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Artificial Intelligence and Pickleball

Artificial Intelligence and Pickleball

PB overshadows Super Bowl. The runaround (dink). Toe-to-toe with pros.

February 10, 2023

We hear a lot about artificial intelligence these days. But how can we use it to play better pickleball?

It turns out that the latest advanced AI model, ChatGPT, may have some tips for you.

But it certainly can't put its money where its proverbial mouth is...

What's on this Friday:

Why you wanna give me the runaround (dink)?
PB overshadows the Super Bowl
An underdog goes toe-to-toe with the pros
AI is your new instructor

Let's go!

Runaround Dink

In Monday's newsletter, the Dink Fam loved seeing two mirror image dink winners on display. One way to set the table for your own dinner (dink winner) is to run around a dink, turning a backhand into a forehand.

John Cincola talks about his proclivity to run around the dink in his latest video. He says, "Ultimately, good pickleball is all about applying pressure." In most cases, a forehand dink is going to give you a better option for applying pressure.

Most players simply accept where an opponent's ball is hit and fall into the backhand dink, crosscourt exchange. But with a little extra footwork, a whole range of attacks become available. The cross court dink winner as we talked about Monday, but also the forehand speedup which usually packs more heat than a backhand attack.

It is also a prime opportunity to send up the ever-popular lob.

With a couple extra steps you can run around a ball that would normally be a backhand and turn it into a forehand. Give it a try and see if more offense turns into more wins. Just remember to slide back into position after your shot.

Athletic Wear Designed for Pickleball Players

AVI is elevating Pickleball by creating exceptional athletic wear. They believe everyone — from professional athletes to casual enthusiasts — deserves well-constructed, expertly designed clothing made just for their sport.

With pockets created specifically to hold pickleballs, comfortable fabrics, and ultra-lightweight feel, AVI is elevated performance wear for both on AND off the court!

The Perfect Pickleball Storm

The Super Bowl has descended onto Phoenix, AZ. And pickleball mania has completely taken over Super Bowl Weekend.

If you're headed to Phoenix for the big game, you have to do it in style. That means renting out a massive estate for you and your crew.

In AZ, no estate is complete without its own backyard pickleball court. Social media is getting flooded with posts of personalities discovering pickleball and falling in love with the game. Pardon My Take & the Pat McAfee Show have made pickleball their new obsession. Meanwhile in NJ, Super Bowl foes Rob Gronkowski and Eli Manning had a pickleball duel to settle their grudge.

We had to get in on the fun. We've teamed up with our friends at Playmaker, OOFOS, and AVI to host pickleball games all week long at the Playmaker house. The 6 bedroom house features a bowling alley, mini putt, pool, podcast studios, and of course...pickleball.

We'll be filming content, shooting podcasts, hanging out and throwing down on the pickle court.

Meanwhile, others in the football world are making their pickle-opinions known.

Eli Manning tweeted a potential version of what he thinks should be "pickleball's official logo" (left). Fellow NFL player & AZ Drive owner Larry Fitzgerald countered with his version (right):

Which logo do you like better?

Singles Day in Daytona

The APP Tour flooded onto the 49 courts of Pictona in Holly Hill, FL for this week's Daytona Beach Open. Yesterday, the men and women brave enough to play pro singles competed for a chance to play on Championship Sunday.

Twin brothers Yates and Hunter Johnson eliminated the field one by one to set up a sibling battle for gold on Super Bowl Sunday. The story of the day, however, was a Cinderella run by a player out of pickleball's home state (Washington, for all of you rookies out there).

Max Manthou's day started in the pro singles qualifier draw at 8am. Ten grueling matches and nearly 11 hours later, Manthou found himself battling Hunter Johnson on center court for a spot in the finals.

In just his second pro tournament, Manthou snags his first piece of hardware and a little inspiration to power his pickleball training.

In the women's draw, the #1 seed Parris Todd refused to surrender a single game. Todd's closest match of the day was against Salome Devidze in the winner's bracket final. Devidze will have another crack at Todd in the finals on Sunday.

Megan Fudge called in extra line call support in the bronze medal match against the controversial Devidze. Three additional judges surrounded the court for the last match of day. It felt like overkill in this situation, but if pickleball continues its upward trajectory, the game's biggest matches could benefit from a few more hands on deck.

Catch the ESPN+ broadcast of the event 1-7pm ET Saturday and 9am-3pm ET on Sunday.

AI: Your New Instructor

If you haven’t heard of ChatGPT, it’s basically an advanced AI chatbot that can answer just about any question. Including ones about pickleball strategy.

A user in the Pickleball Forum Facebook group recently asked ChatGPT to explain the most important skills in pickleball.

The artificial intelligence listed the following (with more details in the FB post) in order of importance:

1 - Hand-Eye Coordination 2 - Footwork 3 - Shot Variety 4 - Anticipation 5 - Strategic Thinking 6 - Mental Toughness 7 - Endurance 8 - Communication

There may be room for debate as to where we’d place certain items on that list, but it seems comprehensive.

Remember our blog about fast hands versus power (and Ben Johns’ answer)? We figured ChatGPT could answer that question, too.

We asked, “In pickleball, which skill is more important: ‘fast hands’ (which is the ability to react quickly to incoming balls), or overall power?”

Here is its slightly noncommittal response:

Both "fast hands" and overall power can be important skills in pickleball, but the relative importance of each can depend on the player's level of play and their playing style.

In general, having fast hands can be especially important for beginners and intermediate players, as it helps them to react to incoming balls and make successful returns. Having good hand-eye coordination and reaction time can help players cover the court more effectively and keep the rally going.

On the other hand, as players progress to more advanced levels, overall power becomes increasingly important. This is because advanced players tend to play with more pace and attempt more aggressive shots, which often require more power. Additionally, having more power can help players create more margin for error and finish points more quickly.

If an advanced artificial intelligence model says it, it must be true!

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The Cold Plunge may sound like a hard sell, but that’s exactly why it works: studies show dipping your body in cold water increases your muscles’ ability to heal, promotes focus, reduces anxiety, and other health benefits.

Take the plunge and stay in top pickleball shape. Click here to learn more.