🤾 Stop reaching. Start controlling.

🤾 Stop reaching. Start controlling.

Stoked to welcome back Jordan Briones from Briones Pickleball on YouTube for this week’s Level Up.

Hey Pickleheads readers,

Struggling with dinks that pop up or feel rushed? This is usually a footwork and contact problem, not a technique issue.

Here are three simple fixes that make a huge difference:

1️⃣ Stop reaching for the ball
If you’re stretched out, you’ve already lost control. Your goal is to get behind the ball, not just to it. That’s where consistent contact comes from.

2️⃣ Use the shuffle step (and go past it)
Move your inside foot first, then slide across and get your outside foot past the ball. Most players stop too early. The extra step is what brings contact back in front.

3️⃣ Create space and slow it down
Don’t short hop everything. Let the ball rise, create space, and slow your swing speed. Fast feet, slow swing = control.

Get these right, and your dinks instantly feel calmer, cleaner, and way more reliable.

Watch Jordan break this down in more detail in the full video 👇

Most players lose points because they’re out of position.

🥤 An electrolyte mix built for the heat of summer pickleball

Summer’s coming… and if you’re playing outside, you’ve probably felt it already. You start sharp. Moving well. Hands feel quick.

Then 45 minutes in?

Heavy legs. Sloppy dinks. Everything feels half a step slow. That’s not just fatigue.. it’s dehydration.

Water helps, but it doesn’t replace the electrolytes you’re sweating out every point. And once those drop, your performance goes with it.

That’s why I started using SLAMIT Hydrate, and why it’s been in my Hydro Flask for the past year.

I was first put onto it by two people I trust Kyle Koszuta (That Pickleball Guy) and Tanner Tomassi. Then I saw pros Anna Bright and Zane Navratil were involved in building it, and that was enough for me to give it a shot.

Since then, it’s been a staple, especially in the Arizona heat. I feel far more consistent from the first game to the last.

It’s built with ingredients like Baja Gold® Sea Salt, real coconut water, and HydroPrime® to help your body absorb fluids more efficiently — which just means you stay sharper, longer.

No drop-off. No fade.

I’ve put together a full breakdown of how it performs and how it stacks up against the big brands.

👉 Read my full SLAMIT Hydrate review

🧨 3 tips that’ll transform your game

💥 Beat bangers like THIS

🔥 How to deal with slice serves

🇬🇷 Porto Elounda Golf & Spa Resort, Crete, Greece

Pickleball with a Mediterranean flex? You got it.

You’ll find this week’s dream court perched above that unreal Mediterranean blue water, red surfaces popping against the coastline, and views that make it very hard to stay focused on the score.

It’s calm, it’s scenic, and nothing beats a rally with a sea breeze.

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

• 😂 The part of practice nobody enjoys… fixed

• 🫶 The recovery habit that makes me a better pickleball player

• 👑 We just crowned a new king of spin

• 😲 This paddle hits like it costs twice as much

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

• 🤯 Seriously! This point is UNBELIEVABLE.

• 🤾 Hit perfect resets with these 3 pointers

• 🚫 Controversial court split plan sparks HUGE backlash

• 🤾 90% of players do this WRONG

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