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

Anna Leigh Waters sat down with Zane and Nico this week on the PicklePod, giving us an exclusive interview after one of the biggest, most consequential wins of her prolific career.

No fluff. No spin. Just the GOAT getting real about what drives her, who she likes beating most, and what she considers her weakest shot.

In This Issue:
— 5 new paddles you need
— The importance of shot selection
— Anna Leigh: Unfiltered

You don’t want to miss this.

Just like that, MLP is in the rearview and we’re on to the PPA Tour. The pros are going at it in Cary, NC, and already, it’s upset city: top seeds Roscoe Bellamy, Connor Garnett, and Dylan Frazier have all gone down in singles. We preview all the upcoming action, right here.

On this week’s PicklePod, Zane and Nico discuss a somewhat polarizing topic: Should MLP GMs (looking at you, Ryan Harwood) be allowed to taunt and heckle opponents during live play? Where’s the line? Let’s discuss.

Tama Shimabukuro broke onto the pro scene wielding a Selkirk Boomstik, but the promising young prospect has since been a free agent. Well, now we know where he’s headed. Luzz Pickleball snapped him up, and made a very splashy promo vid to tell the world.

It’s counterintuitive, but it might actually be more difficult to play with lesser-skilled players than those who are objectively better than you. Why? It likely comes down to a matter of effort. And boy oh boy can it be frustrating.

Moving up skill levels in pickleball is about shot execution, sure, but there’s a far more critical skill that comes way before that: decision-making.

It’s one thing to land that silky drop or feel the rush of a hard-hit drive, but was that the shot you should have been hitting in the first place?

Advanced pickleball is all about choices. And there are a few that come up game after game, point after point:

Recognizing these scenarios in real time is one thing. Knowing what your options are, and which one to choose and when, is what sets you apart and wins the points that matter most.

➡️ Watch and learn.

A paddle company built its whole reputation on power. Then it built one with less.

Six Zero's spent the last few years pushing the industry forward. So when the brand known for chasing more decides to dial something back, it's worth paying attention to.

The Boulder Opal shares its bones with the Black Opal, same core, same quick profile, but Six Zero pulled back on the pop on purpose. Less paddle doing the work for you, more paddle staying out of your way.

Most of the industry is in an arms race toward hotter faces. Six Zero's betting there's a real market for players who want offense available when they need it, but don't want their dinks fighting them the rest of the time.

Get your hands on the Boulder Opal.

Fresh off what she ranks as one of the 10 biggest wins of her career, the GOAT Anna Leigh Waters joined the PicklePod remotely from Cary, North Carolina, where she’s about to hit the court for PPA action.

In a casual, unfiltered conversation, she shares her perspective on a range of topics, including:

Also, Nico has the stones to ask the question Zane has alluded to in the past: “Anna Leigh Waters… are you a psychopath?”

This is 20 minutes of pure gold from the greatest player to ever do it.

➡️ Anna Leigh Waters: Unfiltered

If there’s one state that’s synonymous with pickleball, it’s Florida. The top pros all live there. The best players are moving there all the time in hopes of getting better by osmosis.

After that, it’s less obvious. Arizona. Utah. California.

Thanks to DUPR, we’ve got a better idea of where the sport could take off next. They’ve compiled a list of the 10 states that added the most users in the past 12 months.

Check out our article for the growth percentages associated with each state. They might surprise you.

➡️ Did your state make the list?

Same question, new season.

Zane Navratil and Nico the Lefty raised this back in May: when does a bad line call stop being a mistake and become a pattern?

The PPA's back on courts now. The question's still open.

Zane lays out the difference between honest error and a pattern that only ever goes one player's way… in the tightest moments… tournament after tournament.

What does the PPA's cheating policy actually cover? Why does video review still only reach a handful of courts? Should fines be public?

Worth a listen before the tour picks back up.

We’re going to be straight with you: Chances are good you need a new pickleball paddle.

But even if you don’t, it’s always fun to peruse the new models, right? Below are five new paddles that are sure to start popping up on your local courts, and soon.

Four of the five feature new durable grit materials. Several are offered in new shapes. Each and every one provides something that can amplify your strengths or help compensate for your weaknesses.

Best of all, each brand offers a special discount at checkout, just for you.

It can’t hurt to take a look, right?

➡️ Your new paddle awaits.

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.