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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

• Exhausted on Court? Play Smarter, Not Harder

• Why Your Knees Ache After Side-Steps (And The 5-Minute Fix)

• “GOT IT” Contest Winner Announced

• Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: How Much Water Should You Drink?

• Singles Strategy: Tactics, Drills, and Match Plans

• The Connection Between Mind and Movement

• Emma Watson, "Pickleball, It’s Like The Best Therapy I Never Paid For"

• Anna Leigh Waters Net Worth and Biography 2025

• Newest American Girl Doll Loves To DJ, Plays Pickleball & Is From Kansas City

• Pro Pickleball Association Turns Back The Clock With The Sacramento Vintage Paddle Open

• Coach Mary: Transitioning From Tennis To Pickleball Tips

🥷SKILLS

Exhausted On The Court?
Play Smarter, Not Harder

What to do when your body says “no” but the game keeps going

We’ve all been there. Deep into a rally, the sun’s high, the games are piling up, and your legs feel like wet noodles. Whether it’s your third match or just a hot afternoon, fatigue is part of real pickleball.

But tired doesn’t mean doomed. In fact, playing well while tired is a skill—a learnable one. The smartest players don’t power through with brute force. They adapt their tactics, protect their bodies, and make the game work for them.

Here’s how to play smarter—not just harder—when your tank is near empty.

How to Know You’re Playing Tire:
Fatigue sneaks in. You might not even realize you’re in a physical or mental slump until the mistakes pile up.

Common signs include:

• Sloppy or slow footwork

• Getting caught in transition after returns

• Pop-ups and missed soft shots

• Impulse speed-ups that backfire

• Low patience or quick frustration

• Breathing hard after short points

Once you notice the signs, it’s time to pivot—not push.

🏆SEPTEMBER WINNER OF THE
“GOT IT” CONTEST
^{This month’s Prize: “PICKLEBOO”
T-ShirtWinner: “Kelly C. ”
Congratulations! (Check Your Email for Details)}

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

Why Your Knees Ache After
Side-Steps (& The 5-Minute Fix)

We've all been there. You nail a beautiful cross-court dink, shuffle sideways for the return, and then feel it – that sharp reminder that your knees aren't quite as forgiving as they used to be.

If you chalk it up to age or “too much play,” you might be making a mistake. You see many times the real problems aren’t your knees. The culprit lives a few inches higher…

The Hidden Problem
Most pickleball players assume sore knees mean weak knees. Makes sense, right?

But research shows that the issue isn't usually your knees – it's your hips. Specifically, a small muscle on the side of your hip called the glute medius that's probably weaker than it should be.

Think of your hip as a steering wheel and your knee as the tire. When the steering wheel wobbles, the tire wears down faster.

Weak hips let your knees collapse inward during side-steps, lunges, and shuffles. That’s why your knees bark after those quick moves at the kitchen line.

Sound Familiar?
You know the scenarios I'm talking about:

• You stretch wide for a tricky dink and feel that telltale twinge
• You push off after a good get and your knee buckles just slightly inward
• By game three, you're unconsciously favoring one leg
• You head home thinking about ibuprofen instead of planning tomorrow's games

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

How Much Water Should You Drink?

🥷SKILLS

Singles Strategy: Tactics,
Drills & Match Plans

Singles in pickleball isn’t just “doubles without a partner”—it’s a different animal altogether. Full-court coverage, first-four-shot planning, and the patience to win with depth and recovery turn rallies into chess matches.

This guide lays out the drills, patterns, and fitness checkpoints that separate grinders from players who close out third sets with confidence.

Read the full singles blueprint, click here…

🗞️NEWS

The Connection Between
Mind and Movement

Movement isn’t just about fitness—it’s one of psychology’s most powerful but overlooked therapies. From dancing in the kitchen to carrying groceries, research shows everyday movement can lift mood, ease anxiety, and build resilience in ways pills and talk therapy sometimes can’t.

The new science of “mind and movement” reframes how we treat stress and depression.

Read how nine types of movement reshape the mind.

