Bait your opponents with this shot

Pros reveal on-court superstitions. Undefeated streak hits 1-year milestone.

March 24, 2025

Did you know that Rafa Nadal has to line up his water bottles perfectly facing the court, won’t cross court lines unless it's with his right foot, and prior to every serve, tugs on his shorts, touches his nose, hair and each ear?

Or that pickleball pro and tennis convert Tyra Black sips her water in sets of three or six during her pro pickleball matches?

Neither did we ... until this week's episode of PicklePod. More on that below.

In This Issue:

  • Chris Haworth can’t be stopped

  • 2 sneaky pros demonstrate the “bait ball”

  • Christian, Tyra, Parris & more join the PicklePod

Let’s get into it.

Our Picks ☝️

🎾 Quoted: Novak Djokovic on Pickleball

Tennis star Novak Djokovic thinks padel and pickleball’s growing popularity is “great” — next stop: a “mixed racquet sport competition” at Roland Garros?

🐻 Hibernate: Central Park’s Courts, Uncovered

The 14 high-tech pickleball courts in NYC’s Central Park aren’t just rolled out fresh each spring — they actually hibernate all winter long. Here’s how it’s done.

🇨🇭 OMG: Switzerland’s Ultra-Luxe Pickleball Club

Switzerland has debuted a stylish facility that might just set a new global standard. Just don’t blink: This stunning pickleball pop-up won’t last long.

🍳 Cooked: This Kids Gets It

What were you doing at 6 years old? We’re guessing it wasn’t absolutely shredding dudes twice your age on the pickleball court.

Hook, Line, and … Bait Ball

Drilling fast hands is one of the most effective ways to improve all facets of your pickleball game. It also enables you to unlock strategies that will take you to the next level.

Enter the bait ball, a sneaky little number designed to lure your opponent into speeding up play while you remain fully prepared to counterattack. 

Effectively, it’s a shot you loft across the net that sits just high enough to make your opponent’s mouth water, but low enough to limit their attack options. 

Here, resident tricksters Zane Navratil and Jack Munro walk you through the basics. 

  1. Get Lofty: The goal is to hit a shot that appears attackable but isn’t quite high enough for a strong downward strike. If they’re hitting up, they can only hit so hard. 

  2. At the Ready: Since you’re expecting a speed-up, you can prepare in advance to counter their attack. Anticipation is the name of the game. 

  3. Feet First: At the moment of impact, you’ll have a good idea where the ball is going. Get a step ahead to position yourself to strike. 

Hands battles are fun, especially when you initiate the action and dictate the pace and patterns of play. 

The bait ball is a great way to begin to work on more advanced one-two punches. Remember: It’s rarely the first shot that’s the winner. The more you can lure the other team into firefights they don’t expect, the better.

Feel Good About Your Next Dink

Okay, let's have a slightly depressing but important chat. That trusty pickleball you just smacked around? It's gonna be chilling in a landfill for roughly a century. Think about that during your next water break.

Komodo's BioBall™ is trying to break this cycle of plastic purgatory. They've engineered a ball that actually biodegrades in a measly 3-5 years.

Plus, get this, it can last FIVE TIMES longer than your regular plastic orb on the court. Same price? Same performance? Less planet guilt? Sounds like someone finally used their brain.

Learn more about the BioBall and make a smart choice for the planet.

🤔 Newsletter getting clipped? Click ‘view entire message’ or click here to read online

The APP Tour’s ‘Grand’ Expansion

The APP wrapped up its first-ever event in the Cayman Islands over the weekend, a splashy new location that’s part of the tour’s international expansion efforts.

A couple big names were absent on the men’s side in Chris Haworth and Will Howells. Despite the serene tropical vibes, the action was still plenty intense.

Bobbi Oshiro and Richard Livornese both leave Grand Cayman with Double Golds, while Yana Newell secured three total medals. This makes back-to-back men’s doubles gold medals for Jack Munro.

Here’s who came out on top in the Caribbean:

365 Days Undefeated

Winning back-to-back events is difficult for any sport at the professional level.

Chris Haworth hasn’t lost a men’s singles match on the APP Tour since March of 2024 — that’s 365 days, 10 events, and counting where he’s won gold. And he’s showing no signs of slowing down. (He did not play at this past weekend’s Cayman Islands Open.)

When will the streak end? And who will be the one to break it? We’ll just have to wait to find out …

Stop Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Let's face it, most "pickleball shoes" are just… shoes. Not exactly engineered for the insane demands of our game, right?

Good news: Our guy Zane Navratil teamed up with SQAIRZ to change that. Their XRZ™ shoe is built from the ground up for pickleball.

Think roomier toe box (apparently your toes need space to do their magic), special grip for side-to-side explosions, and stability features to keep you upright (and injury-free).

Bottom line: a shoe designed to actually up your pickleball game, not just tolerate it. And it’s got Zane’s stamp of approval (and six months of prototypes to get it right).

Pros Turn Out for the PicklePod

In the latest PicklePod, hosts Zane Navratil and Thomas Shields chat with Christian Alshon about his current hot-streak, what it takes to be #1, and how he ranks some iconic pickleball celebrations.

Next, they go behind the scenes of the first gold medal win for Tyra Black and Parris Todd as partners, beginning with a few interesting superstitions they’ve carried over from their tennis days. Then, they ask the question we’re all wondering: Is this a partnership we’ll see more of in 2025?

Finally, Zane and Thomas talk to UPA-A President Jason Aspes about the new SpotON Replay System used on championship court at the Texas Open, and what it means for questionable line calls going forward.

Headlines & Quick Hits

Highlights

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