Make your overheads like clockwork

USA Pickleball Announces New Paddle Testing. Plan for courts in Florida state parks draws ire.

August 23, 2024

It’s the first Friday of the new school year. Go ahead and grab a margarita, leave work early, and play some afternoon pickleball. No one will notice.

In This Issue:

⏰ Make your overheads like clockwork
🏓 USA Pickleball announces new test for power
🎾 The big man with the biggest serve joins PicklePod

Cheers 🍸

Clockwork Tip: What time is it?

Use the clock face method to hit better overheads

After several aggressive dinks, you get a perfect popup from your opponent that’s ripe for the attack. Your eyes get really wide. You load up your swing … Annnd hit it right into the net. Yikes!

This tip comes from the Queen of Pickleball, Simone Jardim. She taught us that the way to avoid overheads going directly into the net is to use your paddle like the hour hand of a clock. Here’s how you do that:

Step One:

Imagine your body being the center of a clock face. Pointing directly up is your 12 o’clock, and extending your arm out to your right is your 9 o’clock.

Step Two:

When the ball comes over the net, match the height of the ball to the hour on the clock face. A ball at waist height would be about 8 o’clock and shoulder height would be 10 o’clock, etc.

Putting it together:

When making contact with the ball, your paddle tip should be pointing at the same hour as the ball. If you’re hitting a 12 o’clock ball, your paddle tip should be straight up at 12 o’clock.

A lot of newer players will see a high (but not high enough) ball and assume that hitting down on it is the way to go. That’s not the case. In some scenarios, you may even need to slide your body over to extend your arm to get the paddle tip pointing to the correct position on the clock.

Time’s wasting. Give it a shot!

USAP Introduces New Test for Power

USA Pickleball announced it is in its “run phase” of pickleball paddle testing. This includes the Paddle/Ball Coefficient of Restitution (PBCoR) test to determine whether a paddle is too powerful.

The committee met this week to propose the PBCoR rollout timeline and ensure the most accurate approach to developing enhanced tests to address new materials, processes, and equipment configurations. 

“USA Pickleball’s equipment certification has philosophically taken a 'crawl walk run' approach. Our team wanted to ensure our process was timely, affordable, implementable and had input from manufacturers so we could respond appropriately to equipment developments in the industry. We’re excited to announce we’ve now entered the 'run' phase,” said Carl Schmits, USA Pickleball’s Chief Technical Officer.

A spin rate test is also underway and planned to be released in late 2024.

This announcement follows the UPA-A introducing an interim testing program after breaking away from USAP, the first UPA-A stamp being seen in the wild last weekend at PPA Bristol and JOOLA’s announcement of their new JOOLA 3S paddle lineup.

Of course, paddle testing is not a new subject for 2024. Anyone who has followed The Dink’s coverage or was unfortunate enough to purchase a JOOLA Gen3 back in April knows that it’s been tough trying to figure out what’s legal and what’s not and if you should be allowed to play with delisted paddles in rec play.

John Isner Joins PicklePod

John Isner holds the record for hitting the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) fastest "official" serve, at 157.2 mph, which is also the third-fastest on record in tennis.

He was also ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles and No. 14 in doubles.

However, his greatest achievement might be that he’s this week’s guest on PicklePod.

Hear his thoughts on his transition from tennis to pickleball and why he “underestimated pickleball.” Also, watch him play another round of “Guess my DUPR” with Thomas and Zane.

Wide Open Weekend in Utah

The finals for singles are set. Fahey vs Christian and Staksrud vs Garnett

Earlier this week, our resident pro pickleball guru Erik Tice wrote how The PPA Utah Open was anyone’s tournament to win.

On Thursday, the Women’s Pro Singles turned Tice’s prophetic statement into fact.

With Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau out of the mix, Lea Jansen and Mary Brascia came in as the top two seeds, respectively.

Lea fell in the first round to the No. 32 seed Marianna Petrei, while Brascia lost in the Quarterfinals to 11th-ranked Chao Yi Wang.

Petrei has only been playing for a year and her DUPR in singles is only 4.28 - which will undoubtedly go up drastically after this weekend. This was her FIRST PPA event.

Other notable wins on the women’s side included:

  • 14th-seeded Kate Fahey took down No. 3 seed Salome Devidze in the round of 16

  • No. 28 Cade Pierson beat No. 10 Liz Truluck

  • No. 23 Helena Jansen beating No. 9 seed Ava Ignatowich

The semis pitted Fahey against No. 6 Judit Castillo and Wang against No. 4 Kaitlyn Christian. Fahey and Christian won their matches and will compete for Gold on Championship Sunday.

The finals on the men’s side feature straight chalk with No. 1 Federico Staksrud taking on No. 2 Connor Garnett.

Today is Mixed Doubles and Saturday is Gender Doubles. Tune in to see if the upsets continue.

Catch Them if You Can

If you’ve been following pro pickleball this year, you’ve probably noticed Proton pickleball paddles making waves. Their Series 1 paddles are so sought after they’re practically flying off the shelves. But if you've missed out on those, don’t worry—there are more in the lineup that deserve your attention.

Take the Series 2 paddle, for instance. Proton claims it’s the softest paddle on the market, offering a level of control and feel that's hard to match. It's not just about soft play; this paddle is a proven winner, frequently clinching medals at PPA events, particularly among players ranked 3.0-4.0.

Then there’s the Series 3, an elongated control paddle with a gritty, natural texture. Its design ensures longer dwell times and provides ample tack for spinning shots, making it a favorite for pro players like Kaitlyn Christian.

Curious to try one? Head over to Pickleball Central, the exclusive retailer for Proton paddles. And don’t forget to use code PRO-THEDINK for $25 off your paddle.

Florida Protests Pickleball and Golf

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has unveiled ambitious plans to transform several Florida state parks, sparking excitement and concern. 

Governor Ron DeSantis' initiative includes controversial proposals like constructing a golf course at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, requiring the removal of the iconic Hobe Mountain observation tower. Environmentalists fear these changes could damage fragile ecosystems and displace local wildlife.

Additionally, plans to build 350-room lodges at Anastasia State Park and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park have raised concerns about the impact on Florida’s unique biodiversity. The proposal also includes adding pickleball courts to seven state parks, including Honeymoon Island (pictured) and Hillsborough River State Park.

The public response has been intense, with protests and petitions already underway. Former state parks director Eric Draper criticized the lack of public involvement and called for greater transparency. As public meetings approach, the future of Florida’s state parks remains uncertain.

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