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Well friends, this is it. The final newsletter of 2025. We’ve had a blast giving you all the pickleball news that’s fit to dink, and can’t wait to run it all back next Monday with the first issue of the new year.

But don’t worry, there’s enough news today to get you through the week, and then some. Rumors are intensifying that Anna Leigh Waters is leaving Paddletek for a big-name competitor. USAP released its new rulebook, including a few updates you should know. And we rounded up the 25 biggest stories in pro pickleball from 2025.

In This Issue:
— Refs saw a paddle in half mid-match
— The best pickleball bags of 2025
— 12 drills to be a more complete player

Happy New Year.

We ranked the best pros on the PPA Tour based on their 2025 medal counts: 3 points for gold, 2 for silver, 1 for bronze. Anna Leigh Waters is the clear number one; she had more golds than a handful of the best pros combined. But the rest of the list is where things get interesting.

We sat through all 90 minutes of Lifetime’s “A Pickleball Christmas” so you don’t have to. But honestly, you maybe should. The storyline is actually sort of endearing. But the pickleball? A total abomination. And there’s plenty of it. Verdict: so bad it’s kinda good.

Every year, USA Pickleball drops a revised rulebook. And 2026’s is hot off the presses, complete with a few updates you should definitely bone up on. The serve rule gets “clearer”; triple hits are legal now; and you can’t ask the crowd for help with line calls. If you plan on playing any competitive pickle next year, you should know this stuff.

Throughout the year, we reviewed all the top pickleball bags across a range of sizes, styles, and price points. The result (aside from more bags than we know what to do with): nearly 30 top options, from ADV to FORWRD, CRBN to Six Zero. There’s something for everyone — including a few brand-new drops worth checking out.

Here’s a dose of truth serum before you hit the courts in 2026…

It’s not enough to just show up and hit balls anymore – you need a plan, and that plan should build progressively from simple to complex and focus on the core skills you should have mastered by now.

Top coach Jordan Briones has that plan: 12 of the most effective drills laid out in sequence from simple to sophisticated. Take them one at a time and you’ll start to notice your skillset improving in turn.

Master them all and you’ll be a force to be reckoned with in 2026. Here are three of our favorites.

🎯 The Initiator Attack Game introduces a competitive element to drilling. One player is designated as the initiator and can attack off balance or out of the air, while the other can only counter. It's a clever way to practice both offensive aggression and defensive patience simultaneously.

🎯 Three and Go (Transition) has you standing in transition while your partner pressures you below the waist. You must hit three resets minimum before advancing to the net. This drill directly addresses one of the most common weaknesses in intermediate play: navigating the transition zone.

🎯 Lob Retrieval Drill is where things get fun. Players dink normally, but at any moment, one player lobs the other without warning. The lobbed player must let it bounce, track it down, and then play it out. It's chaotic in the best way, forcing players to stay mentally sharp and ready for anything.

➡️ See all 12 in action.

Last week we joked that a ratty overgrip wasn’t cutting it. Turns out, that wasn’t really a joke.

Once you start paying attention to grip feel, it’s hard to ignore how much it affects everything else. A lot of that comes down to what’s underneath the overgrip, not just the overgrip itself.

That’s where a structured base grip like Hesacore changes things. More stability in the hand. Less squeezing. A paddle that finally feels settled instead of slippery or vague. It’s subtle at first, then suddenly obvious.

There’s a reason so many pros won’t hit without this setup anymore. Once you fix what’s on the inside, everything else starts to make more sense.

For its final regular season event of 2026, MLP will be on full display at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

Bring the whole fam and make a trip out of it; it’s nestled inside the magical kingdom of Walt Disney World Resort.

Zane Navratil is pumped about it. And it’s one of the many topics he discusses on the latest PicklePod.

A few other highlights he lends his signature sarcasm to:

Oh, and he also has a few choice words for anyone who thinks Anna Leigh Waters would be better off with Jorja Johnson over Anna Bright.

➡️ Watch the full episode.

This year has been a truly bonkers rollercoaster ride in the world of professional pickleball. Ups, downs, and everything in between… we’ve truly seen it all.

To put the past 365 days into a bit of perspective, we rounded up the 25 biggest stories from 2025. Like Quang Duong getting the boot for repeated contract violations. Or Queen Anna Leigh setting the new record for most golds ever.

The list is full of surprises. Here are ten that made the cut:

And that quite literally ain’t even the half of it.

➡️ Check out the full list.

Selkirk brought the BOOM this year with the Boomstik.

It’s been quietly taking over the rec scene, and Selkirk pros didn’t switch by accident. The added MOI weighting creates a more balanced swing, the power shows up immediately, and the InfiniGrit surface delivers serious spin without a break-in period.

What you get out of the box is what you’re working with from day one.

And if you’re feeling it, use code ADV-THEDINK to score $40 in Selkirk Bonus Bucks, just in time for the new year.

Rumors have been circulating for months that #1 ranked women's pro Anna Leigh Waters could be moving on from longtime sponsor Paddletek.

Some have speculated she'll land at JOOLA in what would certainly be a blockbuster deal. Those rumors have not been confirmed yet, but we’re working the phone lines night and day to crack the case.

What we do know is this: Anna Leigh, once the poster child of Paddletek, is no longer listed anywhere on the company's website.

Not the homepage. Not the paddle page. Not the "Team Paddletek" page. Nowhere.

➡️ Her signature paddle is still for sale… for now.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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