You’re missing easy points on your fourth shot. It’s all a matter of aiming the ball just a few inches higher than you currently are. Don’t target feet, target shins.
Speaking of aim, pros are hitting full-send, high-heat, maximum power bodybags at a higher rate than ever. Zane Navratil predicts this aggressive tactic will increase ten-fold at the pro level, and soon. Why? Because it works. Fellow pros Zoey Weil and Danni-Elle Townsend join the PicklePod to discuss.
In This Issue:
— Pro pickleball Hunger Games
— A sneaky hack for better 4ths
— Proton and JOOLA settle suit
Knowledge is power.
Our Picks 👆
🏹 Hunger Games: Pro Pickleball Edition
On this week’s PicklePod, Zane and Nico are joined by pro Zoey Weil to chat all things pro ball — including a draft of the four pro players each would choose to survive the Hunger Games the longest. Brains or brawn?
🥇 14 Years Old: And Her First PPA Gold
At a mere 14 years old, Kelly Goodnow just became the youngest ever player to win a PPA gold medal, taking the podium at a PPA Challenger event in Boise and beating out Anna Leigh Waters’ mark by a couple of months. Congrats, Kelly.
🧱 Hitting a Wall? Ask a Friend
At some point, you’ll inevitably feel like your game is lacking or stuck in neutral. No improvement week over week, just plateaus. That’s normal. How you respond makes all the difference. Don’t fret; try asking your partner what they see in your game.
🌞 Scenic: MLP Takes St. Pete
The pros are back at it for MLP St. Petersburg, which starts a day early than usual because there’s only one pro-level court available. That aside, St. Pete Athletic is widely considered one of the nicest facilities in the U.S. Let’s play ball.
Try This Sneaky 4th for Easy Points at the Kitchen Line
From the time you just start playing to the most competitive courts at your local facility, there’s one piece of advice put on repeat: get the ball down at your opponents’ feet every chance you get.
And that’s true. It’s hard to be a threat when hitting a ball off your shoelaces.
But there’s a twist we’ve been loving lately that’s particularly effective on fourth shots: targeting your opponents’ shins instead.
Here’s how it plays out:
Your opponent serves, and stays deep behind the baseline
Your team returns deep, and gains the kitchen line
They hit a 3rd shot drop, then begin their approach to the kitchen
Sound familiar so far? Great. Now pay attention.
You’re at the kitchen line, your opponents are coming in. Unless their 3rd shot drop is perfect, chances are good you’ll be able to take it out of the air
This is your opportunity to make them sweat: instead of hitting the ball down at their feet, hit it directly at their shins
When the ball bounces, it slows down. They’ve got a good shot of hitting another drop shot in this scenario. Your advantage remains neutral.
But if they have to volley this ball instead, especially from below their knees while their momentum is moving forward, well, that’s a far trickier shot for any rec player to handle.
More than likely, they’re going to dump that ball into the net, sail it long, or give you a sitter to crush for the point.
Whatever the case, advantage you.
➡️ Want more cheeky doubles tips? We’ve got you covered.
11six24 Puts Every Millimeter to Work
Most elongated paddles curve at the top – right where you'd want more paddle…not less.
The 11six24 Ultré Power 2 doesn't: a flat-topped rectangle, no curve, no taper, no narrow corners to miss into.
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It's a power paddle that doesn't make you pay for power. UPA-A approved, so it travels to almost every tournament you do.
$209.99 – the same carbon as paddles that run $289 and up.
95% of These USAP-Approved Paddles Fail Its Own Grit Test
Last week we told you about USA Pickleball’s new Compliance List, which had quietly put a few brands under investigation for excessive surface texture. It even delisted one Facolos model entirely.
Paddle reviewer John Kew decided to take a closer look, putting one paddle from more than 40 brands in his personal collection through USAP's surface roughness methodology, using the same machine they do and their own guide for standards.
Forty-two brands, to be exact. All modern and well-known. All USAP-approved.
Forty of them exceeded the allowable limit. That’s a whopping 95% failure rate. And it wasn't particularly close, either.
"We're at the point now where [USAP] needs to change their regulations. 100%," said John, adding, "None of these paddles that failed are so spinny that they're giving any player a distinct advantage on the court."
The line that governs rec pickleball’s spin standards needs to be redrawn. John's test clearly proves that. USAP is reportedly working on establishing just where that new threshold should be, though an official release date is still unknown.
Right now, if one paddle is being delisted for excessive surface grit, it seems like dozens of others could potentially be as well.
Who knows. Perhaps that's coming next?
Is Pro Pickleball Becoming Pro Dodgeball?
At least once a tournament, we’re seeing some epic full-power bodybag that sends the pickleball world into a tailspin.
We’re not talking a speedup that clips a player’s chest here. These are full wind-up, full intention. Like what Jay Devilliers did to Nico Acevedo at MLP Austin. High heat, maximum power.
But here’s the thing: Jay’s chest-high nuke worked. It changed the momentum of that match in his team’s favor and played a pivotal role in their eventual win. It pissed his opponents off, sure. But it also got them off their game.
On this week’s PicklePod, Zane and Nico are joined by pros Zoey Weil and Danni-Elle Townsend to discuss, among many other things, the current state of targeting players at full speed.
Is there a time and a place for this type of shot?
Should a gender double-standard be observed, or are all bets off?
And what happens when one of these shots sails high and clips someone in the face?
Whatever the case, it’s not going away, says Zane. In fact, it’s only going to ramp up. In a year or two, he predicts we’ll see this type of shot 10x at the pro level. Zoey, for her part, isn’t so convinced.
You Know the Gear. Now Here’s Where to Get It.
You read the reviews. You watched the breakdown. You've picked out the one you want.
Pickleball Central is the place to go. Paddles, shoes, bags, apparel, and accessories from the brands you actually know, all in one place, from a shop that only sells pickleball.
No marketplace guesswork, no wondering whether what shows up is the real thing.
If it's worth playing with, they probably carry it.
JOOLA and Proton Settle Paddle Core Patent Dispute
Back in April, you’ll recall, JOOLA officially put 11 brands on notice for patent infringement pertaining to their Propulsion Core paddle technology.
Since then, two brands — Paddletek and ProXR — have agreed to settlement terms.
Proton just became the third.
Proton will continue to sell the affected products through the summer, which will be marked with JOOLA's propulsion core patent numbers and will include a "Powered by JOOLA" sticker on the packaging.
Proton will also pay royalties to JOOLA. Manufacturing of all impacted products will be discontinued immediately.
"We respect JOOLA's intellectual property and its impact on the pickleball paddle market, as well as JOOLA's role as a leader in technical innovation," said Charles Darling, Founder and CEO of Proton. "We are glad to resolve this matter constructively."
Three down. Eight to go.
➡️ Learn more.
Headlines & Quick Hits
MLP St. Petersburg Starts Today: Here’s a Full Preview
5 Poppy Paddles You Want in a Firefight
The Only 4 Dinks You Ever Really Need
Highlights
College pickleball is getting good
Layne Sleeth says ‘not today’
Loses paddle, still wins point
Missed a recent issue? We've got you covered
A review from the Dink Fam...
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