Good morning. Ever wonder what an eclipse looks like as seen through the unique porthole of a pickleball?

Thankfully, Matty Pickles thought to capture this image during the solar eclipse on Saturday.

Thomas here: Michigan family, if you don’t come out to our pickleball tournament with Bounce in Detroit on Nov 11-12…we’ll need to have a serious conversation.

No but seriously, would love to see our Michigan Dink Fam at the event:

• Men's 3.0 - 4.0 | 4.0 - 5.0

• Women's 3.0 - 4.5

• Mixed 4.0 - 5.0

• $400 to the winners, $100 to the finalists

I’m playing 4.0-5.0. See you there!

In This Issue:
 
👨‍🍳 Cook up some kitchen drops
⌚ Smart watch data confirms everything we knew already
🍰 Stunning pickleball cakes

Annnnnnd go.

On the Decline

What's the most important shot in pickle? Everyone say it with me... "The third shot drop."

Without it, it's unlikely you'll be able to close the gap between you and the kitchen line. Each point will be played at a positional disadvantage.

Instead of spiraling down that doomsday scenario, let's simplify the shot.

• Don't try to hit the perfect drop, just make sure the ball is descending as it crosses the net.

• I’ll say it again. On your drop, make sure the ball is on the way down before it reaches the net.

This forces your opponent to decide if they want to hit out of the air or off of the bounce. It doesn't guarantee a perfect drop but gets you headed in the right direction.

Your goal shouldn't be to hit one drop and sprint up to the line. Just land one in the kitchen and gain some ground.

Get consistent with the basics and the points will add up in your favor.

Selkirk x Catherine Parenteau

Introducing the Selkirk Catherine Parenteau Signature VANGUARD Power Air Invikta pickleball paddle, designed for the dedicated pickleball enthusiast.

Developed in Selkirk Labs as Project 002, it now offers unmatched performance power and maximum spin, thanks to innovations like SuperCore, 360° Proto Molding, and Aero-DuraEdge Edgeless technology.

The VANGUARD Power Air paddle generates maximum spin for aggressive drives and features a larger sweet spot. This means difficult-to-return shots and an unexpected level of control. It's unquestionably the most aerodynamic of all Selkirk paddles, ideal for both singles and tennis players.

Elevate your game and dominate the court with the VANGUARD Power Air Invikta pickleball paddle.

Apple: Pickleball is Most Popular Racket Sport

We can already count enough people to prove pickleball participation is outpacing tennis. Now, we can count calories to prove it, too...Calories burned.

If you have an Apple Watch, you may be familiar with the pickleball tracking feature. They have settings to track almost any physical activity you could think of – including pickleball workouts.

To understand the extent of pickleball's growth, Apple meticulously analyzed data from 250,000 individual, anonymous workouts and invited The Dink to attend their presentation of the results.

Some highlights of their study:

• As of July 2023, pickleball participation outpaced tennis, making it the most popular racquet sport among Apple Watch users.

• While tennis workouts saw higher heart rate peaks, pickleball workouts were slightly longer than tennis workouts on average — 90 minutes versus 81 minutes, respectively.

• Unlike tennis, which often experiences significant seasonal fluctuations in participation, pickleball participation showcased remarkable consistency nationwide throughout the year.

• Utah emerged as the state with the highest level of activity in pickleball workouts, followed by California at number 2.

Of course, all of this talk of Apple devices left us with one important question we just had to ask Apple: were they ready to unveil a pickleball emoji?

Read our full blog to find out.

Cheating vs Innovation, Tour Wars, Net Cords

Pickleball’s most analytical player joins the pod for some high-level paddle talk and low-key trash talk.

Collin Johns shares his opinion on the new round of paddlegate and why testing will always be chasing innovation.

He weighs in on the Tour Wars cease-fire and how pickleball benefitted from competition over the last three years. And finally, Collin addresses his haters about covering 30% of the court and his feud with net cords.

Catch the premier at 6pm ET tonight.

Learn Spin the Fun Way

How do the pros hit the ball so hard but still keep it in? The answer is topspin.

The TopspinPro makes it easy to learn because it lets you feel what it’s like to “roll” the ball.

It’s the fastest way to learn the topspin volley & the topspin serve. And groundstrokes that dip back into the court.

Practice anywhere, anytime - on court, in the office or at home in front of the TV!

Master your pickleball topspin for 10% less!

An Undefeated Start to Season 2

Last night the Peoria Pythons moved to 2-0 with an impressive win over the Suprise Stingers. Led by the electric play of Michael Loyd, the Pythons captured set 1 in a set breaker then swept set 2 11-4, 11-2.

You can catch a replay of the action and some of the best production and entertainment value in the game here. Get a taste of what the Surprise Stingers were up against in points like this.

Let’s Eat Pickle Cake

It’s Great British Bake Off season, that time of year when UK baking enthusiasts show off their prowess in alarmingly-polite fashion.

While the reality show ditched culturally-themed weeks this year, we think they could easily replace at least one of them with a “Pickleball Week.”

Is that too specific a crossover? We don’t think so. Consider:

A recent post in the Pickleball Forum Facebook group showcases some impressive pickleball designs made entirely out of cake.

Each of these are very different approaches to portraying pickleball in the cake medium. But one detail we’re particularly fond of is the true-to-life texture of the paddle grip in the upper right.

Have you ever baked something this impressive? We want to see. Send a pic of your best pickleball bake here.

Deal of the Year from PCKL

You've seen their carbon fiber paddles but remember the original Pro Series from PCKL? Quick reminder we gave it a solid score and raved about it's ability to generate power.

Well for the next week you can get it for $64.99 and yes that comes with all the other benefits of their products including lifetime guarantee and 30 day free trial.

Grab one today for $64.99 when you use code DINK25 at checkout.

Headlines & Quick Hits

• ICYMI: Steve Kuhn resigns from Major League Pickleball

• Win a Picklr pickleball facility for your city + a lifetime of free pickleball equipment

Highlights

• Love at first dink

• Better luck next time

• There’s quality defense and then there’s Riley Newman defense

• Absolutely cold-blooded

A review from the Dink Fam...