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

This Saturday, you have our permission to spend the entire day at the courts. It’s National Pickleball Day, after all. And one nationwide chain, The Picklr, is going big: free open play for all at any of their clubs. Get the full deets below.

In This Issue:
— The next frontier of foam?
— Defending the dreaded ATP
— Fan-fave Zoey Weil joins the Pod

Let’s have a day.

This Saturday, in celebration of National Pickleball Day, The Picklr locations nationwide are hosting free open play from noon to 6 p.m. “Guests can simply walk in, place a paddle on the rack, and join the next available game.” Find a spot near you.

Pickleball’s global domination continues as the PPA Tour has announced 20 events next year across nine European countries, including Spain, Slovenia, Portugal, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Italy, with more on the way. Good time for a vacation?

On this week’s PicklePod, Zane, Nico, and special guest Zoey Weil discuss all things MLP… before getting into a Disney movie draft that goes off the rails pretty quickly. “Toy Story.” “The Lion King.” “A Bug’s Life.” What did they miss?

Most foam-core paddles on the market consist of some combination of EPP, MPP, or EVA foam. 11SIX24’s Jelly Bean 2, dropping later this month, introduces a new variation to the mix: EMA. Here’s what you need to know about all that (plus our exclusive first photos, in case you missed them).

Before you see the term “ATP” and mindlessly scroll, assuming this doesn’t apply to you, hit pause. Give me a second. I assure you you’ll want to hear this.

It wasn’t long ago that an ATP — or around-the-post — was considered a novelty. A circus shot. A rare but flashy exception to the rule of orderly pickleball. Seen in the pros, but seldom on your rec court.

But we’ve entered a new era. Kitchen play has picked up its pace. Dinks are being carved more aggressively than ever. ATPs are commonplace now, just another necessary arrow in the quiver of any advanced player worth their salt.

Which means, if you want to keep up, you need to know how to defend them.

Luckily, we’ve got one of the world’s best ATP defenders on speed dial: PPA Tour gold medalist and 2024 MLP Champ Augie “Gladiator” Ge.

“Once I recognize the ATP, my first move is diagonally backward,” he tells us. “Moving back creates more time and space to react. It also gives you a better chance to judge whether the ball is actually going to land in. A lot of ATP attempts miss wide, so don’t automatically assume you have to play it.”

“Bend your knees, lower your base and give your paddle room to work,” says Augie.

If you’re serious about improving your game, sooner or later you need to get serious about your ATP defense.

➡️ Let Augie show you the way.

The Jelly Bean was one of the most popular paddles ever made. Two years later, it's coming back.

On August 21, 11SIX24 is launching the Jelly Bean 2 in its signature shapes (Hurache-X, Vapor, Ultré, Pegasus). Same HexGrit surface and a new denser foam core underneath.

Different feel profile than the current Power 2 lineup. 16mm. UPA-A approved.

Here's what you can look forward to.

Plenty has been written about Anna Leigh Waters’ superior shot-making ability. Her elite mind for the game. Her calmness under pressure and insatiable will to rise to the sport’s biggest moments.

But after studying her game closely, analyzing countless points and games against an array of opponents in singles and doubles, senior pro Eva Welsher has another theory behind her greatness.

"She has a faster rhythm than other pro players,” says Eva. “She doesn't let her opponent breathe or have time.”

Watch her play and you’ll start to see it. ALW orchestrates every point at a suffocating tempo. She is relentless in her pursuit of the edge, unforgiving in her willingness to attack. No shot is wasted. She is the shark; any hesitancy from her opponent is blood in the water.

If that sounds heavy-handed, well, that’s entirely the point. Yes, she’s technically better than everyone else. But she’s also the most overwhelming.

And since we know you’re wondering, here’s how to apply this killer instinct to your own game:

Eva breaks this theory down even further. It’s worth a read if you want to get inside the mind of a killer… on the pickleball court.

➡️ It’s all about rhythm.

On this week’s PicklePod, we’re joined by special guest Zoey Weil from the California Black Bears.

Zoey gives us a firsthand account of California’s crushing loss to Chicago to end their MLP season, punctuated by her defeat at the paddle of 13-year-old Elsie Hendershot in the deciding Dreambreaker.

“She’s proved time and time again she’s got what it takes,” Zoey said of Elsie. “She always figures out a way to make herself get up for the occasion. That’s something you can’t teach.”

That match aside, the gang also discusses the fate of the St. Louis Shock. They’re MLP’s best team on paper, to be sure. So why can’t they win when it matters most?

Zane, at least, thinks it actually could be a good omen for them. Whoever lost the final in Orlando, he says, is going to win it all in NYC at the end of the month.

Get all this and much, much more on this week’s PicklePod. Honestly, if you haven’t had the chance to listen to Zoey talk ball before, do yourself a favor and tune in. She’s funny and sarcastic but also super insightful and articulate.

➡️ Watch the full episode now.

First the paddle. Now the fit.

Six Zero was thermoforming before anyone knew the word. Double Black Diamond. Coral Pro. Paddles brands spent two years catching up to.

Now they're focusing on apparel.

Six Zero's first full men's and women's line is here. Not fashion gear with a pickleball logo slapped on. Apparel built for the sport, wear-tested by real players before it shipped.

Four-way stretch. Quick-dry. When Six Zero moves, the rest of the sport tends to follow.

Shop the collection.

A trending Reddit post posed the following gripe. We feel it needs to be addressed.

“Spending around $250 for a paddle, only for the paddle or its grit to last 3 to 6 months, is a sham. Let people restring their rackets like in tennis. Don't ban adhesive grit—just regulate the amount of grit on it.”

The paddle market’s archaic reputation as a soulless money-grab, purpose-built to push shoddy, self-destructing products for premium prices, is in dire need of a rebrand.

To be sure, there are some very pricey paddles out there. Objectively speaking, $250 or more is a lot of money to shell out on any consumer good, let alone one you whack around a concrete surface for hours at a time.

But let’s not forget how far we’ve come:

Here are a bunch of options for $150 or less. Too rich for your blood? Try these — all below $100.

The paddle market is far from perfect. But there are a lot of amazing brands doing it right if you take the time to look.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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