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The PPA Tour is taking its talents to new heights this week, debuting a brand-new venue in the high desert of southern Utah. The Greater Zion Cup gets underway beginning tomorrow. At some 3,000 feet above sea level, it brings a whole new meaning to the term “elevated competition.”

We’ve got full storylines and predictions below.

In This Issue:
— Do you confront the jerk?
— How to gamify your drilling session
— #1 seeds heavy favorites in Utah

Get up.

The #1 seeds are looking near-impossible to beat at this week’s PPA Greater Zion Cup. But we’ll be on the lookout for something else: the full-send body bag, the high-heat missile strike launched with one purpose — hit the body and inflict maximum damage. One pro discusses this polarizing shot.

If you’re over a certain age but still hungry to compete, there are a growing number of options for structured senior pickleball. There’s APP and PPA, sure, but also newer options like US Legends and Champions Series Pickleball. Forbes breaks it down.

If you want an inside look at life leading one of the industry’s hottest paddle brands, you’re in luck: the president of RPM, Marwan Abaza, is hosting a Reddit AMA this Thursday at 6pm EDT. Get your questions in now.

We’ve all experienced the rec-play villain. Mercilessly body-bagging everyone in sight. Openly making comments about weaker players. Rolling his (sorry guys, but it’s almost always guys) eyes at “lesser” partners. Sadly, it’s a common plight of open play.

But we’re curious: if you witness behavior like this crossing the line, what do you do?

If you want to improve in pickleball but don’t have countless hours every week to fire up the ball machine, this one is for you. You don’t need to kill yourself on the court. All you really need is a focused plan, a solid partner, and 30 to 45 minutes of quality repetitions.

It’s not about hours; it’s the intention that matters most here. So if you’re reading this and wondering what a “focused plan” actually looks like, here it is. And the best part? This format will feel more like a series of games than hours of rote repetition.

With one partner, in a skinny singles court, do the following:

✅ Start with straight-ahead dinking. But instead of aimlessly whacking the ball around, pick a target number (like 30 combined dinks) and don’t move on until you’ve hit it. This improves both technique and mental focus.

✅ Next up, move on to pressure dinking. Instead of going for reps, you’re trying to win the point here. But here’s the golden rule: you can only speed up a ball if it’s net height or above. Don’t be the one to hit a dead dink first.

✅ Now have one player move back to the baseline. This is all about third-shot drops. Gamify it again by making the target 10 solid drops in a row before you switch roles. But if you hit the net at any point, the count goes back to zero.

Now you’re warm and in the groove. End with a game of cutthroat, putting all the skills you just practiced together into one intense session. This is skinny singles, playing to seven or 11, but with rally scoring, meaning every point counts.

➡️ 30 minutes to better ball.

A lot of rec players fall into the same pregame routine:

Coffee → a little too wired → timing feels off → unforced errors start creeping in.

At a certain point, it’s not really an energy issue — it’s a control issue.

Blue Cannatine hits differently. It’s a fast-acting troche you take before you play that helps smooth things out so you can stay focused without the jittery hands or rushed decisions.

You still have your energy — just with better touch, better timing, and a little more composure when the pace picks up.

It’s a small shift, but it shows up quickly in your game.

Try Blue Cannatine here and use code DINK for 10% off.

The PPA Tour continues its whirlwind schedule with a stop in Southern Utah for the PPA Greater Zion Cup. One thing we can say for sure (at least for now): wind shouldn’t be nearly the issue it was in Texas.

But there is the matter of the altitude — the stunning facility is located about 3,000 feet above sea level. That could have a larger impact than you think.

Here are a few other storylines to be on the lookout for:

As always, our pro expert Erik Tice is here with his full event predictions. And this one’s definitely a departure from his norm; he’s got the #1 seeds sweeping the podiums across the board:

🥇 Men’s Singles: Hunter Johnson
🥇 Women’s Singles: Anna Leigh Waters
🥇 Mixed Doubles: Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters
🥇 Men’s Doubles: Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio
🥇 Women’s Doubles: Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright

There’s lots more to dive into. Get up to speed before the first match.

➡️ Read our full preview.

Full foam, or "Gen 4," pickleball paddles have gained popularity in the past year or so, given their consistent performance and improved durability when compared to polypropylene counterparts.

Options run the gamut from control-oriented to all-court to full-blown power paddles.

At the beginning of 2025, next to nobody was making them. Now, it's rare that a legitimate paddle brand doesn't have at least one full-foam option in its lineup. JOOLA remains a Gen 3 holdout while Selkirk has flipped its entire portfolio to foam.

If the future of high-performing, durable pickleball paddles is full-foam construction, that future appears to be now. And we're all better off for it.

As we said, there are tons of great options on the market. Here are five we're digging right now that tip the power scale to the maximum.

If you’re in the market to level up your game, here’s a closer look — plus a little friendly discount when you use code “THEDINK” at checkout. Nice.

➡️ Power up.

The best gear is the stuff you don’t think about at all.

No adjusting. No overheating. No “why did I wear this” halfway through game two.

Good pickleball apparel just does its job — light, breathable, and built to move — so you can stay focused on playing instead of fixing your outfit between points.

Shop pickleball apparel at Midwest Racquet Sports and use code THEDINK for 15% off

The biggest event in amateur team pickleball is getting a new spot on the calendar.

Beginning with the upcoming season, The Dink Minor League Pickleball Championships will now take place in February 2027, shifting away from its previous December schedule.

The change is designed to better align with the growing global season for The Dink Minor League Pickleball.

Players and teams can now qualify through several different pathways within the league’s ecosystem:

The exact dates and host location for The Dink Minor League Pickleball Championships will be announced soon.

➡️ Learn more.

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