🤼 Pickleball faces hurdles for Olympic inclusion

🤾‍♀️ 6 pickleball terms you need to know

I’m excited as always to welcome back Kyle, creator of That Pickleball Guy, once again for this week’s Level Up.

Hey Pickleheads Readers,

If you’re newer to the game or even if you’ve played for a while, you’ll have heard quite a few odd names for shots and plays in pickleball.

If you don’t know what they mean, it can be annoying. Perhaps, even a little embarrassing, right?

So, here is a library of 6 terms you’ll often hear when you’re at the courts, and what they mean.

#1 Third Shot Drop: 

This is a soft shot, usually the third hit after the serve and return, intended to land in the opponent's kitchen (non-volley zone).

The goal is to neutralize the point and allow the serving team to advance to the net.

#2 Volley:

Hitting the ball out of the air before it bounces. Volleys are typically done close to the net but must be done from outside the kitchen to avoid faults.

#3 Smash:

A powerful overhead shot aimed downward into the opponent's court, used to finish points when the ball is high in the air .

#4 Lob:

A high, deep shot aimed to go over the opponent's head, forcing them to move back from the kitchen​​.

#5 Erne:

A shot where a player jumps or steps around the kitchen to volley the ball close to the net, often surprising the opponents.

#6 ATP (Around the Post):

A shot that travels around the net post and lands in the opponent's court. If you didn’t know, this shot is legal!

I hope this helps.

I put together a video a while back because there’s actually 10 terms you need to know before you hit the courts.

If you want to know the other four, check out my video by clicking the link below! 👇

Heritage – throwback apparel to pickleball’s beginnings

Anyone else into the retro style?

Heritage Pickle-ball has been around for a few months now. They infuse 1960’s retro with modern-day tailoring. A nod to the year pickleball was invented.

They recently sent me a few things to try out, and I have to say…I’m impressed!

The sweatshirt… how did they know I look good in pink?!

The loud design is not something I’d usually wear, but I liked it. Variety is the spice of life after all.

The black and yellow tee was my favorite thing they sent me. I’m an M and it had a nice fitted look without being too tight in the wrong places.

The colour combo is unique and I prefer the retro style with the subtler logo.

The material was nice too, lightweight and breathable. Somewhere between a performance tee and standard cotton.

Finally, the hat. Very cool. Super retro and, again, unique!

I did have to experiment with how to wear it. I went with it angled upwards or backwards which looked pretty cool.

Happy to share Heritage is offering 20% off their entire site for all Pickleheads readers with code Pickleheads20.

Add some retro pickleball style to your wardrobe with the link below 👇

**Save 20% on Heritage with code Pickleheads20**

New! Pickleheads Performance Tees now available!

BIG NEWS!

Our official Pickleheads Performance Tees have just dropped!

These are PERFECT for playing in. We sampled dozens of materials until we found something high-quality and breathable.

They come in 5 colors too! Navy, Light Blue, Mint Green, Charcoal and Orange.

We have a limited supply for this first run, so be sure to grab one before they are gone. We’re throwing in a Pickleheads bag tag with every shirt!

Rooftop Court overlooking Miami’s Downtown Skyline

You’ll find this week’s dream court on the rooftop of a Miami mansion, overlooking the Downtown skyline!

The views are insane! But, I imagine you’d need some shade up there, right?

And, let’s not mention the amount of balls I’d lose into the ocean. Or worse, into the neighbor’s yard.

The hottest paddle in pickleball right now

If you haven’t played with a Proton paddle yet…

Trust me, you need to. You’ll never play with anything like it.

The paddle face feels smooth but when you hit, it generates about the best spin I’ve ever seen on a paddle.

That’s because it uses a nano-tech material instead of raw carbon. And spin won’t wear down over time.

Proton paddles are the hottest paddle launch of the year. Maybe even bigger than the JOOLA Gen 3s…

These paddles have been out of stock for almost 4 months this year. People reach out to me every week asking. “Hey can you score me a Proton paddle?”

My answer? Nope sorry. I have a few in my bag but they are staying with me

But now you can finally buy Protons exclusively on Pickleball Central.

And given the demand, I was honestly surprised they offered Pickleheads readers $25 off with code PRO-PICKLEHEADS.

Btw - some varieties are already sold out so give these a look if you want to see what all the hype is about. The Series One is my favorite by far.

** Enter code PRO-PICKLEHEADS at checkout to save $25 on Proton