The Season 2 MLP draft was full of surprises. Remember how men were going to dominate the first round because it has “proven” that this results in more wins?

Leave it to pickleball to buck expectations. Seven men and five women were taken in the first round.

More draft analysis below.

In This Issue:

🧠 When to use both hands
✋Analyzing the MLP draft
🎾Tourney prep

Let’s get it.

Three Places to use Two Hands

On Wednesday, we talked about two-handed backhand basics. Now, let's talk about when and how to use the two-hander effectively.

The most obvious use is from the baseline. Switching to the two-hander adds power and the ability to use topspin; two vital components for drives and passing shots.

The second place you see the shot stand out is at the kitchen line. Players are adding a second hand to roll top spin dinks cross-court like never before.

Anna Leigh Waters does this better than anyone else. She's racked up winners with the angles and spin she's able to employ.

Also at the kitchen line: the two hander is paramount for the counterattack. It's difficult to always hit the sweet spot in a lighting fast hands battle.

The two-hand approach adds stability to your grip to keep your counter headed in the right direction.

Add the second hand in these three situations and watch your consistency skyrocket.

Make Money off Your Home Court

As if you need another reason to add a homecourt to your backyard, now you can share your court with local players when you aren’t using it.

Swimply allows court owners the chance to rent out homecourts and players the opportunity to reserve a private court for their game.

Ben Johns, No Matter What

Major League Pickleball held both the Premier and Challenger Level drafts in NYC on Wednesday. The twelve team war rooms lined the City Pickle courts and selected their squads beneath the Manhattan skyline.

A number of PPA vets fell late in the draft after underwhelming results in season one. Dekel Bar, Jay Devilliers, Zane Navratil and AJ Koller were selected in rounds 1 or 2 in December but all fell into rounds 3 or 4 for season two.

Notable Premier Moments:

• Rachel Rohrabacher was the surprise of the draft, going to the Orlando Squeeze in r4. Not only did she go undrafted in season 1, but even finding footage of her playing pickleball is a tough task. Her and Vivan Glozman, another former D1 tennis stud, are considered the ‘swing for the fences’ picks.

• Five players made the jump from the Challenger Level to Premier: Pablo Tellez, Connor Garnett, Vivian Glozman, Hunter Johnson, and Christian Alshon 

• The APP Team: Parris Todd, making her MLP return after opting out of season 1, fell to the Atlanta Bouncers at the 10 slot. They went on to pick Todd’s APP partners Simone Jardim (r2) and Hunter Johnson (r4). In round 3 they added Pablo Tellez.

• Rapid fire: Hayden Patriquin and Rafa Hewett went earlier than expected in r3. Julian Arnold was drafted at #7. The king of the APP Andrei Daescu went #20 overall. Ben Johns did Ben Johns things and turned heads (we assume Ben was calling the shots, because why wouldn’t he be?) with Lacy Schneeman at #25 and Erik Lange with the last pick at #48. Two curious selections.

Teams have two months to train before season two kicks off. MLP in Peachtree Corners, GA is scheduled for Sept 21-24. Tell us who you think will win season 2 here and find more on the Premier Level draft here.

The Official Airline of the PPA

You could say investment in pickleball is really…taking off. I mean, you COULD say that. We don’t recommend saying it.

But the folks at Southwest Airlines probably would. They’re now the official airline of the Carvana PPA Tour.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card from Chase (also the new official credit card of the Tour) will award eight Pickleball Pros who finish at the top of the rankings this season with the airline's Companion Pass.

This will allow them to bring one person with them on any flight free of charge - a game changer for constantly-traveling pro players.

Magic Touch

The all new Gravity series paddles from HEAD come with a massive sweetspot shape that combines the power you want with a soft impact feel you need.

The Gravity comes with a massive sweetspot combining power and touch. Gravity Lite offers the same design, but at a slightly lighter and more maneuverable weight.

Gravity LH features a longer handle, while the Gravity SH’s longer paddle face creates an even larger sweet spot and increased power potential.

Click here to choose the right model for you.

Ascending the Pro Singles Mountain

The heat and altitude made for brutal conditions on singles day at the Denver Open. The number one seeds Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters were seemingly unaffected and breezed their way to another Championship Sunday.

In women's, Irina Tereschenko will return to Championship Sunday to face ALW. Ironically, the two are now teammates on the Utah Black Diamonds who look like a draft winner with both the gold and silver medalists their roster.

Judit Castillo defeated Lea Jansen in the quarters and Mary Brascia in the bronze medal match to finish in third.

The men's division was loaded with upsets as Christian Alshon climbed the mountain to reach his first Championship Sunday.

• (29) Quang 'Avatar' Duong, (21) Ross Whittaker, and (25) Aanik Lohani all reached the quarterfinals and will be names to look out for in the second half of the year.

• Jaume Martinez Vich added Connor Garnett and Federicio Staksrud to his hitlist and brought home the bronze.

Tune into mixed doubles starting today at noon ET and don't miss a special ESPN2 broadcast from 2-4pm ET tomorrow.

Tournament Prep Tips

It’s the middle of summer and we just know some of you are preparing for your first tournament.

Even if it’s not your first - have you considered these wise words of advice?

• Get a good night’s sleep. Obvious, right? I get super pumped up the night before and have trouble sleeping. I read a good book and clear my mind the night before, which is probably just as important as the sleep itself.

• Eat a big meal the night before if you are playing in the morning. I will just graze on granola, fruit, and beef jerky throughout the playing time. I do not perform well eating a big breakfast before playing, but that may be different for you.

• Hydrate. This isn’t only important the day of…you need to start a couple days before, ensuring your body is well hydrated leading up to and during the event.

• Find the right partner. Ideally, you want to find a partner with whom you can practice before you step onto the tournament court.

Per that last point, think about what type of players you have played well with:

• Do you like an aggressive partner?

• Do you like a partner that is a mix of aggressive and patient?

Do you know someone that fits that description and is around your skill level? Ask them!

We provide same-day tournament advice in the full article here.

Headlines & Quick Hits

• This app tracks your pickleball performance

• ICYMI: Signs that 2023 is the year PB goes global

Highlights

• My kind of warm up

• The grind is real 👊🏼

• Dash & smash

• The fastest hands

Homecourt Havens

A Southern California dream. The only thing better than a court in the backyard is perfect weather to play in all year round.

If you have a homecourt that you’d like to start paying the bills, sign up today for Swimply’s pickleball feature.

A review from the Dink Fam...