How to counterattack like a 5.0

Djokovic, Sinner, and Krejcikova make PB debut. Should the serve rules be changed?

August 21, 2024

Pickleball put golf in its place last weekend. The PPA Tour’s Bristol Open broadcast on FOX nearly doubled the viewership numbers of the LIV Golf event shown on The CW Network.

The PPA Tour returns to action tomorrow in Utah. Catch the preview and predictions for that event below.

In This Issue:

🧘 Counterattack like a 5.0
🌎 Should the serve rules change?
🏆 The PPA’s first stop in Salt Lake City

Let’s do this.

Counterattack Like a 5.0

Today's pickleball players – at every skill level – have become great at speeding the ball up at the NVZ line. If you're not improving your counterattack skills, breaking through the 5.0 barrier is impossible.

Here's a breakdown of defending speedups and improving your counterattacking skills, as taught by pickleball coach and content creator Jordan Briones.

1. Developing the Right Mindset 🧠

Staying mentally and physically engaged is essential when at the kitchen line. Many players lose focus, relax, or even check out when the ball isn't coming their way. Instead, you should expect the ball to come your way at any time.

Position yourself and your paddle (remember paddle tracking?) according to where the shot will likely come from.

2. Reading Opponent's Patterns ♟️

Many players have their favorite shots and places they like to attack from. Learning these tendencies can greatly improve your success at counterattacking.

Early in a match, take note of the balls they choose to speed up (off-the-bounce, in the air, forehand, or backhand) and where they like to speed the ball up to (through the middle, crosscourt, down the line, etc.)

If they're successful, you can safely assume they'll try it again later.

3. Dealing with Awkward Shots 🫨

Not every shot will come cleanly to your paddle, so keeping your paddle in front of your body is critical. Having your paddle in front allows you to react to anything that comes your way, even if you can't react perfectly (like hitting a chicken wing backhand instead of a forehand).

It may not be the strongest shot, but it can keep the point going and force one more shot by your opponent.

By developing a solid defensive strategy and regularly practicing these techniques, you can turn the tables on your opponents and gain the upper hand against high-level attacks. See the Briones video here.

New SLK by Selkirk Has Arrived

Selkirk just dropped a bunch of new paddles in their SLK line, and they're looking pretty nice!

Let’s dive into a few of their paddles, starting off with the SLK HALO. They introduced the SLK HALO Pro paddle and it features a Patent-Pending Carbon Fiber Kevlar LinkWeave technology, designed to give you superior spin.

The EVO series got a major upgrade with a T700 CarbonFusion Carbon Fiber surface. This one is ideal for advanced players who want to take their game to the next level. And their OMEGA Hybrid Air paddle has an edgeless, open-throat design for faster swings and a perfect combo of power and control.

These are just a taste of what the new SLK line has to offer. There are four more paddles waiting to be explored! Check out the rest of the SLK series and evolve your pickleball game now!

Should the Serve Rules Be Changed?

Zane Navratil has been at the forefront of innovation with the pickleball serve. No one knows what is legal and what is “illegal” better than Zane. When it comes to finding a new way to “de-weaponize” the serve, he laid out the problems and possible solutions to solve the issue once and for all.

Problem No. 1 - Serves have too much impact
The first problem is that, allegedly, serves have too much of an impact on the professional game. Is there data to support this?

Prior to the 2024 season, Major League Pickleball eliminated the contact height requirement, so if there is a place where serves are disproportionately affecting the game it would be MLP, right?

According to the data from Real Clear Stats, the rule change has made no impact on points won by the serving team:

  • 42.65 percent of the 34,615 rallies in 2023

  • 42.64 percent of the 22,986 rallies so far in 2024

Problem No. 2 - Serve rules are unenforceable
Under USA Pickleball rules:

  • contact must be made below the waist

  • the paddle must be moving upwards at the point of contact

  • the paddle head must be below the level of the wrist at contact

None of these things — unless there is an egregious violation — are enforceable by a referee in real time. You’d be hard pressed to find a professional player or referee that would feel otherwise.

Solution No. 1 - Add a service box
The most recent proposal that has been circulating around the internet is to place an additional line four feet inside the baseline.

Deeper returns would push the server back into the fence, returners would have a much easier time getting to the kitchen, and the percentage of points won on serve would materially decline. This would result in fewer kitchen rallies, not more.

Solution No. 2 - The drop serve
If we utilized the drop serve, a referee would only need to police one thing: is the hand stationary at the time of the release of the ball? All subjectivity regarding contact height, swing angle, and wrist position is eliminated.

Zane’s takeaway
Data suggests that servers are not winning a disproportionate amount of points, and fans don’t think that the serve is a game-changer either.

If we want a serve rule that is enforceable, the drop serve is the obvious solution. If we’re not ready to implement the drop serve, my suggestion would be to enable referees to more strictly attempt to enforce the current serve rules.

melin’s New HYDROLite Collection

So, did you hear? melin's new HYDROLite lineup is here. Let’s just say that it might be the only hat series that can keep up with your every move on the court.

These aren't just any caps; they're the lightest melin has ever crafted. Picture playing under the sun with a hat so feather-light, you’ll forget it’s even there. And their sweat-resistant technology and breathable fabric are perfect for those tight pickleball games.

The HYDROLite collection showcases melin's best-selling shapes — A-Game, Coronado, Odyssey, and Trenches — available in three sizes for an ideal fit.

Check out their HYDROLite’s collection and find your new lucky hat today!

Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Barbora Krejcikova Making Pickleball Debuts

Novak Djokovic has won every major title in the world of pro tennis (24 Grand Slams). Last month, he added an exclamation mark on his push to be the GOAT with a gold medal win at the Paris Olympics.

This week, we will finally get to see what the ‘Djoker’ can do on the pickleball court at the HEAD NYC Mash Up. Djokovic will be joined by ATP No. 1 ranked men's singles player Jannik Sinner, and 2024 Wimbledon Champion Barbora Krejcikova.

HEAD-sponsored pickleball pros Callie Smith and Roscoe Bellamy will round out the exhibition and make sure everyone adheres to the two-bounce rule.

The Dink will be on-site to watch this historic Mash Up live. You can tune in on the HEAD tennis Instagram account from 6:40 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET Thursday night.

PPA Tour’s First Stop in Salt Lake City

The PPA Tour is riding the momentum of the viewership win into Utah for its first stop in Salt Lake City. A couple of big names are understandably sitting this one out as the Tour makes its third stop in a string of four consecutive weeks of play.

Resting Up
With next week’s Las Vegas Cup and next month’s Atlanta Slam looming, some players have elected to sit out this week’s event. The list includes Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters, Catherine Parenteau, Christian Alshon, and reigning back-to-back women’s singles champion Brooke Buckner.

Riley is Back
After a little international travel, Riley Newman is back in the fold. He will have the support of the loud Utah crowd alongside Callie Smith in mixed and will pair with Brandon French in men’s doubles.

Women’s Singles
The players sitting this one out leaves a big gap in the women’s singles field. Lea Jansen is the top seed and will look to get back to the winner’s circle. She will have to fend off Mary Brascia, who is also back after some time away.

See our guy Erik Tice’s preview and full slate of predictions here and catch the broadcast starting at 1 pm ET on PickleballTV and YouTube on Thursday.

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