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Pickleball players obsess about rules. And new strategies. Tips and tricks are consumed voraciously. Anything and everything to gain an edge, right?

And yet, the real beauty of this sport is its infinite variety. Every time you get on the court, something new and unexpected will happen. That’s what makes it so addictive. And fun. As pro Zoey Weil tells us, the new rule of pickleball is that there are no rules anymore. She explains her refreshing approach below.

In This Issue:
— The Dallas Flash silence the haters
— How did the OWL paddle get certified?
— MLP trade deadline abuzz with activity

All aboard.

The OWL paddle doesn’t look like any other paddle on the market. It doesn’t feel, sound, or play like any of the thousands of other USAP-certified paddles, either. So why is it certified? It’s a head-scratcher — and part of a much larger story that’s creeping into the spotlight.

When playing bangers, it’s easy to fall under their spell and send hard-hit balls straight back at them. Yeah, stop doing that. Any true banger will admit they hate hitting balls on the run. So start using angles to your advantage instead, OK?

This week in unnecessary social media debates: If she dedicated her life to it, how long would it take for Anna Leigh Waters to be “successful” in professional tennis? We’ll never know, but the masses seem to have reached a consensus: Forever.

This week, MLP pulls up to a brand-new Life Time facility in Chicago’s North Shore for the first time ever. Can the Flash repeat, or will a new team take the 25 standings points? Get your tix — and your popcorn.

If there's one trend that's defining pro pickleball right now, it's this: there's no longer a "right" way to play.

For years, there were accepted rules. Don't speed the ball up off the bounce. Don't attack crosscourt. Play the percentages.

Now? The best players in the world are breaking those rules every single match.

Take speed-ups off the bounce. Two or three years ago, if you asked someone about attacking off the bounce, they'd probably tell you, "Don't do it." Today, you'll see players like Anna Leigh Waters and Rachel Rohrabacher firing speed-ups from the transition zone without hesitation.

The same goes for attacking crosscourt. That used to be considered a bad decision because the next ball would likely come back to your partner.

But at the highest level, you can't win if your opponents only have to defend two or three predictable spots.

The best players force you to think about every spot on the court.

A lot of people think high-level pickleball is about being as aggressive as possible or speeding up every attackable ball. It isn't.

It's about making your opponents believe you could speed up every ball into any location.

The biggest evolution in today's game isn't one specific shot.

It's the willingness to challenge conventional wisdom.

➡️ Trust me — I've experienced that firsthand.

Limited edition gear is a gamble. Blink and it's gone, or worse, you see it in someone else's bag and realize you waited too long.

11SIX24 made a limited run of the Power 2 in Summer Strawberry, and they're not restocking it. So "I'll grab it next month" isn't really on the table.

It's the Power 2 you already know underneath, HexGrit face and 16mm core, across the Hurache-X, Vapor, and Pegasus. It even comes with strawberries on the face, in case the name left any doubt.

Pick your shape before this summertime batch runs out. Limited run, no restocks. Then it's back to black.

Grab the Strawberry Power 2 and use code PBEFFECT for $10 off.

Today at noon EDT was the Major League Pickleball trade deadline. And as expected, we’ve seen some roster shake-ups, including a few top teams.

Here’s what’s gone down:

Less than an hour later, this happened:

Then, finally, there was this:

Head spinning yet? Stay with us.

The headline here is Connor Garnett moving to LA. That strengthens their mixed roster, but doesn’t appear to change much for men’s or even Dreambreakers.

The other surprise is the trade that didn’t happen. Speculation has been thick that Federico Staksrud would be dealt from Orlando to a championship contender, likely New Jersey. That would catapult them into heavy favorites. But no. At least not yet… it could still happen.

For now, it looks like the remaining top teams are going to ride their current rosters into the playoffs.

➡️ As always, we’re tracking all MLP trades in one place, right here.

Founder-led paddle brands are a rarity these days.

Think of the top paddles in the game. Heck, look down at the paddle you’re playing with right now. Can you name a single person behind the brand? Do you know who the founder is? The CEO? The head of R&D?

Rafael Filippini is a first-generation immigrant who came to the United States from Mexico as a young child. He didn't speak English, didn't know the culture, and had to figure things out the hard way.

He joined the military, where he was placed in the composites division working on high-performance aircraft. That experience gave him a technical foundation that most paddle designers simply don't have. He wasn't guessing at material science. He was trained in it.

A pivot into racquet sports ultimately led him to start Gearbox, which remains one of the most innovative and forward-thinking brands in the sport. They’ve got about 50 patents and counting over 10 years to prove it.

Much of the tech we take for granted today was influenced in some way by Rafael’s early vision for what the sport could become.

➡️ The Gearbox story, in Rafael’s own words.

The deal looks incredible. A $230 CRBN for $25 on Alibaba, logo and all. So, we bought one to see what "close enough" actually gets you.

The face was advertised as carbon fiber. It's closer to cardboard. The edge guard started peeling on day one, the handle was hollow and open on the sides, and with no grit, you couldn't control a dink to save your life.

Over the past year, fakes have flooded the market. CRBN, Selkirk, and JOOLA knockoffs are everywhere from Temu to Facebook, and the one rule that never fails is the price.

If a $300 paddle is going for $30, it's not a deal. It's a decoration.

Here's how to spot a fake before you buy one.

The Dallas Flash have largely been written off this MLP season.

The results so far don’t put them in the conversation for championship contender. And when they recently traded star Tyra Black away to Columbus, many put them in the “maybe next year” category for good.

They’ve still got a long way to go to compete with the likes of St. Louis and New Jersey. But their win at MLP San Diego yesterday certainly improves their chances and adds even more fuel to the “parity” fire ripping through the league right now.

The Flash, for their part, continue to say it with their full chest:

The team we haven’t talked about yet, the squad many (including us) expected to be battling it out on Super Sunday, is the LA Mad Drops, who had a disappointing showing throughout.

Top results from San Diego:

🥇 Dallas Flash (25 standings points)
🥈 Columbus Sliders (18 standings points)
🥉 Atlanta Bouncers (15 standings points)
🏅 SoCal Hard Eights (12 standings points)

With just two events remaining before playoffs begin (Chicago and Orlando), four teams have cemented their spots (New Jersey, St. Louis, LA, and Columbus) while two have officially been eliminated (Florida and Bay Area).

Now, it’s a rush to playoffs, where things really start to get good.

➡️ Erik Tice breaks down everything you missed from San Diego.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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