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Team USA understood the assignment. Five matches. Five wins. One shiny new trophy. The Americans steamrolled their way through the inaugural MLP Nations Cup, putting the finishing touches on a perfect weekend with a 3-0 championship sweep of Latin America. Ben Johns and company left little doubt about who's running the international pickleball show. For now, anyway. Full recap below.

In This Issue:
— Pickleball vs. data centers
— Why your speedups gets countered
— Meet the Warping Point Nightblade

USA. All the way.

Five world titles. 3,000 ranking points apiece. And a whole lot of pressure. PPA Worlds kicks off in Texas this week, with Anna Leigh Waters eyeing another triple crown and Ben Johns looking for men's doubles redemption. We've got the storylines, draws, predictions, and how to watch. Get the full preview.

Fourteen months after the original Boomstik rattled the power paddle market, Selkirk is ready for round two. The Boomstik ST drops November 10, and we've got your first look at the new design. Same explosive DNA? Something entirely different? See the photos and judge for yourself.

A player calls out an illegal serve during friendly open play. The offender gets furious. Reddit gets involved. And suddenly, we've got ourselves a pickleball morality trial. Should you enforce every rule in rec play, or just let the little stuff slide? The comments are a battlefield.

The inaugural MLP Nations Cup may have crowned Team USA, but the uniforms? Not exactly unanimous champs according to Nico the Lefty. What do you think? (Scroll down for an image.) Drop us a comment below.

Playing the right side doesn't mean playing it safe. And your forehand speed-up shouldn't feel like pulling the lever on a slot machine.

Pro coach Zack Silver recently hit the court with star paddle reviewer Chris Olson to lay out a better plan: Stop attacking randomly. Start setting traps.

Here are five ways to make opponents regret giving you that ball:

The secret isn't swinging harder. It's thinking one shot ahead.

➡️ Get all seven speed-up patterns and start attacking with a purpose.

If you’ve seen pros talk about VKTRY insoles, you’ve probably wondered what the deal is. Nico the Lefty tested them and vouches: they hold up.

Each pair has an aerospace-grade carbon fiber plate in the back for serious energy transfer, and it’s custom-built to your weight and sport. So a 260-pound pickleball player and a 140-pound volleyball player don’t get the same insole. You get the one built for you.

Right now, there’s a 120-day guarantee. Try them, and if you don’t love them, send them back.

Order your VKTRY insoles and see what the hype is about.

Stars, stripes, and a whole lot of hardware.

Team USA is officially the first-ever MLP Nations Cup champion, taking down Latin America 3-0 in Sunday's final in Dallas to claim international pickleball bragging rights.

And the Americans left little room for debate.

After dispatching Europe East 3-1 in the semifinals, Team USA came out swinging against a Latin American squad fresh off a 3-1 win over Asia Domestic.

The championship showdown went like this:

That's a clean sweep, folks. No Dreambreaker necessary.

Led by Ben Johns and Anna Bright, the Americans delivered when it mattered most, capping off a historic weekend that brought together eight international teams and 48 pros for a first-of-its-kind competition.

Latin America deserves its flowers, too. A trip to the championship match is no small feat, even if the final didn't go their way.

One tournament. Eight regions. One champion.

The inaugural Nations Cup is in the books, and the red, white, and blue are on top.

➡️ Get the full event recap right here.

For every cranky neighbor complaining about pickleball noise, there's apparently a small army demanding more courts.

New data from Hamlet paints a surprisingly rosy picture: Of 1,241 people who spoke for or against pickleball courts at local government meetings since October 2024, a whopping 1,152 supported them. Just 89 opposed.

That's nearly 13 supporters for every critic.

Meanwhile, data centers are getting absolutely torched: 1,947 speakers opposed them, compared to just 344 in favor. That's roughly 85% opposition.

Turns out pickleball is a hot topic at City Hall. But unlike data centers, most people showing up to speak about it are fans.

➡️ See the numbers for yourself.

“Soft hands.” “Push, don’t hit.”

You’ve heard the advice, and your third shot drop still lands in the net.

Enhance Pickleball tested ball speeds, landing zones, and trajectories to find what actually works.

Turns out there's a sweet spot for speed, placement, and height that makes your drop a whole lot harder to attack.

Most players miss at least one. Which one are you missing?

Here’s how to land your drop every time.

Are you a ruthless court assassin or a cool, calculated tactician? Warping Point has a paddle for both. And neither will cost you an arm and a leg.

Meet the Nightblade 001 and 002, two new full-foam paddles with the same shape, same $150 price tag, and very different personalities.

Both feature elongated shapes, 16mm profiles, and composite faces. Different core materials give each its distinct character.

One important catch: Tournament approval is limited, so check eligibility before buying.

Two paddles. Two philosophies. One very reasonable price.

➡️ Which Nightblade belongs in your bag?

A review from The Dink Fam...

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