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Not guilty: pickleball's most committed 'crime'

Not guilty: pickleball's most committed 'crime'

5 keys to better resets. Houston Open preview.

April 10, 2024

What’s up, brother?☝️ Did you enjoy your Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday?

Today we’ve got more special teams, special plays, and special players from around the picklesphere.

But we have one concern we need to address before we get into it:

Did we make The Pickleball Box TOO good? Use code TooGood for 25% off and decide for yourself.

Do you add any additional weight to your paddle and if so, how much?

In This Issue:

🎯 Get your resets closer to perfect
⛽️ Houston pit stop for the PPA Tour
🎙️ A podcast for pickleball nerds only

Rack’em and stack’em.

Keys to Executing a Perfect Midcourt Reset

by Touring Pro Eric Roddy

One of the most important and difficult shots in pickleball is resetting the ball from the midcourt.

It must be executed to near perfection, otherwise your opponents will be able to continue to attack you and keep you from the kitchen. Being able to hit consistent resetting drops from the midcourt is a crucial skill to have when progressing up the pickleball ratings ladder.

Here are five keys to executing the perfect reset:

Keep your butt and paddle down
Open the paddle face and get under the ball
Absorb the majority of the pace
Aim resets cross-court and middle
Never drive more than once

Now that you know the keys, think about which one are you not following. Chances are you break at least one of these rules routinely.

All five keys will help increase your odds of landing a ball safely in the kitchen. Give yourself the best chance to survive and get the point back to neutral.

Step on the Court with Confidence

Step into the Selkirk Pro Line Collection, where top performance and unique style collide.

Designed for those who know their way around a pickleball court, this collection brings you gear that's as bold and dynamic as your game. With cutting-edge designs that refuse to blend into the background, you're not just playing to win; you're playing to stand out.

Gear up with the Selkirk Pro Line and make every match memorable.

A Stickler for the Rules

Kitchen violations happen constantly in pickleball. Everyone steps on the line at one point or another, but somehow no one believes they’re ever guilty.

It’s a weird phenomenon where by the time your eyes look down at your shoe, it’s magically slid backward off of the line and provided justification for your defense.

Because of this phenomenon, calling kitchen violations in rec play is just…awkward. Unless egregious, it almost always results in a discussion or hurt feelings.

It’s like calling traveling in pick-up basketball. Be ready to fabricate an instant replay and break out a pedometer to justify the call.

You could argue that the spirit of the rule is to keep players away from the net, so unless they are stepping fully into the kitchen it’s not that big of a deal. A toe on the line isn’t going to make that big of an impact.

So what can you do to fix the problem and keep things friendly?

Let the offending player know after the point without making a call, preferably a point you won anyway.
Let your partner know to keep an eye out. If both of you catch the infraction it’s easier to believe and can squash a rebuttal.
Officially, in ‘Non-Officiated Play’ the rule is to replay the point if there is any disagreement, so be prepared to replay the point.

Do you know any repeat offenders constantly crossing the line? What is the best way you’ve caught them red-handed?

What We’re Playing With

We recently got our hands on the latest paddles from a new contender to the Pickleball scene, Warstic. A huge brand in the baseball and softball scene, they’re now turning their hand to performance pickleball paddles.

First impressions, their designs are hitting the mark! You’ll definitely be a stand-out on the paddle rack with these. But the better part: they play well, too. We reviewed their WSPB Elite Series which you can read here.

And if you want to see those stunning designs we mentioned, feast your eyes on the full Warstic collection (and let your paddle do the talking).

Next PPA Stop Deep in the Heart of Texas

The PPA Tour is in the midst of four consecutive weeks of tournaments spanning the entire month of April. They’ve traveled from North Carolina to Houston this week and will continue out to Los Angeles next week.

Need a breather?
The packed schedule has some pros looking for a breather. Notable absences this week include Anna Leigh Waters, Catherine Parenteau, Jack Sock, Tyson McGuffin, and more.

Mixing it up
With ALW off, Ben Johns will pair with former Seattle Pioneers teammate Etta Wright. They surrender the top seed to Anna Bright/James Ignatowich. Keep an eye out for NC Cup silver medalists Tina Pisnik/Dekel Bar.

Coming for the crown
Mary Brascia takes the reigns as the No. 1 seed with ALW and CP missing. Can she make good on the top seed or will another challenger slide in and steal the opportunity?

We meet again
Ben and Federico Staksrud sit alone atop The Dink’s latest men’s singles power rankings. Will we see another meeting in the finals on Sunday?

This week is an ‘Open’ event and will follow the traditional format; singles tomorrow, mixed on Friday, and men’s/women’s doubles on Saturday. Coverage can be found on Amazon Prime and PickleballTV.

This One is for Pickleball Nerds Only

Newly appointed GM of the Texas Ranchers, Ryan Dawidjan, joins the PicklePod this week. The guys grade and analyze all of the MLP teams following last week’s draft.

The Ranchers' first pick, Christian Alshon, has started a Twitter feud. The guys discuss how the back and forth shook out and a new possible on-court challenge between Alshon and James Blake.

Watch here or listen here.