- Pickleheads
- Posts
- 🤯 An ATP Erne defense!
🤯 An ATP Erne defense!
Plus, this paddle was built for firefights, 4 things you’re practicing wrong. Want to experience Nationals? This is the week to book. And much more...
Brandon at Pickleheads
August 20, 2026
Hey reader,
Welcome back to the Pickleheads Newsletter!
In this issue:
🤯 An ATP Erne defense!
🔥 This paddle was built for firefights
🤾 4 things you’re practicing wrong
🇺🇸 Want to experience Nationals? This is the week to book
🧨 This is the perfect moment to attack
🤯 An ATP Erne defense!
Have a filthy point caught on cam? 📸
Reply to this email or submit yours to [email protected]. The most epic one will feature in next week’s newsletter!
And if we pick your submission, we’ll send you a free Pickleheads t-shirt 🙌
🔥 This paddle was built for firefights
Hey Pickleheads readers, Stephen here 👋
There are two types of pickleball players: those who dread the moment a firefight descends into chaos, and those who absolutely love the bedlam.
If you're the latter, you're going to love the AIREO Cyclone. It actually made me want opponents to speed up at me.
The standout is the pop. A simple backhand counter sends the ball flying back with enough pace to turn defense into a putaway almost instantly. If fast-hand battles are a big part of your game, this paddle is seriously fun.
Then there's the spin. I was getting aggressive drives to dip back inside the baseline, shaping the ball easily, and generating plenty of movement on serves.
The tradeoff? That lively face makes dinks and resets very tricky, so this isn't a paddle I'd recommend to control players, or newer players still developing their touch.
But for aggressive intermediate and advanced players? There's a lot to like.
Especially when you consider the price. The Cyclone starts at $189, and our exclusive PICKLEHEADS code knocks another 10% off, taking some models down to around $170.
That's a lot of firepower for under $200.
Save 10% when you enter code PICKLEHEADS (price varies by model)
🤾 4 things you’re practicing wrong
Stoked to welcome back Jordan from Briones Pickleball Academy on YouTube for this week’s Level Up!
Hey Pickleheads readers,
You can spend hours drilling and still not get better. Why? Because how you practice matters just as much as how much you practice.
I see players wasting reps on unrealistic drills all the time. Here are four things I'd change immediately:
1️⃣ Practice your second AND fourth shots
Don't stand at the baseline hitting return after return. In a real point, you're returning, moving forward, split-stepping, and preparing for the fourth shot. Practice the whole sequence so you're training what actually happens in a game.
2️⃣ Stop hitting drive after drive
You're rarely going to hit three or four drives from the baseline in a real rally. Instead, practice driving the third, getting balanced, then dropping the next ball so you can work your way toward the kitchen.
3️⃣ Dink with intention
If you're just standing still knocking dead dinks back and forth, you're not getting much from those reps. Move your feet, create better contact points, apply pressure, and try to move your drilling partner around.
4️⃣ Practice the shots you actually need
Ernes and ATPs look great, but if you're trying to get to 3.5 or even 4.0, your transition game and counters are going to help you a whole lot more. Spend your practice time on the shots you'll actually use.
These are just four of the seven practice mistakes I see players making all the time.
Watch the full video to find out what else could be wasting your reps 👇
🤔 Stuck at 3.5?
Most players stay there for years. Briones Academy’s in-person intensives are built to get you past it 👇
The fastest way to lose a step isn't your age. It's your recovery.
Every pickleball player has had that moment. Your opponents pop the ball up. You know exactly where it's going. But somehow... you're still half a step late.
Most of us blame our legs. Or our age. But there's another part of the equation we rarely think about: our nervous system.
Your brain relies on sensory feedback from your feet and muscles to understand where your body is and how it's moving. That's called proprioception. When that feedback isn't as sharp, your balance gets sloppy, your split step slows down, and suddenly you're reacting a fraction too late at the kitchen line.
That's what makes the RAD Neuro Ball and Neuro Roller interesting.
Rather than being standard massage tools, they're covered in sensory textures designed to stimulate the thousands of nerves in your feet and hands. That sensory information helps your brain coordinate movement through the ankles, knees, and hips.
Use them pre-game and you're helping wake up your nervous system, so you feel grounded, balanced, and ready to react. Post-game, they can help release built-up tension and tackle the soreness you're likely to feel the next morning.
RAD also makes recovery tools for everything from tight calves to a stiff lower back, all compact enough to throw in your pickleball bag.
Because if the goal is to keep playing three, four, even five days a week for the next 20 years, recovery probably needs to become as much a part of the routine as warming up.
🇺🇸 Want to experience Nationals? This is the week to book
If the 2026 Oceanview USA Pickleball National Championships is on your pickleball bucket list this year, here's a little heads-up.
Early Bird pricing ends this Sunday, August 23.
Book before then and you'll save 20% on Championship Court presented by QVC and VIP tickets for Nationals in San Diego.
And this is one event that's worth experiencing in person. From October 31–November 8, some of the best professional, amateur, junior, collegiate, and wheelchair players in the country will take over Barnes Tennis Center for nine days of championship pickleball.
There's plenty going on between matches too. You'll find the Fan Village, giveaways, exclusive USA Pickleball gear, food, drinks, and entertainment throughout the week.
Don't need the full VIP treatment? General Admission is free, so there's nothing stopping you from heading down and being part of it.
But if you want the best view in the house, don't wait around. The 20% Early Bird saving disappears after Sunday.
The Stage Is Earned, Not Given.
🧨 This is the perfect moment to attack
👀 Do this on your partner’s 3rds
💪 Want more power in your drives?
Your partner serves and the return comes right at you at the net. Can you volley it? |
Can a drop serve be hit with a backhand motion? |
Before the score is called, which of these is NOT a valid "not ready" signal? |
Fresh takes, spicy debates, and the latest hot paddles & gear – catch up on our latest Court Talk highlights:
Skipped a scroll or two? No worries — here are the last few editions we sent your way:
What do you think of the Pickleheads Newsletter? Let us know how we can be even better in the comments. |