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Famed for her elite skillset and outspoken demeanor, Top PPA pro Lea Jansen joined the PicklePod to get real about a few hot topics — including the viral moment at a recent pro event when she verbally undressed our own Nico the Lefty while he was sitting courtside.

The group discusses whether pro player fines should be public information, Lea’s biggest pet peeve on the practice court, and what makes Anna Leigh Waters such a force to be reckoned with.

In This Issue:
— Rec play horror stories
— How to be unattackable
— Selkirk’s new Costco bag

Just happy to be here.

Dominant on the court, outspoken off of it, Lea Jansen is one of the most electric talents in all of pro pickleball. She joins us on this week’s PicklePod and doesn’t hold back, including her disdain for anyone who yells “Come on!” during practice. “Tell me you’re an amateur without telling me you’re an amateur.” This one is a must-watch.

We’ve all had an on-court horror story or two. But can you top this thread of all-timers? From a self-inflicted root canal to a sweaty paddle toss clear out into the parking lot, rec players are sharing their cringiest court confessions ever. Prepare yourself.

The sights and sounds so far from the PPA Greater Zion Cup, a new southern Utah venue for the league, have been magnificent. Today, the pros lock in for round of 32 action. We’re predicting a clean sweep of #1 seed winners all the way to the podiums on Championship Sunday. Can anyone play spoiler?

Lots of PPA pros are taking advantage of the natural beauty while in Utah for this weekend’s event, hiking, biking, seeing the sights. A few of the top men, including Jack Sock, Hayden Patriquin, Federico Staksrud, and Christian Alshon, hit the links for a 3-v-3 golf match. It’s Team Desert vs. Team Beach. See who won.

We talk a lot about the new meta of pickleball: attack, attack, attack.

And this applies most at the kitchen line. More and more, the team that pushes the pace and attacks more often tends to come out on top.

But what about when you’re on the receiving end? Instead of being a sitting duck, there are strategies to make yourself downright unattackable. APP pro Tanner Tomassi breaks a few down.

✅ When a hard drive or speed-up is coming, get your paddle off your chest, a foot or more in front of your body. This lets you block or punch the ball back super efficiently in a tight, compact swing, rather than trying to time a full shot.

✅ We all hit dead dinks. But how you react to the next shot makes all the difference. Don’t stand there, flat-footed, hoping your reflexes will bail you out. They won’t. Instead, the moment you realize you’ve sailed a dink high, take a big step back off the kitchen line. The added split-second this gives you makes a world of difference.

✅ Twoey speed-ups are notoriously difficult to read. A savvy opponent can hold their attack until the last minute then go line or middle at will. Instead of guessing, position your chest directly in front of the ball right before they hit it. This cuts off the court geometry for the deadliest angle: attacking down the line.

Tanner’s got a few more tips where these came from, like crab-walking to the kitchen line, the power of a killer return, and respecting the X.

➡️ Watch him demonstrate.

Walk onto almost any court and you’ll see the same thing:

Franklin X-40s in play.

It’s not random. Consistent bounce, reliable feel, and they hold up through game after game without wearing down halfway through.

When players keep choosing the same ball across open play, leagues, and everything in between… there’s usually a reason.

Shop the Franklin X-40 and play what everyone trusts.

This week on the PicklePod, we’re joined by one of the most outspoken and unfiltered voices in pro pickleball — Lea Jansen.

From her viral Newport Beach outburst directly at our own Nico the Lefty to calling out the “Karen Rules Committee,” Lea pulls back the curtain on the chaos behind the scenes of pro pickleball.

We dive deep into the new and somewhat polarizing Pro Player Committee, fines, paddle tosses, and whether players should really be policing other players.

But it’s not all drama…

Lea also gets brutally honest about:

Plus, we get into online trolls, social media clapbacks, and the unwritten rules of pickleball etiquette that might need to be enforced ASAP.

This is pickleball, unfiltered.

➡️ Watch the PicklePod.

After a rather noisy off-season, the APP Tour opens its season this weekend for the AARP Open at the Side Out Tsunami Pickleball Center in Seattle, Washington.

The APP made headlines recently by trumpeting a bunch of big-name pro signings across social media. Sofia Sewing. Quang Duong. Megan Fudge. Jack Munro.

All huge names, to be sure. But there’s a bit more to those deals than meets the eye. In an emergency PicklePod episode, we invited Quang’s dad, Duc, on to explain.

Turns out, the pros are only locked in for a set number of APP events per year and the deals are not exclusive.

Regardless, the APP is back at a brand new location, right near the birthplace of pickleball. And you better believe all the big names will be there.

➡️ For more on the event, including our predictions for who wins each discipline, head here.

Be honest — most of us are still guessing.

Trying to eat better. Sleep more. Maybe adding supplements that seem right.

But when energy dips, recovery lags, or you just don’t feel as sharp… it’s all still trial and error.

Marek Health changes that.

Advanced lab testing, a real health coach, and a plan built around your actual numbers so you can stop throwing darts and start making adjustments that actually make sense.

Stop guessing and get real answers with Marek Health. Use code THEDINK for 10% off.

Your online cart is stuffed with chicken breast, olive oil, and peanut butter. You might as well add a little something for your pickleball game while you're at it.

Selkirk just launched a new addition to its popular Team series, the SLK Team Bag.

But there's a twist: this one is sold exclusively at Costco. Well, at Costco.com to be specific. The online-only deal just went live. And we're guessing it's going to be pretty popular.

The backpack comes in black and costs just $60. It’s got plenty of space for paddles, shoes, water, and extra gear.

And just think — with all that savings, you can now justify that new paddle you’ve been eyeing…

➡️ Check it out.

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