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š„ Chinaās plan to dominate pickleball
Plus, a candidate for shot of the year, what grips to use, and more...
Brandon Mackie
February 01, 2024
Hey there reader š
Welcome back to the latest edition of the Pickleheads Newsletter!
In this issue:
š² A candidate for shot of the year?
š¤¾ What grip should I use?
š§ Chinaās goal to takeover pickleball
š¤¬ āFirst taking over the courts, then the tournamentsā
A candidate for shot of the year?
This week weāre bringing you not one, but two epic points.
Our first was uploaded to YouTube nearly a year ago. @neilmediratta8893 claims it to be an early contender for last yearās shot of the year. š¤
What do you think?
Our second is a subscriber submitted epic point! Check out Pickle Groundās ATP to win the pointā¦š
To check out this weekās epic points, click the images ā¶ļø
Have a filthy point caught on cam? šø
Reply to this email or submit yours to [email protected]. The most epic one will feature in next weekās newsletter!
AND if we pick your submission, we'll send you a free Pickleheads t-shirt š
The paddle Iām ape crazy about
Wow yāall went ape crazy over last weekās featured gearā¦
I talked last week how Pickleball Apesā Pro Line Energy S is my favorite new go-to paddle this year.
Well turns out I wasnāt aloneā¦ almost 50 of you bought one so far!
This paddle is made with Kevlar and raw carbon. It has a unique feel I think will help any intermediate and advancing beginnerās game.
If youāre interested in checking it out, donāt forget to use code PICKLEHEADS for 10% off. Which brings the paddle to a reasonable $137.70 price.
See you on the courts!
** 10% off code PICKLEHEADS auto-applied with the link above **
What grips should I use?
Rahul, Pickleheads community manager and APP Top 150 player, is back once again with this weekās top tipā¦
There are loads of grips to use in pickleballā¦
Most importantly, itās about using the right grip at the right time!
For the majority of your shots (especially at the kitchen) you should use the continental grip.
The continental grip allows for maximum control, and allows you to both volley and dink easily.
You can also hold your backhand in continental to generate maximum topspin.
The eastern grip is the perfect grip for your groundstrokes and serves.
Itās a good, consistent grip that allows you to maintain control. And add some topspin to your forehands and backhands.
Itās a happy neutral medium between the continental and semi-western grip.
The semi-western grip, considered to be the most extreme out of the three grips, can lead to inconsistencies on your forehand...
But, itāll allow you to generate the maximum amount of topspinā¦ (it's my personal choice of grip for forehands!).
You can also use this grip for your serves. While risky, you can get some massive pace AND topspin, and itāll give your serve some extra juice!
Hereās a video of Rahul talking you through all three grips š
š¤¬"First taking over the courts, then the tournaments"
Pickleball will be included in the 2024 Miami Open! š
On one hand, great news! On the other, it seems to have angered tennis fans!
š§ Stephen Moyer confesses he's obsessed with pickleball
The 'True Blood' alum and 'Sexy Beast' star recently quipped 'I can't believe it got me' about being in "the pickleball cult".
And says playing several times a day during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike "was actually kind of holding me together"
š The worldās largest indoor pickleball complex opens
Located in the former Macon Mall, Georgia, the worldās largest indoor pickleball complex is open and going gangbusters!
The first of its kind facility sprawls over two stories, featuring 32 pickleball courts, lockers, showers and pro-shop will attract state, regional and national tournaments!
Check out our BRAND NEW paddle quiz! Iām really excited about this oneā¦
I get asked every week for paddle recs but itās hard without knowing your playstyle and needsā¦
So enter the quiz - answer 7 quick questions and Iāll recommend the 3 best for you. I tested over 80 paddles last year but only pick from the top 30.
Are you playing with the best paddle for your game? Find out below š
Chinaās plan to dominate pickleball
It seems last September, in Beijing, a few hundred Chinese officials and dignitaries gathered to assess a sport of American originā¦pickleball!
And as a recent article from Front Office Sports highlighted āpickleball may well be taking over America. China, though, may be on the cusp of taking over pickleballā¦no exaggeration.
Apparently, the top sports officials in China have pledged to Seymour Rifkind, a Chicago based ambassador of pickleball, āthat within five years they expect to have 10,000 courts and 100 million players.ā
So, how does that stack up to America? Well, in 2023, the APP estimates that around 36 million Americans picked up a paddle at least once.
As for courts, the US already has over 10,000 in use.
Anyhow, there are a lot of positives that could come from Chinaās inclusion.
More players. More competition. International recognition of the sport. Which means we may finally see pickleball become an Olympic sport.
A newly recognized Olympic sport which China may want to dominate, like they do with table tennis and badminton.
Seymour Rifkind has even said āChina wants to lead the world in pickleball, and they have the means to do it.ā
Weād love to hear your thoughts on this. Will international recognition be good for pickleball? Will we finally see pickleball as an Olympic sport?
Reply and let us know.
New: Find an open play anywhere you go
Did you know you can do a lot more than find courts on Pickleheads?
Now you can find pick-up games and open plays across the country.
Search an area or use the Pickleheads mobile app, navigate to the Discover tab and select āGamesā.
With over 4,400 open play schedules listed in the US and CA, you can find one whether youāre traveling or looking in your own backyard.
Download now for free: pickleheads.com/app
Green Valley Recreation, AZ
Youāll find this weekās dream court just south of Tucson, AZ.
Not only are the views a sight to behold, Green Valley Recreation takes their pickleball very seriously.
Their vision is to ābe recognized as Southern Arizona's best Pickleball Club.ā
By the looks of thingsā¦they must be close, right? š¤©š„µ
ERNE ā The ultimate drilling partner!
I donāt mean to make anyone jealous butā¦
My Erne arrived last week!
Iām taking it out this weekend. Stay tuned for a full write-up and video review š
Iāve hit a point where open plays wonāt get me up another level. I need to drill.
Hit 3rd shot drop after dropā¦
And thatās what the Erne is. A pickleball drilling partner. That you donāt need to coordinate schedules withā¦š
If youāre ready to improve your game this year, check out the Erne. And, remember to get $100 off with code PH100.
Though the Erne is still on backorder, I recommend ordering before you get bumped to the next production run.
Cheers to improving our games in 2024! š„
**Use code PH100 to save $100 on the Erne**
We apologize for last weekās meme image, which some readers found offensive. We will review our meme images much more carefully in the future.
Meme of the week will be back next week!
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