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- 🙏 This 3rd shot tip saves YEARS of frustration
🙏 This 3rd shot tip saves YEARS of frustration
Plus, my best cheap paddles 2026, every pickleball fan should experience this at least once, how to stop popping up your dinks, The Dink lands on Apple TV this Friday, and much more...
Brandon at Pickleheads
July 23, 2026
Hey reader,
Welcome back to the Pickleheads Newsletter!
In this issue:
🫠 All those resets… for nothing
🤑 My best cheap paddles 2026
🤾 How to stop popping up your dinks
🇺🇸 Every pickleball fan should experience this at least once
🍿 The Dink lands on Apple TV this Friday
🙏 This 3rd shot tip saves YEARS of frustration
🫠 All those resets… for nothing
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 🙌
🤑 My best cheap paddles 2026
One of the biggest myths in pickleball is that spending more automatically gets you a better paddle. It doesn't.
Some of the best-value paddles we've tested cost under $100, while others at the same price simply aren't worth it.
After another year of testing, we've refreshed our Best Cheap Pickleball Paddles guide with a whole host of new additions that genuinely deliver.
Every paddle we test gets scored across eight categories, including power, spin, control, forgiveness, and more. We then compare that performance score against its price to calculate a true value rating.
The results are fascinating. Some sub-$100 paddles deliver performance you'd expect from models costing much more.
If you’re on a budget, looking for the biggest bang for your buck, this guide takes the guesswork out of finding your next paddle.
🤾 How to stop popping up your dinks
Tanner from Tanner Pickleball on YouTube returns for this week’s Level Up.
Hey Pickleheads readers,
If your dinks keep floating up and getting punished, there's a good chance you're making one of these three mistakes.
Here's what I want you to focus on:
1️⃣ Stay low through the shot
One of the biggest mistakes I see is players standing up as they make contact. Stay down through the entire dink, then rise afterwards. That simple change will help keep the ball lower over the net.
2️⃣ Make contact out in front
The ideal contact point is about a paddle's length from your body. If you're reaching too far, you'll start flicking with your wrist, making your dinks much harder to control.
3️⃣ Keep your backswing compact
A short backswing keeps your paddle out in front, gives you more control, and helps you react much faster.
Great dinking isn't about big swings. It's about staying balanced, making clean contact, and keeping everything compact.
Watch me break it all down in under 60 seconds in this week's video 👇
🇺🇸 Every pickleball fan should experience this at least once
Big news! Tickets are now on sale for the 2026 Oceanview USA Pickleball National Championships, returning to Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego from October 31–November 8.
As pickleball's premier national championship, Nationals brings together the country's best professional, amateur, junior, collegiate, and wheelchair players for nine days of incredible competition.
Whether you're dropping in for a day or making a week of it, there's a ticket option for every fan. General Admission is free, or you can upgrade to Championship Court presented by QVC or the VIP Experience for the best views of the action.
Away from the courts, you'll find Fan Village activations, giveaways, exclusive USA Pickleball merchandise, food, drinks, and entertainment throughout the week.
Better yet? Buy your Championship Court or VIP tickets before August 23 and you'll save 20% with Early Bird pricing.
The Stage Is Earned, Not Given.
🍿 The Dink lands on Apple TV this Friday
Pickleball's first big-budget comedy, The Dink, lands on Apple TV this Friday – and early reviews are reassuringly positive.
Starring Jake Johnson, Ed Harris, and Mary Steenburgen (plus cameos from Ben Stiller and Andy Roddick), the film follows a washed-up tennis pro who reluctantly discovers a love for pickleball. Critics are calling it goofy, silly, and a lot of fun!
🤖 Mark Cuban thinks AI's leftovers could become... pickleball courts
Billionaire Mark Cuban, and co-owner of the Dallas Flash, has a bold prediction: many of the AI data centers being built today could one day be converted into pickleball courts.
Speaking on the All-In podcast, Cuban argued that rapid advances in AI efficiency could leave some massive facilities sitting empty. His proposed second life for them? America's fastest-growing sport. We're not saying it's a bad idea...
🌈 Pickleball courts... or modern art?
Photo by Ross Ribblett.
Four public pickleball courts in Pittsburgh have been transformed into giant works of art, thanks to a colorful new installation by artist Sharmistha Ray.
Safe to say these are a little more exciting than your average blue-and-green courts, right?
🙏 This 3rd shot tip saves YEARS of frustration
💥 Choose the right 5th shot
🧨 3 patterns to use to get to the kitchen
During a rally, is a player ever allowed to stand inside the kitchen? |
Once the serve and return have been hit, where must players be positioned on their side of the court? |
A player tosses the ball extra high before letting it drop to get a bigger bounce on their drop serve. Is this legal? |
Fresh takes, spicy debates, and the latest hot paddles & gear – catch up on our latest Court Talk highlights:
Skipped a scroll or two? No worries — here are the last few editions we sent your way:
What do you think of the Pickleheads Newsletter? Let us know how we can be even better in the comments. |
