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Ben Johns might be over the LA MLP experience. Zane Navratil is not impressed by some of Anna Leigh’s fashion choices. And USA Pickleball wants you to understand that testing a paddle’s spin rate isn’t quite as easy as it sounds.

But before we get to all that, we’ve got something for you. We're looking for a pickleball expert to lead a new project here at The Dink. If you've ever wanted to work in pickleball, this is your chance. Check out the job post here.

In This Issue:
— Striking thrift store gold for $4.99
— The contact point error killing your drive
— Ben Johns’ worst MLP weekend ever

This is the good stuff.

According to PicklePod hosts Zane and Nico, a competitive two-hour session is the sweet spot between maximum enjoyment and improvement potential. Go much longer and everything starts to fall apart. “No good pickleball happens after three hours,” Zane warns.

One lucky pickleball fan was strolling the local thrift store at 7 pm when a black and red paddle case glimmered into view. Inside? A very new-looking Selkirk Luxx. That’s a $140 paddle for just $5. As Macklemore would say, “This is freaking awesome.”

In a recent MLP game, CJ Klinger was slapped with an unsportsmanlike conduct foul for “stomping” mid-point. Everyone on the court seemed confused by the call. Is this necessary in the pro ranks, or just a silly holdover from tennis etiquette that needs to go?

We can’t be the only ones who show up at the court, slap on our shoes, and go right into the first rec game as the warm-up. We know better. And so do you. There’s a smarter way. Here are the 6 shots you should warm up with before every session.

You know you should make ball contact out in front of your body on a drive.

But you’re still not doing it.

Contact in front of your body means striking the ball at or near your front leg, not at your hip or beside your torso. This is the key difference between a flat drive and one that dips aggressively below net level.

A lot of players hear "hit out in front" and think they are already doing it.

But when you check where the ball actually meets the paddle, it is usually four to six inches farther back than you think. Yup, you’re doing it wrong.

Your front leg is your landmark. When you step into a drive and your weight shifts forward, the ball should be striking your paddle right around that front foot.

If it is happening anywhere behind that point, you are late. And that is costing you spin, control, and consistency. Every. Single. Drive.

Here is a simple way to think about it:

The position of your contact point determines your spin. Full stop.

➡️ Watch a pro show you how it’s done.

Stria didn't set out to make a pickleball shoe.

One day, a customer bought eight pairs of their basketball shoes. Turns out, he played pickleball six days a week and was stockpiling before the colorway sold out.

He wasn't alone. Players across the U.S. were doing the same thing, all chasing one thing they couldn't find in a pickleball shoe: ankle support.

So Stria launched one last summer. The G1 Pro takes the basketball DNA those players were after (lateral stability, impact absorption, a wide planted base) and tunes it for the meaner concrete of a pickleball court.

Gabe Tardio helped design it, down to the "do not let me roll my ankle" that showed up in nearly every wear test. If you haven’t tried a pair yet, you’re missing out.

Lace up the G1 Pro and get 10% off with code THEDINK.

Every sport eventually reaches a point where growth alone is no longer enough. 

Growth must be accompanied by stewardship.

Innovation should shape the future of pickleball, not redefine the game itself.

What began nearly sixty years ago on a backyard court has become America's fastest-growing sport while remaining remarkably true to its original spirit.

Innovation has never been the enemy of pickleball.

In fact, innovation has helped fuel the sport's remarkable growth. Manufacturers continue pushing engineering forward, developing new materials, construction methods and technologies that improve performance and expand player choice.

We want that innovation to continue.

But innovation without standards eventually stops serving the sport and begins reshaping it. That is where a National Governing Body serves a different purpose. 

Manufacturers should continue asking: "What is possible?"

Our responsibility is to ask: "What is best for the game?"

Paddle technology evolves rapidly. Certification standards should evolve thoughtfully.

Our responsibility is to ensure those advancements strengthen the sport without changing the qualities that made millions of people fall in love with pickleball in the first place.

➡️ Read more from the USA Pickleball team, including insights into their brand-new Spin Rate Test, right here.

On Monday, hours after the official trade deadline had passed, a blockbuster deal earned the MLP stamp of approval.

TL;DR — Federico Staksrud was dealt from Orlando to New Jersey.

The shocker? The 5s didn’t even have to give up one of their top guys to get him. Instead, they dealt Martin Emmrich, Lina Padegimaite, and a boatload of cash to acquire one of the most talented and competitive men in the sport.

That propels New Jersey into super-team territory alongside the St. Louis Shock. All signs point toward it being one of their titles to lose next month in NYC.

We asked New Jersey 5s GM Ryan Harwood why they moved mountains to make this deal happen.

“We never felt we HAD to make a move as we've shown we are capable of beating anyone when playing well. However, if you have a chance to acquire players like Fed and Milly, you must take it seriously,” he said.

“He's great in all three disciplines. He's a top five male in the world. He's competitive as hell.”

➡️ Dissecting the last official trade of MLP 2026 — and it’s a monster.

Anna Leigh Waters almost never loses. She wins on the C45.

Not a signature edition tribute to the paddle she plays, but the actual one. Same shape and build she takes on tour.

And it's the same paddle you can put in your own bag.

That's rarer than it sounds. Plenty of pros have a paddle with their name on it. Fewer will hand you the exact thing they compete with and let you take it on the court with you.

No secret weapon. No pro-only version. Just the Franklin C45.

Start playing like ALW with the C45.

Ben Johns did not have a great showing at MLP San Diego. In fact, it might have been his worst performance ever as part of the LA Mad Drops.

Alongside partner Jade Kawamoto, he lost 11-1 to Brooke Buckner and JW Johnson (Dallas). He fell 11-2 to Jaume Martinez Vich and Mari Humberg (Atlanta). And in men’s doubles, he and Max Freeman were routed 11-3 by the Dallas guys, JW and Augie Ge.

That’s 6 points scored across three games for the greatest male player on earth.

“Have we reached the ‘Ben Johns is quitting on the Mad Drops?’ phase of the season,” Zane posed in this week’s PicklePod, “Or was it just a bad weekend?”

“I think he’s quit on the Mad Drops,” Nico responded, before launching into a whole diatribe about new relationships losing their magic and never feeling the same again.

The long and short of it: Ben and the Mad Drops seem to be falling apart right when it matters most.

Will the new addition of Connor Garnett turn things around? We won’t know until next week in Orlando.

➡️ Much, much more on this week’s PicklePod.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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