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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

• 7 Situations Where Speed Hurts Your Game

• What Happens To Your Brain When You Play Pickleball

• Why Your Eyes, Hands, and Mind All Win on the Pickleball Court

• Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: 3 Moves To Improve Hip Mobility For Pickleball Players

• USA Pickleball Names Pickletile As Its Preferred Court Builder

• What’s The Big Dill? Pickleball Hits The Holy Land

• ‘Pickleball Will Very Soon Become a Top Sport in India' - Tamil Nadu

• HUMOR: Me On My Way To Play Pickleball After Work

• Coach Mary: Return Of Serve

🥷SKILLS

7 Situations Where
Speed Hurts Your Game

Sometimes going slower is the fastest way to win.

Pickleball rewards fast reactions—but not blind speed. Intermediate players often believe that “being aggressive” means hitting harder and faster. But in many situations, adding speed actually costs you the point, especially if your opponent is balanced, the ball isn’t high, or your body isn’t ready.

Let’s walk through 7 moments where trying to be fast is a mistake—and what you should be doing instead.

Speeding Up from Below Net Height
You get a ball dipping below the net and decide to flick it hard at your opponent. It sails long… or comes back even harder.

Why speed hurts: You're attacking from a defensive position. When the ball is below net level or drifting away from your body, speed becomes a liability.

What to do instead:
• Reset softly into the kitchen
• Only speed up when the ball is well above the net
• Watch for slow, high dinks or shoulder-height pop-ups
• Maintain a loose grip and use a compact wrist flick if you do attack

💪 Health & Fitness Section
Weekly Advice To Keep You Fit & Injury Free

What Happens To Your Brain
When You Play Pickleball

Pickleball is better for your brain than crosswords. Scientists found it helps your brain release more of the growth chemicals that keep your memory sharp.

And here’s the twist: it’s not just because exercise is good for you. There’s something unique about pickleball that gives your brain a workout that puzzles can’t match.

The Problem With “Brain Games”

Crosswords and Sudoku get a lot of credit for being “good for your brain.” Most of us have tried them.

We buy a puzzle book, do a few pages, then it gathers dust on the coffee table. Or we download a brain app, play for a week, and forget it’s even on our phone.

The problem isn’t us. The problem is that these so-called “brain games” just aren’t engaging enough to stick with. And if brain health depends on consistency, puzzles don’t stand a chance.

Why Your Eyes, Hands & Mind
All Win On The Pickleball Court

Pickleball may be known for its funny name and fast rise in popularity, but it’s more than just a recreational fad — it’s quietly becoming one of the best ways to support your brain health, maintain coordination, and stay socially connected as you age.

At the heart of it all? Hand-eye coordination — a skill that’s often taken for granted until it begins to decline.

What Is Hand-Eye Coordination, and Why Does It Matter?

Hand-eye coordination is your brain’s ability to interpret visual information (like a ball flying toward you) and send a message to your body (like swinging a paddle to hit it back).

This system relies on your visual system, motor skills, reflexes, and cognitive processing working together in real time. As we age, these abilities can naturally decline — but they don’t have to. In fact, staying physically and mentally engaged can help preserve or even improve these skills over time.

“Poor eye-hand coordination can lead to impairment in activities of daily living, including eating, drinking, driving, and even buttoning a shirt,” says Dr. Andrew Lee, neuro-ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

3 Moves To Improve Hip
Mobility For Pickleball Players

💼 BUSINESS EWS

USA Pickleball Names Pickletile As
Its Preferred Court Builder

USA Pickleball just handed the keys to court building—and noise control—to one company. Pickletile’s “Pickleglass” promises 50% quieter play and decades-long durability, a sharp contrast to tarps and chain link fixes that fall apart in seasons. With the governing body’s seal, the construction boom is about to test whether sleek glass can keep up with surging demand.

See how this partnership could redefine the future of pickleball courts.

🤣JUST FOR FUN

Me On My Way To Play
Pickleball After Work

🇮🇱 GLOBAL NEWS

What’s The Big Dill?
Pickleball Hits The Holy Land

What began as an odd American import is now one of Israel’s fastest-growing pastimes. With thousands of players, a first national team preparing for the World Cup, and its debut set for the 2026 Maccabiah Games, pickleball is carving out a place in the country’s athletic landscape. Behind the paddles is something deeper—a sense of resilience, community, and even hope in difficult times.

Get the full story on pickleball’s rise in Israel, click here…

🇮🇳 GLOBAL NEWS

‘Pickleball Will Soon Become
The Top Sport In India’ - Tamil Nadu

Four hundred fifty players, thirty-plus categories, and one buzzing Chennai arena—Tamil Nadu’s state championship looked more like a national showcase. For TNPA president Mohit Kumar, it’s proof the sport isn’t just growing, it’s racing toward India’s top tier.

He calls pickleball a rare mix of inclusivity, fitness, and momentum powerful enough to land it on Olympic radars.

Read how India’s pickleball surge is rewriting the country’s sporting future, click here…

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

SHREVEPORT, LA: What To Know About The Proposed $10M Caddo Parish Pickleball Park
KOLKATA, INDIA: Pickleball's 'Dynamic Duo': How The Jones Sisters Are Inspiring Young Women In Kolkata
TAMPA, FL: Goonies Actor Among Apollo Beach Residents Suing Homeowners Association Over Pickleball Courts
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA: Big Brothers Big Sisters Gears Up For ‘The Big Serve’ Pickleball Tournament
BUFFALO, NY: ‘I'm So Excited’: Buffalo Blizzards Professional Pickleball Team Is Formed
MYRTLE BEACH, SC: Myrtle Beach's Largest Pickleball Courts Are Underway
JAMAICA: Jamaican Athletes Shine With Wins In USA Pickleball Tournament
LAKELAND, FL: Rescuers Help Blue Heron With Pickleball Stuck On Its Beak In Lakeland

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

  💪 Return Of Serve

Return of Serve

The return of serve is probably the most important set up shot in pickleball. Be sure to watch the attached video from the Pickleball Journey boys, Elijah and Justin, on the key points to an effective service return.

Start back behind the baseline, maybe 4-5 feet behind the line. This helps you get your hips and body behind the ball, instead of hitting off your back foot. If it is a short serve, it is always easier to run in than to run back. Use a wider stance, bent knees.

Side note: be aware of your opponent’s habits. Do they serve wide? Deep? Hard? Short? Lob? Adjust! The footwork comes before the ball gets to you!

Keep your momentum forward, so you can get to the net. The advantage for the returning team is that they can immediately come to the net – take advantage of this!

Keep your return soft and deep, rather than hard. This gives you more time to get to the net! Using a slice or a cut also gives you a spin that keeps the ball in the court and deep. A flatter slice will be better than a hard cut. A slower return gives you more time to get to the NVZ.

Placement: I want to place my return deep, and also to 1) the weaker player, who cannot hit a third ball drop, 2) the middle of the court, to the T, so they have to communicate, and 3) to the power player, so I can keep them off the net for one rally.

Ed shows some great ways to drill on a wall. Immediate feedback is the key training aid.

Ed demos three great drills:

1. Speed up, then block.

2. Bump, then cross.

3. Smash, then deflect. I do theses with my classes!

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