Health, Fitness, News & Fun for Picklers of All Ages

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

• 4 Times You Should Let the Ball Go

• What Grip Strength Says About Your Health (and Why It Matters in Your Pickleball Game)

• DRILL OF THE WEEK: The Counterattack Chain Drill

• Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: Walk Backwards To Fix Knee Pain

• See Small Business Trend Interview of Kyle Goguen - Co-Founder CRBN

• GEAR REVIEW: Hesacore Pickleball Original Grip

• Anna Bright’s Big Weekend at The PPA Rate Vegas Open

• Holland America Is Bringing Pickleball to a Remote Island in The Bahamas

• HUMOR: When You Realize There’s Open Play Today

• Coach Mary: How The Pros Take Lessons

🥷SKILLS

4 Times You Should Let The Ball Go

One of the hardest shots in pickleball may be the one a player decides not to hit.

The ball comes toward the body or shoulder, the paddle is right there, and instinct takes over. Even when the ball is probably heading long or wide, making contact feels safer than trusting it to go out.

That instinct costs points.

Good players are not simply better at hitting balls. They are also better at recognizing which balls do not need to be hit. Sometimes the best defense against a hard drive, speed-up, or awkward angle is to move out of the way and let the opponent's shot finish the point for you.

The decision has to happen quickly, but there are several situations when letting the ball go deserves serious consideration.

1. A Hard Drive Is Still Rising

A hard drive can feel threatening because of its speed, but speed is not the only thing that matters. The ball's trajectory provides valuable information.

If a drive crosses the net high and is still rising as it reaches the kitchen, there is a good chance it will continue beyond the baseline unless something brings it down.

Players often volley these balls simply because they can reach them. The result may be a difficult contact above the shoulders against a ball that was already headed out.

The height of the contact is an especially useful clue. A ball arriving around chest level may still need to be played depending on its trajectory. Once a hard ball is climbing toward the shoulders or head, the odds that it will land in become much smaller.

💪 Health & Fitness Section

What Grip Strength Says About
Your Health(And Why It Matters
In Your Pickleball Game)

Grip strength can tell you more than how firmly you can hold a pickleball paddle. Researchers have linked it to broader measures of strength and physical function, while on the court, there’s an important difference between having a strong grip and simply squeezing harder.

See what your grip strength can reveal and why more grip pressure isn’t necessarily better for your game.

🥷 DRILL OF THE WEEK

The Counter Attack Chain Drill

A hard speed-up comes your way at the kitchen, and your first instinct may be to fire it right back. The Counterattack Chain Drill trains a different response, one where the best chance to turn defense into offense may not come on the first ball.

Try the drill to learn when to absorb the attack and when the advantage has shifted enough to counter.

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

Walk Backward to Fix Knee Pain

⚙️ GEAR REVIEWS
Hesacore Pickleball Original Grip Review

The Pickler Junction Team’s reviews go above and beyond a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. They pull together independent testing, verified buyer feedback, community opinions, and objective performance data to show where the Hesacore Pickleball Original Grip shines, and where it may not be the right fit, depending on how you play. Note: Review will list MSRP, link will show sale price if available.

Shopping for new pickleball gear? Reply to this email with the name of the item and we’ll tell The PJ Team what to review next!

🗞️ NEWS

See The Small Business Trends
Interview Of Kyle Goguen
Cofounder of CRBN Pickleball

CRBN started in 2021 with one carbon fiber paddle and a bet that serious pickleball players wanted more performance than the market was offering. Five years later, the company is selling a much larger lineup, expanding internationally, and using lessons from founder Kyle Goguen’s previous e-commerce business to keep scaling.

See how CRBN grew from a paddle made for one player into an established pickleball brand, and what Goguen says fueled that growth, click here…

 🏓 PRO NEWS

Anna Bright’s Big Weekend
At The PPA Rate Vegas Open

Anna Bright arrived in Las Vegas facing some of the PPA’s biggest names, including Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns. By the end of the weekend, Bright had put together a run that made her the story of the tournament.

See what Bright pulled off in Vegas and why the results mattered heading into Worlds.

✈️ TRAVEL NEWS

Holland America Is Bringing
Pickleball To A Remote Island
In The Bahamas

A private island in The Bahamas is getting an unusual addition to its white-sand beaches and turquoise water. Next spring, Holland America plans to turn Half Moon Cay into the setting for a professional pickleball event unlike anything the tours have hosted before.

