Pickleball in Prison

For much of the North, it's going to be unreasonably cold this weekend.

Listen, we ALL want to be as dedicated as the gentleman below, but trust us: it's not worth the frostbite. Play indoors instead!

Next week, we're announcing the winners of the 2022 Dink Awards. Which means today is the final day to secure your votes for the most iconic players, events, and influencers of the past year in pickleball. Vote here.

Let's go!

Drop and Drive in the Same Point

Time to choose: third shot drive or third shot drop?

Either answer works. You're both right. What you need to remember is: just because you chose one or the other, you're not stuck with that decision.

One stubborn mistake players make, myself included, is that once we decide on a third shot drive, we can't stop. We follow it up with a fifth shot drive and seventh shot drive.

Just because you drove the third does not mean the whole point needs to follow suit. Go ahead, drive your third, but as the ball leaves your paddle, you should evaluate the following:

• How well you hit it

• How your opponent reacts

• Your court position

Then it's time to choose again.

Don't let the rush of hitting the last drive dictate your next shot. Evaluate the situation and make the smart play. If the ball is short and high, drive again. If it's low and at your feet, switch it up and hit a drop.

To quote Rocky IV, "If I can change...then you can change. Everybody can change."

Cold can be therapeutic. In fact, it can be more.

The Cold Plunge may sound like a hard sell, but that’s exactly why it works: studies show dipping your body in cold water increases your muscles’ ability to heal, promotes focus, reduces anxiety, and other health benefits.

Take the plunge and stay in top pickleball shape. Click here to learn more.

Brady Finally Ready for PB

While we’re genuinely happy that retirees are a major part of the pickleball community, they’re also the most common stereotype representing it. But maybe one recent retiree might help shift associations.

NFL legend (and Las Vegas Night Owls team owner) Tom Brady recently announced his retirement, saying it’s “for good” this time.

Tom played 23 seasons in a high-impact sport, earning seven Super Bowl rings. And while a recent Wall Street Journal article (paywall) discusses his current plan to become a football analyst on Fox Sports (for a cool $375 mil), it also positions Brady as “finally ready for pickleball.”

We’re not sure if the author meant “ready to play pickleball” or for Brady to be more involved with his pickleball team, but either way: we echo the sentiment. Plus, we’re sure anyone who rooted against Brady on the football field would love to see him schooled on the pickleball court.

Former Patriots teammate Julian Edelman wants in, too:

Singles Day from Phoenix

It's a good week to be an LA Mad Drop. Three of the four members of the MLP Champion roster played in the singles semifinals. Unsurprisingly, Catherine Parenteau and Irina Tereschenko met in the women's singles semifinal.

Parenteau won the matchup and will face Anna Leigh Waters on Championship Sunday. Lea Jansen walked away with bronze.

On the men's side, MLP MVP Julian Arnold willed his way to an upset against JW Johnson in the quarterfinals. Arnold fell to Ben Johns in the semis but still managed to earn a spot on the podium. He defeated Jay Devilliers in the bronze medal match.

Johns will play Federico Staksrud on Championship Sunday in a repeat of the PPA Masters final last month. Fed has been potent on the PPA tour. His goal for this year must be to take down Johns in one of these gold medal matches.

The PPA Tour implemented a new back draw format in Phoenix. The two players that lost in the semifinals automatically moved to the bronze medal match. This meant that any player that lost before the semis was eliminated from podium contention i.e. JW Johnson, Dylan Frazier, Ryan Sherry etc.

One complaint about prior broadcasts was that the bronze medal match was not streamed. This new format allowed for the men's bronze medal to be streamed and provided a more predictable schedule.

Mixed doubles play is live, catch the action on PPA TV.

Pickle’s Rehabilitative Properties

Motivational speaker Roger Belair has a passion for pickleball that’s landed him in prison(s). No, not in that way.

Roger, a friend of one of pickleball’s inventors, has now instructed over 1,500 incarcerated inmates in the ways of the game, stressing life lessons about the value of rules and the healthy release of tension.

“‘I come at them from a different angle,’ offering ideas about teamwork and sportsmanship that can support a rehabilitated life when a prisoner finishes serving their sentence,” he says in a recent article in Tennis Industry Magazine. “Nothing I’ve ever done is as satisfying and rewarding as this."

After each session, he ensures prison staff are educated enough to run more open plays and leaves nets, paddles, and balls behind.

“While there is a great deal of research on how rehabilitative efforts of various kinds reduce recidivism, funding specific to a controlled study of the effectiveness of pickleball on prison life, unfortunately, has not yet come through,” the article notes.

Headlines & Quick Hits

• Seriously, stay warm out there: play pickleball indoors this weekend

• Pickleball is the only sport where you can get penalized for 'aggressive stepping'

• National Girls & Women in Sports Day continues every day and everywhere including at the NYSE

Highlights

• Court stormin'

• Just...HOW?!

• The ol' switch-em-up

• Chicago style 🍕😤

Homecourt Havens

Rooftop pickleball is great in theory but does not always work out in practice. But for this I don't want to hear any complaints. Winds be damned this is pickleball with an EPIC view.

A review from the Dink Fam...