Fixing Your Bad Lob Defense

Spices To Reduce Soreness, PB & Heavy Metal, Injuries In Older Adults, NLP Trademark Dispute, PB Is Taking Over America, Joola Settles Lawsuit, Eye Injuries & More

Author

FIT PICKLER
October 23, 2025

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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

  • Fixing Your Bad Lob Defense

  • Can Spices Really Reduce Soreness

  • What A New Study Reveals About Sports Injuries In Older Adults

  • Trademark Dispute Over NPL League Name Heads To Oklahoma Court

  • Pickleball Eye Injuries Surge In U.S.

  • JOOLA Settles Gen 3 Lawsuit, Raises Questions Over Paddle Certification Standards

  • Data Reveals How Pickleball Is Taking Over America

  • From Headbanging to Dinking: 'Played Pickleball For 4 Hours Before
    Every Rock Concert'

  • Coach Mary: Mary’s Column Will Be Back Next Week!

🥷SKILLS

Fixing Your Bad Lob Defense

Mine! I’ve Got It! Oh Wait….

It’s not the lob that beats you—it’s what happens next.

Few shots frustrate pickleball players more than the lob. You’ve worked your way to the kitchen line, set up the point beautifully, and then—just like that—the ball floats over your head. Most players assume they lost because they didn’t move fast enough or jump high enough. But in reality, the lob itself isn’t the problem. The point is usually lost during what comes after: poor footwork, rushed swings, and lazy recovery. If you learn to move back efficiently, stay balanced, and recover smartly, defending the lob becomes just another opportunity to reset the rally on your terms.

Why Lob Defense Fails (and It’s Not Reaction Time)
The lob exposes more movement flaws than any other shot. When it goes wrong, it’s usually because of one of these:

  1. Late Read – Players stare at the ball too long instead of turning early.

  2. Wrong Footwork Pattern – Backpedaling leads to imbalance and panic swings.

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

Can Spices Really Reduce Soreness?

Feelin’ Spicy Today!

Can Spices Really Reduce Court Soreness?  

If you’ve played a long morning of doubles, you know the feeling. The next day, your legs feel like concrete. Your shoulders complain every time you reach for a coffee mug. Court soreness is real – and it often lingers for 48 hours. 

 That next-day ache, known as DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), can turn even die-hard picklers into cautious spectators. 

The usual advice? Rest, ice, stretch, maybe a couple Advil. But what if your kitchen spice rack could help too? That’s the question researchers have been testing. And the news is surprisingly good. 

What the Science Says (Without the Jargon) 

Turmeric: In a 2023 clinical trial, people taking turmeric reported less soreness and had lower levels of inflammation in their blood. Harvard Health has called turmeric’s active compound, curcumin, a legit anti-inflammatory. The only catch? Results vary – some people feel a clear difference, others not so much. (You’ll find out why in the next section.) 

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

Hip Mobility For Pickleball

⚕️ HEALTH NEWS

What A New Study Reveals
About Sports Injuries In Older Adults

A new 10-year national analysis shows injury patterns are changing—especially among adults over 65

As more older adults turn to sports and recreational activities to stay active, injury rates among this group are rising—and now we have a better picture of what those injuries look like.

A new study published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine examined over 5,500 emergency department cases from 2014 to 2023 involving orthopaedic injuries in adults aged 55 and older. Using a national injury surveillance database, researchers analyzed injuries across 12 of the most popular non-contact and limited-contact sports for this demographic, from golf to weightlifting.

The results are both reassuring and revealing.

Key Takeaways at a Glance

  • Most common injury type: Sprains and strains (57%)

  • Fractures more common in certain sports (pickleball, tennis, baseball, and soccer)

  • Injury odds shift with age: Fractures increase, sprains and strains decrease

  • Higher risk for women: Women had 2.7 times higher odds of fracture than men

  • Highest hospitalization odds: Basketball, tennis, and pickleball

    Find out more about this important study, click here…

⚖️ LEGAL NEWS

Trademark Dispute Over NPL
League Name Heads To Court

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt…

A name worth fighting for is heading to court. The owner of New York’s USA–National Pickleball League has filed a federal lawsuit in Oklahoma, claiming Florida’s “National Pickleball League” hijacked his idea—and his identity. With sponsors confused and brands colliding, the case could decide who truly owns one of pickleball’s most valuable names.

Read how a trademark clash could reshape the league landscape.

🤣JUST FOR FUN

When Your Partner Is A Banger

⚕️ HEALTH NEWS

Pickleball Eye Injuries
Surge In The U.S.

Keep Your Eye On The Ball, No, Not Like That

Pickleball’s boom has a new warning sign: eye injuries are soaring. A new JAMA study shows cases have more than quadrupled since 2021, with older players hit hardest. Doctors say the culprit isn’t the sport—it’s the speed, the crowding, and the lack of protection. The takeaway is simple: if you’re playing without eye guards, you’re taking a risk you don’t see coming.

Read the full report on what’s behind the rise—and how to stay safe on court,
Click here…

Joola Settles 3 Lawsuits
Raises Questions Over Paddle
Certification Standards

One of pickleball’s biggest brands just faced its toughest match — in court. JOOLA has settled a class-action lawsuit over its Gen 3 paddles after claims they were sold as USA Pickleball–approved when they weren’t.

The deal refunds players up to $300 but leaves lingering questions about product integrity and the blurred lines of paddle certification in a booming sport.

Read how the JOOLA settlement could reshape trust, transparency, and testing in the pickleball gear industry, click here…

🗞️ NEWS

Data Reveals How Pickleball
Is Taking Over America

Oh When The Dinks Come Marching In…

Pickleball isn’t just growing—it’s redefining what growth looks like. On National Sports Day, DUPR data shows the sport up more than 300% in three years, connecting 36 million Americans and players in 175 countries. From local parks to global leaderboards, pickleball’s rise is powered by connection, competition, and data that turns every match into momentum.

See how DUPR is fueling the sport’s worldwide surge, click here…

🤩 ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

From Headbanging To Dinking
‘Played Pickleball For 4 Before
Every Rock Concert’

Rock On!

From headbanging to dinking, Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows has traded mosh pits for pickleball courts — and he’s taking the rock world with him.

The metal frontman now plays four hours before every concert, teaching fellow bands the art of the dink and turning arenas into impromptu courts. What started as a tour pastime has become his latest obsession — one that’s louder, faster, and every bit as passionate as his music.

Read how M. Shadows is turning pickleball into heavy metal’s newest pre-show ritual,
click here…

🧭 COMMUNITY NEWS

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

HOLDING COURT with
COACH MARY

  💪 I’ll Be Back Next Week
Happy Pickling!



Not Yet a Subscriber? Click Below to Get Our Newsletter Every Week - Its FREE