Why churches are embracing pickleball

Could this pickleball change the game? Serving big starts with routine.

May 21, 2025

Sunday Service? From megachurches in Dallas to small-town congregations outside of Boston, churches across the country are adding pickleball programming to fuel congregational growth and engage current members.

Competitive Spirit đŸ€ Holy Spirit.

In This Issue:
— Why serving big starts with a routine
— Churches tap pickleball to build community
— The case for a controversial new pickleball

Preach.

Our Picks ☝

🏆 Debate: The Best Men’s Pickleball Team

Zane Navratil posed the question, now the masses are weighing in: Who’s the best men’s doubles team in pro pickleball right now? It’s not nearly as clear-cut as it used to be, and that’s a good thing. Who ya got?

đŸŽ„ ClipTHAT: ATPs, Overheads, Oh My

Consider this your friendly reminder that we’re living in the golden age of pickleball. This clip has it all: a nasty ATP defended, multiple overheads returned, insane court coverage, and all at 10-10. Ten years ago, this type of talent was in the pros.

đŸ€« Secret: The Paddles We Never See

The R&D behind many popular new paddle models is reaching science fiction levels. Selkirk Labs, for example, can go through 100 or more iterations of a paddle before it’s approved. The models that didn’t make the cut are kept in an internal library of experimental technologies. The more you know.

‌ Whoa: Massive Indoor Facility Set for Atlanta

If all goes according to plan, the Pickleball Club of Georgia will break ground this summer in a former Atlanta warehouse spanning 100,000 square feet. With more than 30 planned courts, it could be the country’s largest indoor facility to date.

Want a Monster Serve? It Starts with Routine

Watch any top pro serve. Now watch them again. Notice anything? They repeat the exact same motions, down to the breath, every time. Peak performance is all about consistency.

Roscoe Bellamy is no exception. The former UCLA and pro tennis player is now making his 6’ 5” presence known in pro pickleball, largely in the form of a formidable forehand and monster serve.

Serve Mechanics

🔑 Keep a loose arm and grip, and snap your arm toward your intended target like a whip

🔑 Transfer your weight forward through your swing motion for maximum power

🔑 Default to serving deep, but mix up speeds, spins, and locations to keep your opponents guessing

Serve Routine

Before you serve, you need to ground yourself in a regular, repeatable routine. Here’s why, and what that looks like.

✅ Consistency comes from repetition. Do the same thing every single time you serve, like bouncing the ball off the court three times or tapping the ball against your paddle. This routine will become second nature and prevent you from overthinking.

✅ Make sure to include a deep breath in and out as part of your pre-serve ritual. Clear your mind. Focus on your target. You’re about to go into battle—you better be ready.

✅ Incorporate a slight pause before dropping the ball and initiating your backswing. This is the final component of your routine, the cherry on top. It’s a split second to pull everything together and lock in on what you’re doing.

Your Ball Shouldn’t Outlive You

You already know pickleballs crack, warp, and get tossed way too fast. What you might not know is that most of them are sticking around in landfills for the next 100 years.

Same price. Better durability. Five times the lifespan of a standard ball. And when its run is done, it breaks down in a few years — not a few generations.

Oh, and it actually plays great. Consistent bounce, true flight, and it holds its shape better than some of our doubles partners.

Sunday Service (Games to 11)

Churches in several states are turning to the power of pickleball to help bring people together.

The trend took root during the pandemic and has since grown in popularity as a way to build community among congregations of all shapes and sizes, from megachurches in Texas to small-town holy buildings outside of Boston.

Many churchgoers are already playing the sport, so why not combine the two passions?

“There was an era where people went to Starbucks to hang out," said a pastor in a Chicago suburb. “Now, people drive through and grab a Starbucks and go play pickleball.”

Apparently some congregations are playing upwards of 3x per week, and building more courts to meet the demand. Which raises the question: At what point do we go from a church that offers pickleball to a pickleball club that offers church?

The Pros Are Divided—Zane Navratil Is Not

Life Time’s proprietary pickleball, the LT Ball, debuted at the PPA Tour Atlanta Championships last weekend to mixed reviews.

Some pros hated it, some were in love. Minutes after losing to the 64-seed, Alex Crum, Fed Staksrud tweeted (then promptly deleted) his feelings: “This ball is a complete disaster.”

Why it’s different

Zane Navratil was there, and he feels just as strongly the other way. “It is the truest bouncing ball I’ve played with by an enormous margin,” he says in an article for The Dink.

By all accounts, the ball plays faster and bounces higher than the ball typically used on the PPA Tour and in MLP events, the Vulcan VPRO Flight. This is due to its construction: Rather than being one molded piece of plastic, it’s actually two separate pieces fused together. What’s more, it’s got 48 holes instead of the standard 40.

“I think the pros of the consistent bounce outweigh the cons of it being slightly too fast,” adds Zane.

The next PPA event is at the end of June in San Clemente, CA — at another Life Time. That means the LT Ball will be back in action, likely eliciting more strong opinions about its performance.

The future of the Vulcan ball at PPA and MLP events is also up in the air, for reasons that aren’t yet clear. So every event going forward is a proving ground for the next industry standard.

Is the LT Ball setting a new benchmark? “Typically, we change Vulcan balls every game at MLP and PPA,” says Zane. “However, we were using a single Life Time ball for entire matches.”

Keep Scrolling If You Don’t Care About Your Fitness

Still here? Thought so.

Pickleball works your legs, core, arms, and back. So should your training.

Hydrow hits 86% of your muscles with every stroke, building strength, stamina, and endurance that translate directly to better performance on court. It’s full-body, low-impact, and way more effective than jogging in circles or pretending burpees don’t suck.

And it’s not just rowing. Hydrow also offers yoga, strength, mobility, and Pilates—filmed on real water with world-class athletes—so you can train like a pro, even on your off days.

Now’s a solid time to jump in. For Memorial Day, when you order a Hydrow Pro or Wave Rower, you’ll get all the accessories you need — machine mat, heart rate monitor, and On the Mat Kit — totally free. Use code DINK at checkout.

Pro Pickleball Takes Over Iconic New York Venue

The APP Tour has descended on New York this week, taking over the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.

  • Megan Fudge just became the winningest player in APP history. She’ll be looking to add to her 70 medals as the 1-seed in both women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

  • Sofia Sewing has a gold or silver in all five APP Tour stops this year; look for her to keep that momentum rolling.

  • The men’s doubles and mixed doubles draws are wide open with usual 1-seed Will Howells absent from the field (he’ll be at MLP Austin instead). Look for Erik Lange, Jack Munro, Purple Jesus and others to have a big weekend.

If you’re local, it’s worth checking out; if not, you can find the action on ESPN+.

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