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A semifinal tournament game got heated when a foot fault was contested, and nobody knew what to do next. The video evidence is damning, but without a referee present, it was a he-said, he-said, with neither side willing to budge.

On the topic of questionable pickleball, “Freakier Friday” hits theaters this week, featuring a confounding on-court scene that’s not doing our sport any favors.

In This Issue:
— The strategy behind the fifth-shot drop
— Florida gets its fourth MLP team
— Rule dispute sends semifinal game into disarray

All press is good press?

Pro pickleball is about to get even faster. On Friday, news dropped that the Life Time ball is the new official pickleball of the PPA Tour. It plays fast and bounces high. No wonder heavy-hitters like Hunter Johnson, Federico Staksrud, and Christian Alshon have come out in support.

A “Realistic Pickleball” board game is making the rounds, toting improved strategic thinking and the rush of the real thing right from your kitchen table. Can rolling some dice be the ultimate solution for rained-out play? We have doubts, but we’re willing to try.

Vietnamese paddle brand (and sponsor to Quang Duong) Sypik posted a clip of two youngsters competing against two adults in a minute-long competitive point most of us can only aspire to. The kids can’t be more than 10. And yes, they won.

Florida just got its fourth Major League Pickleball team. The Palm Beach Royals are the latest expansion franchise to join the fray, reportedly at "the highest team valuation in league history." Details remain light, but what do we think of the logo?

Ever noticed more advanced players routinely driving their third shot, then dropping their fifth? It’s become common practice. Watch a pro match and you’ll see this strategy on repeat.

In a recent video session, Tyson McGuffin explains why, as he breaks down a match he played with Lacy Schneemann against Gabe Tardio and Jessie Irvine. It was a battle, with neither team giving an inch.

This approach helped Tyson and Lacy claw their way back against an ultra-aggressive opponent. Here’s why it’s so effective:

✅ What’s the one thing you’re told to focus on with a serve return? Push it deep, right? That means the next shot, or the third, is often hit near the baseline. If you’re trying to drop that third into the kitchen, you’ve got an awfully long way to go.

✅ If your opponent is playing aggressively, hugging the kitchen line and taking anything and everything out of the air, this can make a deep third all the more difficult. It’s got to be perfect, or it’s coming back. Hard.

✅ If you drive the third instead, it forces a block or punch volley in return. With the added pace, it’s more difficult for your opponent to consistently keep this fourth shot deep. Just like that, you’ve flipped that player from offense to defense.

✅ On the heels of a well-aimed third-shot drive, your fifth shot can likely be taken considerably closer to the net. With one swing of the paddle, you’ve greatly improved your court positioning and set yourself up for an easier trip to the kitchen.

Sound simple? It is. That’s why all the players better than you are doing it so often.

➡️ Watch the full video.

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Today in controversial rule interpretations: What happens when one team calls a foot fault, and the other team disagrees?

This scenario, submitted by a Reddit user, apparently played out in a men’s doubles tournament. To raise the stakes even further, it was the 14-12 deciding point in a semifinal game.

Here’s what went down:

To be clear: White Hat’s foot was 100% on the kitchen line and his opponent followed the rules by calling the infraction immediately.

It’s not clear what happened next, but according to USAP rule 13.D1.c, the game shouldn’t have ended there, they should have replayed the point:

➡️ Leave us a review below and let us know what you think: Who was in the right here? And how would you have handled this?

With Salt Lake City in the books, the 2025 Major League Pickleball regular season is a wrap.

Playoffs begin August 15-17 in San Diego, then culminate in Central Park, New York City, the following weekend, where the champion will be crowned.

Here are the ten Premier teams that made the playoffs, ranked by seed:

And the six teams that did not:

We’ll have a full MLP Playoff Preview article later this week. In the meantime, here’s everything you missed from Salt Lake City.

Still trying to get to Nationals? Well, the clock is ticking.

The Dink Minor League Pickleball has over 15 qualifying events left this season and two of them are happening this weekend: the Midwest Regional Showdown at PickleCon and the Arizona State Championship in Scottsdale.

From there, the road leads straight to Dallas this December at the Pickler Universe. The Dink MiLP National Championship. The highest stage for amateur team play.

Grab your team and lock it in before it’s too late: dupr.com/minorleague

We know Hollywood is a caricature of real life, but a new pickleball clip from Disney’s “Freakier Friday” has us questioning some things.

The film reprises the roles of Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Mark Harmon, 22 years after the fan-favorite original. Fun. No complaints there.

But what is going on when Curtis and Harmon hit the pickleball court? Knowing nothing about the plot up to this point (because, honestly, we couldn’t be bothered to look), we have some… observations:

We will say this: Harmon has a hell of a forehand.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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