🤪 Chaos, counters & comebacks

This week’s epic point is played at full throttle. You’ve got Erne and ATP defenses, speed-ups flying, and resets keeping the rally alive.

What should’ve been winners get sent right back.

Creative, chaotic, and seriously fun to watch.

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 🙌

90 minutes

A study by Apple found pickleball players averaged 90 minutes per workout—nine minutes longer than tennis players.

Nobody's watching the clock. People just don't want to leave.

🌍 Is pickleball about to go truly global?

This week's feature comes from our friends at Empower Pickleball.

You've probably heard someone ask whether pickleball has peaked. The team at Empower Pickleball thinks that's the wrong question, and they make a compelling case for why the sport is actually just entering its next phase.

Their argument: the U.S. grew the sport wide (recreational play, social leagues, casual participation), but it hasn't yet grown it deep. Youth programs, high school leagues, and school-based exposure remain largely untapped — and that's where the real runway is.

Meanwhile, international markets are quietly building something different: structured development pipelines, junior competitions, and long-term pathways designed from the ground up.

What happens when those two models collide? Read the full piece to find out. 👇

📊 Track your performance on Pickleheads!

Every session recorded on Pickleheads has always counted… and now you can finally see the proof.

We recently launched Stats in the Pickleheads app. Now, you can see the sessions you played, your win rate, and the medals you earned.

Simple stuff, but you'd be surprised how little you actually know about your own game until the numbers are staring back at you.

Coming soon:

📊 Average rating of opponents you beat (and lose to)
🤝 Which partner you play best with
🔥 Your toughest competition (closest to .500 record)
📍 Local leaderboards.

🤒 What is the most common pickleball injury?

ESPN presents the key facts to know…

😲 UPA bans Proton paddles from PPA Tour & MLP

This week, Proton paddles were officially banned from professional pickleball following unresolved financial obligations with the UPA.

Currently, the ban only affects professional-level play, though PPA Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe noted that policies for amateur play are also under review, "with further communication to follow."

If you compete in UPA-A amateur events, it's worth confirming your Proton paddle is still on the USAP approved list.

🚤 International Boat Show features floating pickleball court

Got a burning pickleball question? About rules, our app, the sport, a news story, anything goes.

If so, click Yes! Drop it in the comments and we'll pick our favorite to answer in next week's newsletter.

🤔 “Can you stand “all day” in the NVZ and only hit balls that bounce?” – Cherianne, Winnipeg, CA.

Yes! And it's completely legal. There's no rule requiring you to leave the kitchen. You can plant yourself there for as long as you want. The only restriction is that you can't volley (hit the ball out of the air) while standing in or touching the NVZ line. If you let every ball bounce first, you're free to hit it from inside the kitchen without fault.

That said, it's rarely a great tactic in practice. You also lose the ability to poach or attack anything in the air, so you're essentially handing the offensive advantage to the other side.

So the short answer: legal all day, but you'd probably get torched by anyone who knows what they're doing.

Fresh takes, spicy debates, and the latest hot paddles & gear: catch up on our latest Court Talk highlights:

• 👌 The best all-court power paddle available right now!

• 🫶 An elite paddle under $200 that keeps up with your game

• 🥤 A better-for-you energy drink with electrolytes to help you win

• 😲 The JOOLA Pro V just dropped, and now I'm hyped!

Skipped a scroll or two? No worries — here are the last few editions we sent your way:

• 🤾 Where do you stand on the third shot?

• 🪓 Was this a tomahawk?

• 🤾 4 habits costing you points!

• ⌚️ Timex just dropped a Snoopy pickleball watch