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You’re not going to believe this… but it was a clean sweep from the top seeds to end the season at PPA Finals. All in straight games, no less. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t without its drama, surprises, and unreal stats.

From Ben and Anna Leigh’s comeback victory to Chris Haworth’s exclamation point on his first PPA season, we break it all down below.

In This Issue:
— This celeb chef loves pickleball
— Anna Leigh’s clutch advice
— Mizuno’s questionable new paddle

Something for everyone.

Paddle reviewer John Kew has a telltale sign your MPP foam core paddle might be in trouble. A healthy paddle “thunks” while a disbonded one “claps.” “That clapping sound is literally the face layers slapping against the core because an air gap has formed between them.” Now you know.

The MLP’s New Jersey 5s mean business this season, apparently: they took to X to debut their new team logo, which for the first time does not feature the clown face they’ve become known for. Time to get serious?

Celebrity chef Richard Blais is still working it in the kitchen. But the current host of “Next Level Chef” is also working on another passion when he’s not sitting court-side in San Clemente at the PPA Finals. An aspiring pickleball influencer.

Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters combined to play 23 games at PPA Finals across gendered and mixed doubles. Of those, they lost just one. That’s it. Playing against the best teams in the world. Go off, GOATs.

Ben and Anna Leigh were down big in the third game of their PPA Finals semifinal match against Hayden and Anna — 2-6, at one point, 4-8 at another.

They pulled out the win, coming up clutch as only they can do. Asked in the post-game interview what the key was, ALW said that when things get tight, she reminds herself to “bend your knees and move your feet.”

She knows exactly what that looks like, of course. The rest of us? Maybe not so much. To help you fly around the court with confidence, we put together five pro-level drills to improve your footwork and positioning.

And we’re not talking wind sprints and that weird karaoke thing they used to make us do in Phys Ed. Nope. These are actual game scenarios like lunging and recovering, split-stepping, and getting from baseline to kitchen line efficiently.

After all, you can’t hit the clutch shot when the game is tight if you’re not in the right spot to begin with.

➡️ Get moving.

You can only get so much better playing the same rec games every week.

At some point, you need reps with purpose.

That’s where Selkirk Academy comes in.

These aren’t random clinics with 40 players standing in line waiting to dink crosscourt. Every camp is built around a specific part of your game—power, consistency, strategy, resets, competition—and coached by people who actually know how to teach improvement.

You’ll get live feedback, video analysis, and real adjustments you can take straight into your next match.

Because sometimes one focused weekend changes more than six months of rec play.

➡️ Find a Selkirk Academy camp near you!

PPA Finals wrapped up in San Clemente over the weekend and, shock and awe, the top seeds swept the podiums once again.

Stop us if any of this looks unfamiliar…

It’s fitting, really. The best players all season were the best in the end when it really counted.

Sure, it can feel a bit repetitive seeing the same names in the winner’s circle at every event. But it’s also a remarkable feat of athletic stamina and consistency. Winning a PPA gold medal is hard. The names above have won a lot.

A few stats to put a bow on the season:

➡️ Full recap, right here.

Any time an iconic sports brand enters the pickleball paddle space, you know it’s going to turn heads. And Mizuno certainly qualifies.

The Japanese brand has been around for over 100 years, is publicly traded and valued in the billions, and sponsors top athletes like MLP All-Star Fernando Tatis Jr., legendary soccer (ahem, football) defender Sergio Ramos, and even pickleball sensation Christian Alshon (ever heard of him?).

That’s all well and good. But what do they know about pickleball paddles?

Their first entry into the market leaves that question a bit open-ended. The Acrostrike debuts with an edgeless design and an adjustable weight system integrated into the sidewalls.

Two things exactly nobody is asking for in today’s ultra-saturated and competitive paddle landscape.

Innovative? Yes. Gimmicky? Probably. Guaranteed to boost your on-court performance? Definitely not.

A few paddle reviewers have started putting it through its paces. And while this doesn’t feel like a runaway success, it does bode well for the growth of the sport going forward. Remember: adidas tripped and fell with the Metalbone, now they’ve got a solid paddle and sponsor top pros.

There’s still hope.

➡️ See it for yourself.

You finally get a “power” paddle…

…and suddenly your drops float, your resets sail, and half your speed-ups go long.

The FLiK F3 fixes that problem.

You still get plenty of offense, but everything feels more controlled. Resets stay compact. Counters feel stable. Mis-hits don’t instantly punish you.

It’s one of the few paddles we’ve tried that actually makes aggressive pickleball feel easier.

And the current pricing is absurd: $50 instant rebate + another 10% off with code THEDINK.

That drops the F3 from $190 to around $126.

Unlock the FLiK F3 deal here and get 10% off with code THEDINK.

You know the saying: “Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good.”

Well, as always, there were a few pros who really brought it in the style department for the final event of the PPA Tour season.

Ben and Anna Leigh showed out, of course. Rachel, Parris, and Anna, too. Connor Garnett made a strong late push himself.

But it wasn’t only the top seeds. For one last time (for a few months, anyway) see who wore it best.

See something you like?

➡️ Shop the looks while you’re at it.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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