See what’s planned for the island and how travelers can get in on the pickleball action, click here…

🏓 HUMOR

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

WEST PALM BEACH, FL: Pickleball Civil War Erupts In West Palm Beach Gated Community RiverWalk
PLAINFIELD, NJ: Former N.J. PB Hotspot Set For Major Makeover As Sports-Entertainment Destination
TEXARKANA, TX: Texarkana Pickleball Tournament Draws 179 Players From Across The Region
MADISON, WI: Pickléros Madison To Close Hispanic Heritage Month With A Pickleball Party At Dill Dinkers
MONTGOMERY, AL: Montgomery Seniors Pick Up Pickleball
HUNTSVILLE, AL: Huntsville Goes Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness Month With Dink Pink Pickleball Day
FORT WALTON BEACH, FL: Inaugural Rally On The Court Tournament Raises More Than $10,000 For Childhood Cancer Research
CLINTON, CT: Clinton Man Dominates In Pickleball After UConn Health Surgeon Rebuilds His Knee


DO YOU HAVE LOCAL NEWS TO SHARE? REACH OUT TO US AT
[email protected] and send us a link to your story!

  💪 How The Pros Take Lessons

Tanner Tomasi shares the following: “I took a Private Lesson with Simone Jardim – 3 days of intensity in Nashville”

Tanner Tomasi shares the following: “I took a Private Lesson with Simone Jardim – 3 days of intensity in Nashville”.  Tanner has been a pro for three years, yet he states that this was world class, and by far, it has been the most productive thing he has done to up his game.

I have attached the video of the first lesson here.  It is long, but worth it.  I have highlighted the main points that Tanner and Simone focus on during the groundstroke drilling.

I used Simone Jardim quite a bit when I first started writing this column; I think I need to get back to her! 

1. The first insight from Simone was that Tanner needs to connect the parts.  She says he needs to start with his legs, then his core, then his upper body.

2. For his two -hander, she says he needs to think about his right arm as the power, with a longer follow-through.  (Tanner is left-handed.)  Tanner “short arms his follow-through.

3. On his follow-through, Tanner brings his back leg around, but not towards the net.  He needs to step forward with his back leg after he contacts through the ball.

4. She tells him to stay with the ball longer, keeping his hips closed longer, and use his core longer through the shot.  Hold the shot longer!  Accelerate through the shot!

5. For breathing, you should not hear anything, until you contact and follow-through.  Then, you should hear your exhale.  This is why we hear tennis players grunt!

6. When your opponent gives you more pace, take back sooner, and shorter.  Prepare quicker, but you still load on your legs.

7. Tanner does not feel that his backhand is as powerful as his forehand, so in the next segment, Simone feeds to him on the same side of the net, and stresses that he should feel like his legs are working very hard, and his core is tight.  His arms should feel super relaxed.  She asks him to just let his arm hang loose and hit every ball out.  He needs to point his paddle at the back wall, which gets his shoulders turned more.

8. Go earlier!  Go get the ball as it bounces up!

9. On the forehand, he needs to take the ball out in front of him, earlier.  Not too close to his body.  If his backswing is too long, he will have less power.  She uses the tennis phrase “Ready at the Bounce”.  Your paddle should be coming forward when the ball bounces, not when it arrives at your body!

10. Really interesting note:  Simone says people do not practice their groundstrokes enough, unless they play singles.   This is why playing skinny singles is good drilling.  Practicing your groundstrokes will transfer to your thirds and your net game!

11. Simone’s husband Chad makes a good point about using less is better in Pickleball.

12. “Shoot the ground” with his loose, linear backhand paddle position.  Scrape the ground.  Point your paddle down.

13. You must line up the feet first, then core, then arms.  Brush the ball, loose arms.  Wrists are not cocked; arm is not stiff.

I liked the way Simone ran the drills, feeding to Tanner right next to him, so she could give immediate feedback and cues.

— Coach tosses to FH, tosses to BH.  She is close, so she can give quick feedback.

— Inside out:  Tanner must “run around” the ball to position to hit an inside out forehand.

— Coach feeds from other side of the net and gives you targets to aim for.

I find that when I use ball machines and stations, my students get plenty of reps, but not enough specific feedback right next to them that they can see and hear.  I am going to remedy this in my future group drill classes.

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