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From police citations at rec play to a massive new paddle announcement, this week was jam-packed with pickleball news. To help ease you into the weekend, we’ve rounded up our top 10 most-read articles from the last few days. Get informed, then get out on the courts. Win-win, baby.

In This Issue:
— The pro with ‘clubby hands’
— Are you in a pickleball bubble?
— MLP Nations Cup team reveal

Happy Friday, Dink fam.

Chinese manufacturing gets all the attention in today’s paddle market, and with good reason. But there are a handful of brands, big and small, building innovative paddles right here in the U.S. Here’s the complete list.

Nico Acevedo is having a moment on the PPA Tour. So much so, Zane Navratil thinks his backhand flick could be the most lethal in the game. It’s all thanks to what he calls “clubby hands.” Here’s what that means.

In a recent podcast appearance, RPM CEO James Ignatowich copped to some interesting intelligence-gathering techniques on competitors. He calls their customer service lines pretending to be a disgruntled customer.

Pickleball technique varies from player to player. And no skill lends itself to more variation than the serve. A trending Reddit thread is asking an interesting question, and nobody can seem to agree…

You ever get the feeling that you might be playing with the same small group of people too much?

You’re not alone.

Going 8-0 in rec play is fun — and great for the ego — but it’s not doing much for your skill improvement.

If you’re not sure where you stand, here are a few signs to watch out for:

✅ You’re always one step ahead. When you have played someone a hundred times, you stop reading their paddle and start predicting their habits. You’re not adapting to each point, you’re winning off muscle memory. That’s a recipe for plateauing.

✅ It’s all fun and games. Your group, over time, has adopted a similar vibe, a comfortable pace of play, and a general approach that trends toward friendly rather than frantic. You’re all just there to have a good time rather than pushing each other to get better.

✅ You struggle reading new players. Let’s say a newbie joins the fray or you find yourself in a new city on a fresh court. How do you adapt? If you struggle to read new players, it’s time to switch up your go-to group a bit.

Time to mix things up?

➡️ All signs are saying yes.

Most points aren't won at the baseline. They're won at the kitchen line by whoever resets first.

Which is exactly where most paddles fall apart.

Here's why: a single foam core has to handle everything. Power, control, forgiveness, all at one density. That works fine dead center. Off it, even by a little, and the ball doesn't go where you meant it to.

So FLiK built the F3 with three. A dense core for power, a mid layer that catches off-center contact, and a soft outer ring that absorbs any mishits.

2100+ spin, USAP-approved, and the feel players keep describing as "buttery.”

Shop the FLiK F3 here for $126.

An awful lot went down this week in the wonderful, wacky world of pickleball. Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up the best of the best all in one place.

From rec play citations to a major new paddle release, here are our top five news stories:

And from perfect paddle setups to pro-endorsed drills, here are the instructional articles you loved most:

Not enough? There’s plenty more where this came from.

Pickleball elbow isn't an inflammation problem; it's a capacity problem.

That "burning forearm" feeling doesn't mean your tendon is inflamed. It means it's degenerated and under-loaded, and resting it doesn't rebuild anything. It just delays the next flare-up.

Connor Derrickson has trained MLB players and now trains pickleball's top pros. He knows tendon load. And he says pickleball beats up your elbow in ways tennis never did: the hands battle at the kitchen, the grip pressure, the off-center contact on a stiff paddle face.

His fix: 4 exercises, ten minutes, five days a week. Nothing fancy, just load the tendon.

Get his routine.

Team pickleball is electric, evidenced by MLP just wrapping its most successful season to date.

To up the ante, and add some international flair and country pride, the league will host its first-ever MLP Nations Cup next month, featuring eight elite professional pickleball teams that will represent key regions from across the globe.

The new international competition will serve as the official kickoff to the 2026 Pickleball World Championships, “setting the tone for a 10-day global celebration of the sport.”

Just yesterday, team rosters and captains were announced.

Group A

Group B

This should be a blast, and a whole new take on team pickleball. There are some strong rosters in the mix, to be sure (looking at you, Latin America). But let's all call it how we see it: Team USA is looking STACKED.

The event takes place Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1 at the Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, TX.

Tickets are on sale now, starting around $25.

➡️ Check out the full rosters.

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