dallas Flash (host team), LA Mad Drops, New Jersey 5s, New York Hustlers, Phoenix Flames, SoCal Hard Eights, St. Louis Shock, and Texas Ranchers.

👉 Read our full preview for team-by-team analysis, including predictions.

You care about your gear, your game, and maybe, just maybe, what happens after.

The BioBall is the first biodegradable pickleball that plays like the real deal.

Clean bounce. Solid feel. Doesn’t get soft in the summer like the others. And when its time is up, it breaks down in months, not centuries.

So yeah, good for your game, and even better for the planet.

Grab a pack, give Mother Earth a breather, and use code THEDINK for 15% off.

Amazing news, everyone: Life Time just announced an inaugural singles-only pickleball tournament this October where anyone can compete for the first-place prize of $50,000.

The bad news? Anyone means anyone, and already top pros like Catherine Parenteau (above), Zane Ford and Alex Crum have expressed interest. Many, many more are sure to follow.

A singles-specific event is unique, but adding to the intrigue factor is the fact that UPA CEO Connor Pardoe is allowing contracted pros to participate.

That means top players from other tours – like APP singles powerhouses Chris Haworth, Armaan Bhatia and Sofia Sewing – could go head-to-head with the likes of PPA champs Ben Johns, Hunter Johnson or Anna Leigh Waters.

Or you. If you’ve got the game.

“It will be a fantastic tournament for players to challenge themselves against some of the best pickleball athletes in the world,” Pardoe said.

Well, not all players, exactly. We learned from a league source that Quang Duong, whose UPA contract was recently terminated, will not be permitted to play.

👉 Read our full article.

A review from the Dink Fam...

Share the best newsletter in pickleball with your friends and we’ll give you free stuff. What’s not to like?

{{rp_personalized_text}}

Copy & Paste this link: {{rp_refer_url_no_params}}

If your company is interested in reaching an audience of active pickleballers, you may want to give us a shout.