Well goooooood morning. Ever thought about working in pickleball?

The Dink’s parent company Upswing Sports is looking to hire a CRO/CMO to oversee revenue and marketing related initiatives as it relates to The Dink and Upswing Sports’ full portfolio of ventures.

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Scrappy and ready to build

• 8+ years of related experience in media, advertising and/or marketing

• Bonus: Austin-based

Sound like you? Email your resume and/or LinkedIn profile to [email protected] with a blurb about why you’re a stellar candidate.

In This Issue:

🧠 Where to use the backhand slice
 🫡 Helping vets through PB
🎾 We like being wrong about this!

Where to Find a Slice

We’ve covered the two-handed backhand in depth recently. Now, let's talk about where you can break out the nasty backhand slice.

The most common places to use the backhand slice are:

• Cross-court dinking

• Returning a serve

• Landing a third shot drop

For all three scenarios, the key concept is to limit the range of your swing. The slice is a shot where players like to over-exaggerate their swing, use their wrist, and take more risks.

We get it. It looks cool to see the ball change direction when it lands and break your opponent’s ankles like a Kyrie Irving crossover. But it's not worth added risk of error. Sorry, Kyrie.

As Ben Johns outlines in this video, it's important to lock your wrist and move through the ball in a fluid downward motion.

If you're still hitting the ball flat in these scenarios, it's time to up your game. Add a little slice in your life, you'll be glad you did.

PCKL Goes Carbon

At this point, you've heard of our friends at PCKL, but did you see their announcement yesterday of the new Pro Series?

We've reviewed the original Pro Series which had an elongated carbon face, but this one is a major upgrade available in both 13mm and 16mm with a raw carbon face and a design that Maurice The Grease called "sexy".

The paddles drop August 2nd but there's a waitlist already running so sign up now and save $25 plus be the first to play with the paddle when it launches next month!

Healing Power of Pickleball

Pickleball is giving SoCal vets a sense of community, camaraderie, and increased access to resources. Just ask vet Ernest Fox III, who says the first time he was invited to a pickleball gathering, he almost stayed home.

"I don't want to be around people. People scare me. People make me nervous," Fox told ABC7 at a Glendale pickleball event.

"My mother died this year, I'm going through a divorce, I lost my son. I got PTSD, I got all kinds of stuff that I'm going through. I'm hurting."

But when he found the courage to try it, the sport allowed Fox to let his guard down.

"People aren't as scary as you think if you give them a chance," Fox says. "If you just sit there and do something fun with them like pickleball, it's fun."

Event operators say Fox’s story is all too common. “Many vets suffer from something,” one organizer says. “Bad knees, bad elbows, depression, anxiety…This game seems to appeal. Takes you to a different world.”

Beer City Battle

The Beer City Open is an anomaly in the pro pickleball world these days. It’s one of the few events where you can watch PPA pro players outside of the tour and MLP.

Grand Rapids, aka Beer City, is home to the event and provides a unique environment for players and spectators alike. It is the only pro event played in the Great Lakes State and one of the few in the Midwest. The local crowd comes out in droves to catch the high-level pickle. Or maybe it's just the beer they're after?

The tournament is run as a non-profit and is the brainchild of pro player Andrea Koop and Paul Richards, a retired wealth management adviser.

This year’s event has many of the top names in the game including Koop, JW Johnson, Jessie Irvine, Dylan Frazier, Jay Deviliers and more. The tournament boasts prize money totaling $100K and can be streamed on PPA TV.

• Thursday, Men’s and Women’s Pro Singles through Gold

• Friday, Pro Mixed Doubles

• Saturday, Men’s and Women’s Doubles

• Sunday, Pro Doubles Gold Medal Matches

Find out more.

Selkirk Pro Line Shirts: Feel Your Best

Introducing the Pro Line: designed for pickleball players who want to look and feel their best on and off the court.

Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned pro, the Pro Line features a variety of staple pieces that are the perfect way to show your love of the game.

Selkirk's Pro Line apparel is more than just clothing; it's a statement of excellence. Join the growing community of athletes who trust Selkirk to deliver unparalleled quality and style.

Well, well, well…

…Color me surprised. Last issue, we issued a wager that at least 60% of you don’t warm up before a rec or competitive game.

We were so wrong. Our survey results show that 73% of you do, in fact, know the importance of a dynamic warm up.

In the responses to our poll, many of you wrote a note about your logic for what you chose or how you do it. Here are some of the most memorable:

• “Hip opener, quad stretches, hamstring stretches, plank. I'm 75.”

• “I actually start with skipping, because when else in life are you going to skip? It puts a smile on my face and alerts my body that we are gonna start moving. Then it's on to jogging, side steps, karaoke's then leg swings forward, back & side to side and then calf raises & light lunges. All this takes about 8 min.”

• “I'm 54 and stiff as a 2x4.... not warming up would guarantee an injury to my lower back or shoulder. Ask me how I know…sigh... ”

We’re happy to be wrong about our assumptions. But for those of you still not convinced, read this.

Building an MLP Draft Board

Rob and Stone break down their draft board and prep process for MLP season two. Rob shipped off to Boston for the first stop of the Pickle 4 Ballpark Tour in Fenway last weekend. Stoney is short on sleep as a new dad and has a close call on reaching Central Park ahead of the draft.

Watch here and listen here.

The PicklePod guys recently teamed up with fellow podcasters from King of the Court for live MLP Draft Analysis in Central Park. The Dink is proud to have joined MLP and City Pickle for another historic moment in pro pickleball.

Headlines & Quick Hits

• Super Bowl champ Cliff Avril joins MLP team ownership group

• Pickleball should not be ignored by venture capital

• ICYMI: This dinking drill opens more opportunities at the NVZ

Highlights

• Pickleball trick shot takes 4 days

• Look at that flick o’ the wrist

• Me when I play doubles

• There is no defending this

A review from the Dink Fam...