☄️ What's the record speed for a pickleball shot?

Last chance to win over $600 in prizes!

A couple of weeks ago, we announced our biggest giveaway EVER!

And this Sunday 8/11 is your last chance to enter.

We’ve teamed up with Pickleball Central to give away not one, not two, but three Proton bundles to three lucky winners…

The Grand Prize Bundle includes:

• Proton Series 3 Paddle

• HEAD Motion Pro Shoes

• 100 pack engage tour outdoor balls

• $50 gift card to erne

• $50 gift card to Heritage

Plus, the two runner up prizes include a Proton Series 1 or 2 and two $25 gift cards to Pickleball Central’s Erne and Heritage apparel brands.

I don’t expect Pickleball Central’s stock of Proton paddles to stick around too long, so this giveaway is the perfect opportunity for you to get your hands on the paddle everyone’s raving about!

Enter below today, good luck! 👇

Reebok x Recess Ultimate Court Essentials Collection

Now, this is cool!

Recess and Reebok just launched a collab.

I’ve always been a fan of Recess. Their paddles look really stylish, right?

I’ve been testing a lot of pickleball shoes lately, so this release caught my eye.

I can’t say anything on the performance of the shoes just yet. But I do have a pair on the way. After I put them through their paces, of course, I’ll report back to y’all.

In the meantime, if looking good on the courts is your jam, check out the Reebok x Recess Nano Court Shoes.

🤾‍♀️ When to speed up

James Ignatowich, top-5 ranked pickleball player in the world, returns for this week’s Level Up.

Hey Pickleheads readers,

When’s the best time to speed up? I get asked this question A LOT.

My first answer is always when you can take the ball out of the air.

My next answer is always when the ball comes to you at or above the height of the net. 

If you can make contact with the ball out of the air, above the height of the net, you should speed it up because you can hit down on the ball.

You might not win with this 100% of the time, but you will win more of these exchanges than you lose.

Finally, if you can hit down on your speed up, do it!

Hitting a speed up low ALWAYS puts your opponent’s body in an awkward, weaker position to get the ball back.

Practicing these three things over the next couple of weeks will take your speed up game to the next level!

Click the video below to see James walk you through this week’s tip 👇

Want to hear more from James? Subscribe to his newsletter below 👇

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!

Marina Racquet Club at The Ritz-Carlton, LA, CA

You’ll find this week’s dream court in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles.

Nestled within the elegant ambiance of The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, the Marina Racquet Club is a haven for tennis and pickleball enthusiasts.

The Marina Racquet Club has three newly renovated courts and just check out those stunning views of the marina!

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