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- 👩🔬 New research reveals the best states to play pickleball
👩🔬 New research reveals the best states to play pickleball
Plus, how to keep your opponents away from the kitchen, how do pickleball tournaments work and more
Brandon Mackie
January 18, 2024
Hey there reader 👋
Welcome back to the latest edition of the Pickleheads Newsletter!
In this issue:
🥎 Routine rally turns into madness!
🤾 How to keep your opponents away from the kitchen
🏆 How do pickleball tournaments work?
👩🔬 New research reveals the best states to play pickleball
Routine rally turns into madness!
This week’s epic point was uploaded to Insta by @madidinks after her 4.5+ Gold Medal Match at the Women’s Open last year.
It all starts with a routine rally until all hell breaks loose at the kitchen line with a fast-hands battle.
To check out this week’s epic point, click the image ▶️
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 🙌
New from HEAD: The Radical Tour Grit
Looking for an upgrade paddle?
Check out HEAD’s new Radical Tour Grit. The super-popular Radical series just got a major upgrade.
You may have seen tennis legend John McEnroe playing with the Radical Tour in the Pickleball Slam last year.
The Radical Tour & Elite are player-favorites with 4.6 stars and over 1,600 ratings on Amazon. But my biggest challenge with the old Radicals was their flat surface and lack of spin.
The Grit changes all that. I played with it all last weekend and could rip hard topspin & backspin. As expected, the gritty carbon surface takes this paddle up a notch.
The Grit is also extra-forgiving with a large sweetspot. If you’re an advancing intermediate looking for a step-up paddle, give this one a look.
And if you’ve been playing with the Radical Elite or an old Radical Tour, I’d definitely look at upgrading to the Grit.
For the launch, I’m excited to share an exclusive 15% off with code PICKLEHEAD15.
**The paddle officially launches next week on Jan 25th. Mark your calendars! We’ll remind you :) **
How to keep your opponents away from the kitchen
Brandon here, taking over from Rahul in this week’s Level Up.
As always though, if you’d like to see a 40-second video of Rahul walking you through this week’s tip, click the video below 👇
If not, read on…
I come from tennis. And one of the biggest things I learned in tennis is…
Never swing on your volleys!
You “punch” them, but never swing.
Well, it took me years to learn this is a terrible strategy in pickleball!
The ball and paddle behave much differently in pickleball vs tennis. And when you punch your volleys, you can give up your biggest advantage in pickleball (being up at the kitchen).
Imagine you’re returning the serve. You hit your return and run up to the kitchen. Your team holds the advantage.
Your opponent attempts a drop but it’s deep enough to take out of the air. If you “punch” this volley, it won’t have much spin on it. And worst of all, it’s likely to land short in the transition zone.
Now your opponent has an easier drop to get to the kitchen. Or they can try a hard drive or lob.
What to do instead? Take every shot you can out of the air. And swing on your volleys. Put topspin on them.
Topspin naturally rotates towards your opponents when it bounces. It helps keep them back.
And if you can keep your opponents back most of the time, you’re almost guaranteed to win.
Try this tip out over the next week and let us know how it works for you by replying to this email.
👩🔬 New research reveals the best states to play pickleball
A new ranking has named the best states to play pickleball!
The findings considered factors like state interest, the availability of outdoor/indoor courts, temperature fluctuations and…
…air pollution – as higher levels may make it harder to exercise due to short-term respiratory effects.
🏈 Kris Draper moved his competitiveness to the pickleball court
Former NHL Detroit Red Wings star, Kris Draper, known to be prickly and edgy, initially rejected the idea of playing a sport called pickleball…
⛹️♂️ What can you learn from watching the pros play?
It seems every week there’s another pro tournament to watch either online or in person. But what can you actually learn from watching the pros play?
Taya Grey talks you through it here.
Check out our BRAND NEW paddle quiz! I’m really excited about this one…
I get asked every week for paddle recs but it’s hard without knowing your playstyle and needs…
So enter the quiz - answer 7 quick questions and I’ll 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 👇
How do pickleball tournaments work?
Thinking of entering a tournament this year? They are a fun and competitive way to showcase your skills!
Whether you’re a novice or a pro, if you’re interested in entering, it's important to understand pickleball tournament basics.
The Format and structure
Tournaments typically follow a single-elimination or double-elimination format.
If you lose in double-elimination, you move to the “back draw” and can still win the tournament by winning out.
Different tournament levels and categories
Tournaments are divided by skill level. You’ll typically have:
Beginner (2.5, 3.0)
Intermediate (3.5, 4.0)
Advanced (4.5+)
Make sure to enter the level closest to your actual skill level. Avoid the temptation to “play down” and win!
The role of rankings and seedings
Rankings determine the seedings of players. They’re based on previous performances.
Higher-ranked players are usually seeded higher in the tournament bracket.
Seedings ensure that top-ranked players face lower-ranked opponents in the early stages of the tournament.
This all sounds kinda serious. But, if it’s your first time entering, I say go for it anyway. A tournament can be as competitive as you want it to be!
Finding tournaments to play in
Finding tournaments is relatively easy.
I suggest contacting your local pickleball club, browsing the World Pickleball Tour or pickleballtournaments.com, or doing a quick online search for pickleball tournaments in your zip code or city.
Once you’ve selected a tournament, visit their website or contact the organizers for registration information. Easy as that.
Tournaments are a whole different atmosphere from your local open play. They’re more intense, but in my experience there’s no better way to advance your game.
Good luck out there! 🙌
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 “Games”.
With over 4,400 open play schedules listed in the US and CA, you can find one whether you’re traveling or looking in your own backyard.
Download now for free: pickleheads.com/app
Tanoan Country Club, Albuquerque, NM
This week’s dream court is once again submitted by one of our subscribers, Juan!
You’ll find this court at the Tanoan Country Club in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A really cool fact, Juan actually designed this complex! We think you’ll agree, he’s done a smashing job! 👀😍🤯
Just, wow 😍
Just launched today: CRBN Eyewear
I never thought I’d sport eyewear on the court.
Not that goggles aren’t cool or anything…
But a few months ago I had a real scare at an open play.
A hard drive deflected off my paddle right into my eye. I fell to the ground, unable to open my eye for a good 10 seconds.
As luck would have it, my partner was an optometrist (isn’t pickleball crazy like that?!). He made sure I was alright to keep playing.
But as pickleball gets faster and faster, I predict we’ll see more and more players protect themselves with eyewear.
Which is why I’m excited to announce one of my favorite brands, CRBN, is launching their own eyewear line today.
The Pivot Glasses come with adjustable lenses for different conditions, plus UV protection.
And you can grab 10% off with code PICKLEHEADS.
Cheers to making pickleball safer in 2024.
** 10% off code PICKLEHEADS auto-applied with the link above **
Who’s gonna try out the new HEAD Radical Tour Grit? |
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