One Pickleball Doubter Sounds Off

Bucks host Pickleball Night. A Fright on the Court. It's a VIBE.

November 01, 2022

Happy belated Halloween Dink Fam. We hope you received more treats than tricks yesterday. And that your on-court costume did not cost you any points.

The inflatable T-Rex is great for intimidation but an easy target for body bags.

Big news in the world of team pickleball sprouted over the weekend. Spoiler alert: it's a vibe.

An announcement from the VIBE Pickleball League is expected to drop on Thursday this week. So much for the ceasefire in pro pickleball, it looks like the tour wars will escalate in 2023.

Let's do it!

APP Hilton Head Open Results

Bait Ball

It's not easy to be patient in a dink battle. The trigger finger gets itchy after two or three consecutive dinks. The urge is to speedup and try to win the point here and now.

Problem is, your opponent is not giving up any juicy dead dinks for you to sink your teeth in. So instead of waiting for the perfect ball, another option is to force their hand.

You can intentionally give them a high ball that is opportune for a speedup. Put out the bait ball and see if they bite.

Your job is to be fully prepared to counterattack and win the hands battle. The pressure falls on them to hit a perfect speedup. Rafa Hewett explains how he has used the bait ball to win two MLP Championships this year.

Bonus tip: Don't be afraid to let a ball whiz by in this scenario. As Collin Johns mentioned in his 15 tips for amateurs, "Many points continue because out-balls are played." You never know unless you let one go.

Last Chance to Win Ultimate Pickleball Training Bundle

Rhino Pickleball is giving away a training bundle to kickstart your pickleball journey. Take the game wherever you go with your own personal court setup. Up your fitness game and stay tournament ready with a collection of training accessories. Find out more here.

Spreading the Pickleball Doubt

Bill Simmons is not a believer in pickleball. On his podcast The Hottest Take, Simmons expresses his doubt for the game "At no point in my life will I watch the best pickleball players play pickleball...stop it!" His co-host Van Lathan adamantly disagrees but can't convince Simmons that the game will take off.

Instead of pro pickleball, Simmons proposed "the married pickleball league," which is more of a reality show where married couples have to partner up on the court. Simmons is a Boston guy, an area that is late to the pickleball party. We give it six months before he is all in on pickleball.

A Fright on the Court

When we asked you to tell us about the scariest things you've seen on a court, we expected some humorous replies.

“My performance yesterday” and “someone playing in flip flops” are perfect examples. But then someone commented a more serious story:

"Had to give someone CPR and defibrillation on court once. He woke up before the paramedics arrived, while I was doing compressions on his chest. Went to the hospital and had quadruple bypass surgery."

You’ll be glad to know this scary story had a happy ending, which you can read here.

But we feel just a little safer knowing there are helpful, capable players out there ready to face frightening situations and help their fellow players.

Stay safe out there, picklers!

APP Hilton Head Open Recap

Can anyone stop Thomas Wilson and Vivienne David? After a surprise victory at the APP Houston Open, the duo has done it again. They snagged a second mixed doubles title at the Hilton Head Open.

It wasn't as if they leaned on luck or barely squeaked by. Wilson/David won all of their matches convincingly and did not drop a game. Their biggest test will come next weekend at Nationals where the APP and PPA players will mix and merge in the same draw.

JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier remain top dogs in men's doubles. They defeated any and all challengers on the APP Tour.

Jorja Johnson is the common denominator in the last two women's doubles titles. She won in Houston with David and this past weekend with Andrea Koop.

Both Salome Devidze and Julian Arnold won their respective winners' brackets on Thursday. Then, on Sunday, they both finished off their opponents in two games to bring home gold.

Arnold was down 1-7 in game two when a celebratory "It's so good" from Hunter Johnson sparked a fire for Arnold. He came back to score 10 straight points to take the match. Lesson learned, don't give Arnold any extra motivation.

Pickleball Season in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Bucks hosted 'Pickleball Night' at Fiserv Forum Saturday night. Senior pro and 10-time national champion Dave 'The Badger' Weinbach led a clinic at center court in the Bucks home arena. The Badger is pictured above with fellow pickleball aficionado, NBA referee Scott Foster. Foster helped share the game with the rest of the league during the NBA bubble season in 2020.

From the NYSE Boardroom to a Dierks Bentley concert stage, the game can be played almost anywhere. Center court at an NBA stadium is one of the best to date.

You need a morning boost, and organifi’s green juice is here to give it to you.

Specifics? We gotchu. Green Juice contains KSM-66 ashwagandha, an extract that’s proven effective in lowering cortisol levels. High cortisol levels lead to vibe killers such as brain fog, fatigue, and poor sleep.

Green Juice is packed with adaptogenic superfoods—ingredients that fight the harmful effects of stress and keep you at a cool 10/10.

Best of all, Green Juice is delicious. Just mix with water and let the “minty matcha” flavor launch you into a clearer, calmer, more energized day.

It's a Vibe.

Well, this one we could have seen coming. MLP's recent headline frenzy was not going to go unmatched: introducing VIBE Pickleball League.

The social media accounts for the league announced that most of the PPA contracted players, including Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters, have 'submitted their name for the 2023 VIBE Pickleball League Draft' throughout the weekend.

The official announcement for the league is expected on Thursday this week. Follow along with thedinkpickleball.com for the latest updates.

Headlines & Quick Hits

Highlights

Homecourt Havens

This special homecourt haven was sent in from beyond the grave. Can't wait to hear the noise complaints from this 3:00 am game. This gives a whole new meaning to the 'graveyard smash.'

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