- Pickleheads
- Posts
- 🏃🏼♂️ Who said you don't run in pickleball?
🏃🏼♂️ Who said you don't run in pickleball?
Plus, the new Coral Pro is seriously good. But is it actually better? The trick to surviving powerful overheads, this lob is a killer, and much more...
Brandon at Pickleheads
September 24, 2026
Hey reader,
Welcome back to the Pickleheads Newsletter!
In this issue:
🏃🏼♂️ Who said you don't run in pickleball?
🪸 The new Coral Pro is seriously good. But is it actually better?
🤾 The trick to surviving powerful overheads
💩 Was this the luckiest bird poop ever?
🦞 This lob is a killer!
🏃🏼♂️ Who said you don't run in pickleball?
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 🙌
🪸 The new Coral Pro is seriously good. But is it actually better?
Hey Pickleheads readers, Stephen here 👋
The original Six Zero Coral was good enough to earn a place in our Best Pickleball Paddles guide, so when a $220 Pro version arrived, I had one obvious question:
Is it actually better? Well... it depends what you want.
The headline upgrade is Double Diamond Tough, Six Zero's new grit technology, and there's no questioning its spin performance.
I gave the Coral Pro a perfect 10/10 for spin. The face absolutely grabs the ball, letting me rip topspin drives, shape drops, and get plenty of movement on serves. Better still, that texture held up brilliantly through heavy testing, earning another 10/10 for durability.
But I didn't love everything.
The face is noticeably stiff and crisp. If you like that fast, direct response, you'll probably love it. Personally, I missed the softer, connected ball-pocketing feel you get from some of the best foam paddles.
I also found off-center hits toward the side edges could feel surprisingly dead, and dinks and roll-dinks took some adjusting to.
There's enough pop for hand battles and enough control to make this a capable all-court paddle, but it's not an explosive power paddle or a plush control paddle.
So, “Pro” doesn't automatically mean “better.” It means different.
And if elite spin and a crisp, responsive feel are high on your wishlist, the Coral Pro could be exactly your kind of paddle.
🤾 The trick to surviving powerful overheads
Stoked to welcome back Tanner from tanner.pickleball on YouTube for this week's Level Up!
Hey Pickleheads readers,
Ever feel like a powerful overhead is almost impossible to return? You might be making it harder than it needs to be…
When you're defending an overhead, here's what I want you to do:
1️⃣ Get two hands on the paddle
With one hand, an overhead that catches your paddle off-center can easily twist it and cause a mishit.
Adding your second hand gives you much more stability and turns your paddle into a wall.
2️⃣ Don't fight power with power
Your opponent has already generated all the pace you need. Instead of swinging back at the ball, focus on absorbing their power and using it against them.
The goal here isn't to attack.
Get two hands on the paddle, stay stable, and make them hit one more ball.
Watch me show you how in under 60 seconds 👇
💩 Was this the luckiest bird poop ever?
Chris Haworth was trailing Federico Staksrud 6-3 in the deciding game of the PPA Arizona Open final when a bird flying overhead decided to... leave him a little present.
Yep. Haworth got pooped on mid-match.
After cleaning himself up, he returned to court and promptly won eight straight points, taking the game 11-6 and claiming PPA gold.
Maybe it really is good luck?
🎤 Shaggy to headline PickleY’All Festival in Louisville, KY
♻️ Could this solve pickleball's plastic problem?
What happens to all those cracked pickleballs we throw away? One Florida entrepreneur thinks he has the answer. His company, BounceBack Pickleball, is collecting used balls and turning the plastic back into brand-new balls.
And it's already scaling. In just a few months, BounceBack has collected 1,000 pounds of pickleballs from around 100 collection points across the US, with another 4,000 balls sitting in its founder's garage waiting for a second life.
🦞 This lob is a killer!
🙈 Why you keep popping up hard drives
💥 Learn the two-ey counter
A player jumps from outside the kitchen, flies over the corner of the NVZ, and volleys the ball while airborne — never touching the kitchen. Is this legal? |
On the serve, the ball lands right on the centerline dividing the two service courts. Is it in or out? |
Mid-game, you've completely lost track of the score. Can you ask your opponent what it is? |
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. |