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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

• Forget The Angles, Target The Feet!

• The 2 Movements Behind 81% of Pickleball Falls – And The Simple Fix

• Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: 3 Exercises to Strengthen Core

• The Art & Importance Of Dinking In Pickleball

• Seattle Woman, 95, Named Oldest Female Competitive PB Player

• More Jamie Lee Curtis More Pickleball Hilarity

• How Can Mental Focus Enhance Your Pickleball Game?

• 19-Year-Old Maverick Quang Duong Outshines Vietnam's Best As PPA Tour Ban Continues

• Coach Mary: What to do if you have the “YIPS” on your serve

🥷SKILLS

Forget The Angles,
Target The Feet!

Why the best players don’t aim wide—they aim low.

Every player loves a clean winner down the sideline. Angles look sharp, feel aggressive, and make you feel like a shot maker.

But here’s the truth: great players don’t rely on the lines—they rely on your feet.

Targeting your opponent’s feet is one of the smartest and most reliable ways to force errors, control tempo, and win points without taking big risks. It doesn’t require speed or power—just precision, awareness, and timing.

Here’s why—and how—you should start aiming lower.

Why Feet Are the Smartest Target on the Court

It Limits Their Swing Options.
A ball that lands near the feet forces your opponent to hit up. That means less pace, less control, and a higher chance of a pop-up. Even if they return it, you’ve neutralized their offense.

It Neutralizes Power Players.
Big hitters hate low contact points. When the ball dives toward their shoelaces, they can’t attack—it turns even a banger into a defender.

It Creates Forced Errors.
You don’t need to hit winners. You just make your opponent uncomfortable. Low contact points produce mishits, awkward resets, or rushed flicks that give you control.

It Gives You Margin for Error.
Aiming for corners requires precision. Aiming for feet gives you a central, safer target that still applies pressure—without flirting with the net or sidelines.

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

The 2 Movements Behind 81% Of
Pickleball Falls - And The Simple Fix

The 2 Movements Behind 81% of Pickleball Falls – And the Simple Fix 

 Something weird happened last Thursday. Three different players – all solid recreational folks – hit the deck. Not because they're clumsy. Not because they're old. Because they all made the exact same mistake. 

 And chances are you’re probably making it, too. 

 Most of us worry about those tricky side shuffles. It makes sense. That awkward reach for a ball just out of range feels risky.  

 But here's the crazy part: A study of recreational players found that 81% of pickleball falls don't happen sideways. They happen when we lunge forward or move backward. 

 Yep. The moves that feel "safe" are the ones dropping us on our butts. 

 For those of us with more experience (and wisdom), the numbers get even more concerning. Studies show 61% of recreational players over 55 have taken a tumble.  

 But here's the thing that'll make you feel better: this is totally fixable. And it doesn't require joining a gym or doing burpees at 6 AM. 

 One Fall Can Steal Your Game (and Your Confidence) 

 It only takes one fall to change everything. 

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

3 Exercises To Strengthen Your Your Core

🥷SKILLS

The Art & Importance Of
Dinking In Pickleball

The dink isn’t just another shot—it’s the shot that shapes your whole game. When done right, it slows the pace, sets the terms of the rally, and teaches you control that power hitters can’t fake. With technique tips, follow-through fixes, and drills that actually stick, you will see why your soft game is the real foundation.

Get the full breakdown and the drills that make your dink unshakable. Click Here…

👏 COMMNITY SPOTLIGHT

Seattle Woman, 95, Named Oldest
Female Competitive Pickleball Player

At 95, Joyce Jones isn’t just playing pickleball—she’s making history twice. The Seattle native has been crowned the world’s oldest female competitive player by the Guinness Worlds Records, and is still collecting medals and still laughing on court.

Her ties stretch back to the game’s invention, but her outlook is pure future: keep moving, keep smiling, and keep playing until 100.

Read the story of the woman who embodies pickleball’s spirit.

🤣 JUST FOR FUN

More Jamie Lee Cutis Pickleball Hilarity

♟️ STRATEGY

How Mental Focus Can
Enhance Your Game

Your paddle isn’t the only thing that wins points—your head does too. Mental focus turns nerves into strategy, mistakes into resilience, and pressure into clarity. From pre-game rituals to mid-match resets, these tools separate sharp rallies from scattered ones.

Get the mindset playbook that makes every shot count, click here…

🏓 PRO NEWS

19 Year Old Maverick Quang Duong
Outshines Vietnam’s Best As
PPA Ban Continues

Nineteen-year-old Quang Duong isn’t waiting for a tour card to prove his game. Expelled from the PPA Tour, he walked into a local Vietnam tournament and walked out with two golds—knocking off some of the country’s top names along the way.

His absence from Asia’s showcase events is glaring, but his dominance at home is impossible to ignore.

Read how Duong is rewriting his path despite the ban, click here…

👏 COMMUNITY NEWS

Newlyweds Become ArdMore
Pickleball Club’s First Marriage

Coy and Susan Taylor didn’t just find a doubles partner—they found a forever one. What started as a casual match at the Ardmore Pickleball Club turned into a love story that had friends cheering from the sidelines all the way to the altar. Their court chemistry became something deeper, proof that sometimes the best matches happen when the scoreboard is turned off.

Read how one rally led to a lifelong partnership, see more here…

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

SAN ANTONIO, TX: Pickleball Fever Spikes In San Antonio With 2 Massive New Clubs
FLORIDA: Florida Law Bans Golf Courses, Resorts In State Parks
MACOMB COUNTY, MI:  From K-Mart Store to Pickleball Courts
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO: Smokin’ Pickleball Fundraiser Set For Saturday
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN: Newly Installed AED Proves Critical During Emergency
PISCATAWAY, NJ: AARP Offers Free Pickleball Clinics This November
NASHVILLE, TN: Where To Play Pickleball And Padel In Nashville
BROOKLYN, NY: Moxy Williamsburg | Brooklyn’s First Hotel Pickleball Court

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

  💪 What To Do If You Have
The “YIPS” On Your Serve

What to do if you have the “YIPS” on your serve?

Tanner Tomasi demonstrates a short but sweet tip on missing serves.  Check out the video above.

The best part of this video is the demo at the beginning.  Tanner weaponizes his serve, by jumping in on his follow-through, using topspin, to control the serve to a target area.  Watch his two demo serves carefully.

Step 1:  The main reason you miss your serve is that you are using just your arm, and not your entire body.

Step 2:  Bend your knees!  Load your body, get low.

Step 3:  Hold the ball out in front of you, rather than next to you.  Slow it down, rather than being busy with just one motion.

Step 4:  Sniper path.  I do not like to start with my paddle out in front of me contacting the ball to start, so I disagree with Tanner.  Rather, I will start with my paddle at my side, with the ball out in front.  Cut down on extraneous motion.   Yes, contact in front.  Yes, emphasize follow-through to your target area.  Yes, make sure your feet are positioned so that your swing plane is to your diagonal target area.  Yes, finish your serve with your paddle pointing to the target service box, rather than across your body.

Notes:  Topspin helps you with control with wind and sun and control.  Start low to high, short backswing, big follow-through!  Use your hips and shoulders and jump into your serve!

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