Read your opponents like a book

Pickleball has endured its share of pickle-based puns over the years. Just look at the sponsor of today’s newsletter above (love you, B&B<3) to see what we mean.

So it was only a matter of time before a fast food chain took advantage of the connection between “America’s fastest-growing sport” and “America’s favorite sandwich topping.”

Hope you’re hungry, pickle fans.

In today's issue:

• Split-second reads on your opponent

• Pickleball’s official sandwich

• Red Rock results

• Frenchy on It Feels Right

Let’s fly.

PPA Red Rock Open Results

Read Your Opponent

Deciding who, when, and where to attack occurs within a hundredth of a millisecond, as does knowing who, when, and where not to attack.

Recognizing "tells" in that split second takes practice and often happens unconsciously. You'll learn to pick up on multiple cues that lead to the highest percentage decision.

Most amateurs: "See ball, hit ball... hard!" Avoid this. In a given attack, certain cues can indicate the highest percentage shot.

Scenario:

Ex. The attacker's lean can reveal vulnerability to a counter-attack. He's reached far enough to the side that his left foot has come off the ground—his momentum is ultimately going to fall to the right, leaving him vulnerable to a counter-attack.

By examining the posture of the attacker’s opponent, we can see that he is anticipating an attack down the line (because the attacker is reaching wide). This is probably the correct read. His weight and his paddle have already shifted to respond with a backhand counter, and he’s locked and ready.

But the attacker also sees that the middle looks open. However, the cross-court opponent's left foot is already over the centerline preparing to cover - he might be baiting a middle attack.

If I'm attacking here, I'll need to see this, and before starting this hands battle, in that hundredth of a millisecond, I want to know three things:

• Does my opponent have a two-handed counter? If he does, I'm not firing this.

• Is he a lefty? If yes, I'm not firing this.

• Can I recover for my re-counter follow-up?

My cross-court opponent would have to have a weak one-handed counter, be a natural resetter, or I'd need to know I can effectively hit a great low roller for me to have confidence in winning this exchange through the center.

Lastly, the attacker needs to have a partner with above-average hand speed because, from this ball position and angle of attack, it could easily be countered to him.

I know, I know... It's challenging to process all options, but with practice, decision-making becomes faster and more intuitive. This skill develops after investing hours in intentional rehearsal and training.

Your biggest and easiest competitive advantage comes from doing this type of work. Your opponents, like 98% of those reading this, will not want to put in this level of effort. They lose. You win. Next.

(Via Senior Pro Dayne Gingrich, edited by ChatGPT)

Let's get Filthy

After 6 months of designs, testing, and modifications, Bread & Butter Pickleball is finally ready to launch its latest paddle.

The Filth is a Thermoformed and edge wall inject paddle that measures 16.5" x 7.375" and weighs 8.0 ounces. Bread & Butter only made 1000 paddles with this first production run, not realizing the feedback and hype that spread like wildfire in Reddit, Discord, YouTube, and beyond.

Bread & Butter has been reluctant to put the Filth on preorder but has decided to free up 500 paddles of the first 1000 to Dink-only subscribers.

This is a limited time paddle ONLY for the DINK family. Preorder here.

$5 Foot Fault

What won’t a fast food chain do for attention? They’re not opposed to leaning on America’s fastest growing sport for a promo.

Subway, the sandwich purveyor, has spun up a “pickleball club” complete with “new, more flavorful honey mustard and thicker, crunchier dill pickles,” the sandwich chain says.

And what good would a random fast food crossover sandwich be without a celebrity endorsement? In this case, it’s from tennis star Andre Agassi, who pickleball fans recently witnessed playing – and defeating – fellow tennis legends John McEnroe and Michael Chang during the first Pickleball Slam event.

We could make a joke about ordering a $5 Agassi foot fault with McEnroe meltdown cheese…but that would be far cheesier than this new Subway sandwich. That’s saying something, considering the new creation features “double the American cheese,” Subway says in a press release.

No, they did not specify to which sandwich they were drawing that comparison. It’s just “double,” apparently.

If you feel so inclined, you can score one of these pickleball clubs at your local franchise beginning April 27th.

Athletic Wear Designed for Pickleball Players

AVI is elevating Pickleball by creating exceptional athletic wear. They believe everyone — from professional athletes to casual enthusiasts — deserves well-constructed, expertly designed clothing made just for their sport.

With pockets created specifically to hold pickleballs, comfortable fabrics, and ultra-lightweight feel, AVI is elevated performance wear for both on AND off the court!

Red Rock Royalty

Brendon Long just pulled off an all-time pickleball feat. This guy joked about being left out of the featured players graphics and decided to produce his own:

Most people's response: "Good one Brendon, glad to see you're playing this weekend." If they only knew what would happen next.

After entertaining the pickleball internet, Long followed it up with an unforgettable performance on the court. Tyson McGuffin was dumped by his partner (James Ignatowich) prior to the event and turned to Long as a substitute.

The unlikely pair, both with a chip on their shoulders, could not lose in Utah.

Fueled by revenge, they gritted out a win against Riley Newman and James Ignatowich in the semis. On Championship Saturday, they went five games with Dekel Bar and Collin Johns. The underdogs squeaked out the 13-11 victory in game five and took home the title.

Tyson McGuffin followed up the big men's doubles win with his first singles title of the year over Pablo Tellez.

MLP Champs Etta Wright and Meghan Sheehan-Dizon have solidified a partnership and everyone should be worried. The duo snagged their first PPA title together on Saturday. In the finals, they defeated Dizon's former partner Allyce Jones and Lea Jansen.

Catherine Parenteau brought home another title for team Selkirk (the event's title sponsor). She defeated Salome Devidze in convincing fashion 11-2, 11-6.

The team of Anna Bright and James Ignatowich won their first and unlikely to be their last PPA title together (see: Lea’s tweet above) in mixed doubles. They finished off Jessie Irvine and AJ Koller in straight games.

That's a wrap from Utah. The PPA Tour is back in two weeks with the Newport Beach Doubles Shootout.

Win a Trip to Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya, Mexico

A 5-day, 4-night trip for two could be yours. Featuring:

• LandShark Brewery & Grill, serving refreshing lagers, smokehouse classics, and ongoing live music

• Weekly events like TropRock-style musical performances, pop-up pickleball contests, pool parties, & more!

• 3 free-form swimming pools for refreshing dips in between activities

Interested? Enter the giveaway here.

Screaming in your Face

MLP Challenger Level runner-up Brandon French joins It Feels Right. Frenchy has a unique take on the game and will definitely let you know he is in the building.

His Dallas PC came close to the title and he shares the memorable moments along the way. He provides insight on training with tennis greats Jack Sock, John Isner and Sam Querry. Get to know Frenchy on the all new episode.

Watch here or listen here.

Headlines & Quick Hits

• The most advanced pickleball training machine ($100 off with code: DINK100)

• These cruise lines are jumping on the growing pickleball trend

• Colorado cities adjusting pickleball policies over noise ordinance

Highlights

• The big paddle throw

• The singles discussion continues 👀

• Hands club 👋👋👋

• Tennis point of the year?

A review from the Dink Fam...