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Further global expansion for pickleball

Further global expansion for pickleball

Unusual topspin drill. DUPR's new version.

August 02, 2023

Good morning. The fastest-growing sport meets the fastest-growing population.

Pickleball already had a stronghold in India, but America’s APP league wants to help it explode just like it has in the States.

Considering India’s population has grown by more than a billion people since 1950, that sounds like a wise plan.

Want to write about pickleball? Send us an email and give us your pitch.

In This Issue:

🧠 Topspin to end all topspin
💰 PB is selling out?
🎾 Industry news: DUPR, APP, PPA Preview

Let’s move.

Topspin Like You’ve Never Seen Before

Here’s a drill you’ve never seen before. It’s rather unconventional and will undoubtedly confuse your court mates.

Zane Navratil has a completely new way to learn how to flick the ball and generate massive topspin.

The drill involves hitting the ball down into the ground and bouncing it over the net like a table tennis serve. Like I said, rather unconventional.

Instead of pounding the ball straight down into the ground, the goal is to brush the top of the ball so it has forward spin.
The ball will bounce off the ground and leap over the net because of the spin.
Your partner can then dink the ball back to you to repeat the action.

This drill will help maximize the spin you’re able to generate. It will build your muscle memory for executing this advanced stroke.

Reply to this email and let us know if you’re going to try out this drill.

Investing The Fun Way

It’s no secret we’re a fan of returns…you know who else is? Vint. They’re an investment platform that makes it possible to diversify your portfolio with real assets, like fine wine and rare spirits.

The ultra-wealthy have been turning to real assets like art, real estate, and even wine for hundreds of years.

Why? The historically low correlation between these assets and traditional investments like stocks and bonds helps build a more diversified portfolio, plus the track record of stable returns.

Make your money work as hard as you do on the court and diversify your portfolio today on Vint.co. Watch a video here about how it works.

Pickleball Sells Out?

“Has pickleball sold out?” – asks a recent headline from The Guardian.

Calm down, Holden Caulfield. The presence of money and phonies doesn’t always make something reek of it. And the average player isn’t necessarily in it for the cash.

But let’s consider the article’s main points:

With millions in player prize money, celebrity investment, and companies popping up left and right…what would co-inventor Joel Pritchard think?
Frank Pritchard, son of Joel, says he thinks his father “would be disappointed to think it had become this huge commercial venture.”
“When there’s money to be made, there’s potential for that kind of stuff, and for bad behavior and trouble.” – F. Pritchard

The main problem with a story like this is that it’s so general.

How could anybody argue against a truism like, “Where there’s money, there’s room for corruption?” How could we disagree with the general notion that “we should really love pickleball for pickleball, not how much money it can make us”?

But this story doesn’t seem to offer a solution, or even much of a takeaway other than its initial premise. It poses a very general problem, sources people like Joel Pritchard’s son to agree with the premise, then leaves us with crickets…

…Except for the last line, a quote from a random 23-year-old player, who says, “I think it’s good what is happening. It should be in the Olympics…If other sports can have professional leagues, why not pickleball?”

Asked and answered, The Guardian.

Let’s turn it over to you: is pickleball selling out? If so, how? Leave a comment here or send us an email.

DUPR’s Refresh

DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) just dropped a new version of its app.

Here are the highlights:

Group messaging: community building via a collaborative environment within the app
Tracking rating changes: provide perspective on user’s progress and performance trends over time
Match impact visibility: identify the impact that each match has on your rating
Completely refreshed UI: rebuilt with "a modern user experience in mind," DUPR says

The DUPR mobile app is now available to download on iOS and Android.

APP Sets Sights on The Globe

The APP Tour is serious about global expansion.

The Association of Pickleball Players announces a new international partnership with India's Global Sports.

The league is now the promoting partner of the 2023 Monsoon Pickleball Championship, held August 24-27 in Mumbai, India.

Earlier this year, APP announced partnerships with Pickleball England and Pickleball Sweden to host tournaments in Europe.

Less than two weeks ago, they announced an upcoming event will air in mainland China.

PCKL Pro Series 13 and 16 are Here...

Alright we've talked about this thing enough: it's time to get your hands on the new paddle from PCKL.

It comes in two different core sizes, has the premium feature set you'd want to see from a pro level paddle, and the price is VERY affordable compared to similar brands…plus, it's backed by a warranty you can actually redeem.

Paddles are ready to ship now so make sure to use DINK15 to save 15% at checkout!

A Chance at History

Los Cab Sports Village in Fountain Vally, CA is the home of the Takeya Showcase. It's one of the new Southern California hotbeds that is turning out top-level pros.

This week it will host the largest men’s singles bracket in PPA history. 91 players will all try their hand against the world's #1 Ben Johns.

While in the women's game, Anna Leigh Waters might have her easiest path to gold this year. Catherine Parenteau is absent from the draw and Lea Jansen has retired from singles.

Unless a new player can emerge from the pack, ALW should have a stress-free Thursday. A triple crown this week would give her an unprecedented seven straight triple crowns in the women’s game.

The Showcase will focus eyes on the new Takeya duo, Riley Newman and AJ Koller. Newman will be eager to reach the men’s podium after falling short last week.

Tune into the action starting at 1 pm ET tomorrow on PPATV.