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An eyebrow-raising study has concluded that eye-related pickleball injuries are occurring at an “alarming rate.” And the problem is only getting worse.

Nobody wants a paddle-inflicted orbital fracture. But we’re not quite sure the news is as dire as everyone seems to think. Are these findings reason enough to put the paddle down for good? Definitely not. Is it time to invest in some eyewear? You be the judge, below.

In This Issue:
— Actor Vince Vaughn is proud of his team
— When to drive yourself out of trouble
— Jack Sock is ‘coming for everyone’

Head on a swivel.

You know Vince Vaughn as the hilarious actor. But he’s also the majority owner of the Coachella Valley Scorpions, who just won the 2025 NPL Championship. “The players brought teamwork, dedication and fun to the court all year," he praised. "Big congrats to the entire league on an exciting and entertaining season."

Utah’s Black Desert Resort just announced plans to add 21 pickleball courts, including a Championship Court with seating for 1,000. The site will play host to the Greater Zion Cup next year. “Southern Utah is a very special place for the Carvana PPA Tour,” said PPA Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe.

Nobody likes being picked on. And that’s true when you’re being targeted as the weaker player in a doubles game. Instead of cowering, turn the tables. Embrace the challenge and work on being more offensive. Learn when the pressure’s really on and soon enough, you’ll be the one targeting someone else.

A DUPR-backed professional and amateur MoneyBall Tour (MBT) event is likely coming to a big city near you beginning this November. The new tour is popping off with 150 events across 48 U.S. cities and offering payouts in the thousands to the winners. Think you’ve got what it takes?

Conventional pickleball wisdom dictates you play soft to get yourself out of hot water. Like when you’re deep behind the baseline, hitting off your back foot, for example.

Drop until you can work your way in, right? Wrong, says Tyson McGuffin.

Modern paddle technology has changed the equation for how we should think about baseline defense when the scales aren’t tipped in our favor. So throw out that old rulebook and try this instead.

✅ When your back is quite literally against the wall — when your opponent hits a penetrating serve return, let’s say — the odds of hitting a perfect drop-shot are not in your favor. The further back you are, the less likely you can drop it shallow back over the net. More likely, you’ll dump the ball short or sail a sitter high.

✅ So stop playing soft from here. Smash a drive instead. Modern paddles can compensate for less-than-perfect technique. You can get plenty of pace on one off-balanced drive to reestablish your positioning and your footwork and get yourself in a better place to effectively drop the next shot.

✅ Better yet, a drive here could result in a weak counter or a pop-up or even an outright winner from time to time. By flipping the script on this one simple scenario — a situation you'll find yourself in more than once in any given game — you’ve now gone from deep in trouble to pushing the pace from the mid-court.

When in doubt, says Tyson, “drive yourself out of trouble.”

➡️ Allow him to demonstrate.

You've got two major problems after a tournament weekend: you're addicted to the sport, and every single joint in your body is screaming at you.

We know the feeling, and we found something that seriously helps. It’s Trulieve, a plant-based wellness brand that understands what it takes to stay in the game.

They offer a range of safe, reliable products that make it easy to support balance, relief, and recovery your way. And if you need a little guidance, their team’s ready to help you find the right fit.

They’ve got locations in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia and you can also head straight to Trulieve.com to learn more.

A new study is one of the first to look specifically at pickleball-related ocular injuries. And the findings are eye-opening to say the least.

Between 2014 and 2024, the authors reported approximately 3,100 eye injuries, mostly in players 50 or older.

More alarming yet, 2024 alone made up for more than a third of the total, with about 1,262 injuries.

To be sure, the rate of eye injuries in the sport is increasing, especially in the last few years. And some of the more severe cases can cause long-term effects.

But this study's scope is far from comprehensive — it surveyed just 2% of all U.S. hospital ERs. And its findings account for a tiny fraction of the millions of people playing annually.

Still, concluded the authors, “Efforts to curtail this increasing trend by increasing awareness and developing standardized guidelines for eye protection should be considered.”

➡️ Read the full article.

Selkirk just released its new documentary, “Changing Courts: The Jack Sock Story.” It’s an intimate look at Sock’s life as a young tennis prodigy who transitioned to pickleball while arguably still in his prime.

We all know he was good, but it’s worth noting how decorated his tennis career actually was. Just a few of his many highlights:

Sock endured multiple surgeries when he was young, each leading to a huge hit in his pro rankings. He retired from professional tennis in September 2023.

“Retiring from tennis had a lot to do with becoming a father,” he said. “It was a huge part of the decision to stop playing. I wanted to be very present and be around as much as possible.”

Jack picked up pickleball casually during his final years playing pro tennis. “I was retired for about a month then got into pickleball,” he laughed.

He won his first pro event alongside Anna Leigh Waters. Since then, he concedes, he’s faced his share of hurdles. After a tough first year, he’s back on the training grind and thriving in the rigors of a professional routine.

“I’m coming for everyone,” he said.

Free music/podcasts, access to lightning deals, and try before you buy are just a few of the many perks that Prime has to offer.

Make sure you're not missing out, and get the most out of Amazon Prime.

On this week’s PicklePod, Zane Navratil and Erik Tice discuss the merits and shortcomings of Life Time’s grand experiment with the LT Open — a singles-only tournament that was supposed to attract the best players in the world to battle it out for the $50,000 grand prize.

Except it didn’t. Not really. Some big names showed up, but most took a pass. The biggest problem, says Zane: the money just wasn’t enough to make it worth it for the sport’s two brightest stars, Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters.

And if they’re not going to bother, a bunch of other pros are going to follow suit. Which is exactly what happened.

One truth that did emerge: Recently signed PPA pro (and former APP standout) Chris Haworth is an absolute force to be reckoned with.

➡️ Watch the new episode.

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