🤣JUST FOR FUN

Emma Watson:
”Pickleball, It’s Like The Best
Therapy I Never Paid For”

👧 TOY NEWS

Newest American Girl Doll
Loves To DJ, Plays Pickleball
& Is From Kansas City

Kansas City’s newest hometown star doesn’t just DJ—she hits the pickleball court. American Girl unveiled Raquel Reyes as its 2026 Girl of the Year, the brand’s first KC-rooted character and one of its few Latina dolls.

Her story threads local pride, family heritage, and rallies on a pink-and-blue court.

Read how Raquel brings pickleball into the American Girl universe, click here…

 💼 PRO NEWS

Pro Pickleball Assoc. Turns Back
The Clock With The Sacramento
Vintage Paddle Open

The PPA hit rewind in Sacramento, swapping today’s carbon-fiber power for wooden paddles barely bigger than ping pong gear. Suddenly, topspin drives disappeared, rallies turned tactical, and veterans with “OG” grips rose again. J

W and Jorja Johnson swept mixed, Staksrud clawed back a singles title, and Genie Bouchard rode her flat strokes into her first gold-medal match.

Read the full recap from pickleball’s one-weekend time machine, click here…

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

ALABAMA: Pickle It: Pickleball Spreads Across Alabama With Relish
HONOLULU, HI: Hawaii Nonprofit Hosts Pickleball Tournament To Support Families With Seriously Ill Children
TUCKER, GA: Tucker City Council To Review Sound Study On 3 Pickleball Court Locations
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA: Pickleball Tournament Serves Up Support For Big Brothers Big Sisters
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX: Purple Pickleball Tournament Returns To Rally For A Life-Saving Cause
AMHERST, MA: Bigger Than Sports Pickleball Tournament Draws 70 Contestants
CARMEL, CA: Pickleball Tournament Serves Up Support For Parkinson's Treatment
MIAMI TOWNSHIP, OH: Firefighters Reunite With Man Whose Life They Saved During Pickleball Game

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

  💪 Indoor Pickleball Drills
& Wall Drills

When Zane came over to pickleball from tennis in 2013, he thought he was going to mop the floor with the old guys who were dinking. He soon woke up, and realized he needed to make some adjustments.

1. Ready Position
   Instead of having your arms way out in front of you, nice and high, favoring your backhand side, as in tennis, Zane has changed his emphasis. He wants his arms and paddle in front, but not so extended. Use your hips and shoulders. Watch the difference between the tennis ready position and the pickleball ready position.

2. Less Is More
   Be very compact. Short backswing. Less bouncing in the footwork and keep your paddle in front of you. Better balance. Pickleball is about managing your unforced errors rather than about hitting winners.

3. Take Care of Yourself
   Warm up properly, and do not overtrain. We all get excited to get in the game, but if we do not warm-up, cool-down, stretch, and drill, we will wear ourselves out, and be susceptible to injuries.

4. “Slice is Nice, but Topspin is Better”
   Zane talks about how the game has changed. He used to dink and return usually with slice, thinking the ball will drop down. Now, he uses topspin, and states that pros do not return with slice anymore – it makes them more vulnerable to opponents who attack with topspin. If you give your opponent slice, they can attack you with more topspin.

5. Do Not Forget Everything From Tennis
   It is good to have a great drive because you had that in tennis. But your opponent will be able to handle that. Mix it up and hit third shot drops also. Zane demonstrates how to practice improperly, with drives only, then how to mix it up with drives and drops. Develop your third shot drop or execute it on the fifth shot. Also, do not forget that poaching is a good thing. In tennis, poaching is promoted. Do not think that you should only cover your side of the court. If your opponent pops one up, go poach it and put it away.

6. Study The Game
   The game is constantly evolving. Zane says his videos have changed over the years, and he has adapted his teaching to accommodate those changes. Add new shots: banana shot, tomahawk, scorpion, ATP, Erne, third shot three quarters, offensive lob from the NVZ, two-handed backhand from both the baseline and the Kitchen, swinging volley.
   
   Note: We cannot all execute the shots we see the pros execute. Be aware of your physical abilities and limits. Add skills that you can add to your toolbox, and perhaps be choosy on shots that are not available to you because of physical limitations. Be smart. If you are limited with mobility, partner with someone who can cover the court.

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