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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

• How Smart Targets Beat Power in Pickleball

• The Sun Glare Problem No One Talks About In Pickleball

• DRILL OF THE WEEK: The Four-Speed Dink Drill

• Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: Fix Your Elevated Shoulder in 3 Moves
  (Neck & Trap Relief)

• MLP 2026 Trade Window #2 Updates

• Pickleball Means My Wheelchair Stays in the Shed

• Mookie Betts Hosts Second Annual "Smash for Good" Pickleball Tournament

• HUMOR: When Your Doubles Partner Plays With Someone Else

• Coach Mary: Two Different Ways To Attack Overheads

🥷SKILLS

How Smart Targets Beat
Power In Pickleball

Watch enough pickleball and you'll start to notice something surprising.

The hardest hitter on the court doesn't always win.

In fact, some of the toughest opponents to play against aren't particularly powerful at all. They don't overwhelm you with drives. They don't speed up every ball. They aren't constantly looking for winners.

What they do is make every shot uncomfortable.

They hit to your feet. They find the middle. They move you just enough to create a problem. They seem to know exactly where the ball should go before the rally even begins.

Meanwhile, many players are doing the opposite.

They're trying to hit better shots instead of smarter targets.

And that's why smart targeting often beats power.

Most points at this level are lost because of discomfort, not speed

Think about the last few points you lost.

How many were true winners?

💪 Health & Fitness Section

The Sun Glare Problem No
One Talks About in Pickleball

If you’ve ever shanked an easy overhead on a clear June morning and wondered what happened to your hands — it probably wasn’t your hands. 

You were squinting. 

And if you play outdoors in summer, that matters more than most players realize. The right sunglasses help from the outside.  

But your eyes also need support from the inside — which is why The Fit Pickler readers can click here to try Advanced Vision Formula and unlock an exclusive discount automatically at checkout. 

What squinting does to your visual field 

Most players associate squinting with discomfort, not performance. But squinting is your eyes’ response to overload — too much incoming light, with the macula working too hard to process the scene. 

When you squint on a bright outdoor court, your visual field narrows. The peripheral vision you use to track incoming shots — the ball coming low off your opponent’s backhand, your partner moving up to poach — gets cut off. You’re seeing less of the court, even if you don’t feel it. 

It compounds across a session. By game two on a clear summer morning, your eyes have been working under that load for 45 to 60 minutes. Visual tracking — picking up the ball early enough to give your paddle time to respond — degrades before your legs do.  

🥷 DRILL OF THE WEEK

The 4 Speed Dink Drill

Most players think a dink rally is about consistency. The problem is that when every dink has the same pace, opponents settle in, get comfortable, and stop having to think. This drill teaches four distinct dink speeds, turning a predictable rally into one that constantly forces adjustments.

Learn how the Four-Speed Dink Drill can help you disrupt rhythm, create pressure, and make your dinks far less predictable.

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

Fix Your Elevated Shoulder
In 3 Moves (Neck & Trap Release)

🏓 PRO NEWS

MLP 2026 Trade
Window #2 Updates

One of Major League Pickleball’s biggest names is on the move. Tyra Black has been traded during the league’s second trade window, adding another surprise twist to a season that has already seen a flurry of roster moves and cash deals across multiple teams.

See the latest MLP trade activity and which teams are reshaping their rosters before the June 30 deadline.

⚕️ HEALTH NEWS

Pickleball Means My
Wheelchair Stays In The Shed

Eight years after a Parkinson’s diagnosis left her relying on mobility aids, Gill Jeffrey says her wheelchair now sits unused in the shed. She credits a local pickleball program for helping her stay active, regain confidence, and walk farther than she thought possible.

Read how a growing Pickleball for Parkinson’s program is helping players stay mobile, connected, and hopeful after diagnosis.

 🏓 PRO NEWS

Mookie Betts Hosts 2nd
Annual ‘Smash For Good’
Pickleball Tournament

Mookie Betts is hosting a pickleball tournament, but the guest list looks more like an awards show. Jamie Foxx, Simu Liu, Terrell Owens, Dodgers stars, pro pickleball players, and a handful of surprise guests are all set to hit the courts for a charity event supporting underserved youth.

See who’s playing in Smash for Good and how Betts is using pickleball to raise money for the 50/50 Foundation.

🏓 HUMOR

When Your Doubles Partner
Plays With Someone Else

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

WIND GAP, PA: Slate Belt Man Caused $46K+ Pickleball Court Damage: Cops
TULSA, OK: Tulsa Ranked in Top 10 Cities Nationwide For Pickleball Courts
CINCINNATI, OH: Vlasic Classic Brings Best Pickleball Players to Cincinnati's Sawyer Point
ST. PETE: FL: Major League Pickleball Event Coming to St. Pete for First Time
FORT WORTH, TX: Bob on Business: A Whole City Devoted to Pickleball? Developer Serves Up Pickle City Fort Worth
FITCHBURG, WI: Pickleball Tournament Raises Funds for Alzheimer's Research
RIDGEFIELD, CT: Pickleball Fundraiser Raises $1350 for Meals on Wheels
HUNTSVILLE, AL: Ready to Pickleball? Huntsville Opens ‘One of Southeast’s Premier Recreation Destinations’


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

  💪 2 Different Ways To Attack Overheads 

If you have not seen the already covered overhead techniques demonstrated by Callie Smith, Tanner Tomasi, Jordan Briones and others, be sure to check out their YouTube feeds on this topic.  This week, let’s look at two shots I have not yet covered.

 The Topspin Roundhouse and Overhead Backhand Smash 

From bangitpickleball on Instagram, check out this rally that ends with the topspin forehand roundhouse.  The player in the forecourt in the black shirt finishes the point after a lengthy dinking rally when the other side tries to lob.  Awesome shot.

·    This shot comes into play when you first try to shuffle slide back to attack a lob with an overhead on the forehand side, but you find that it is already past you.

·    You do not have time to turn and run past it to lob, since you started too late.

·    Keep your paddle are extended behind you, rather “than scratching your back.”

·    Reach back, and try to get on top of the ball, creating topspin and following through towards the net and across your body.

·    We worked on this in my advanced class today, and some players said they already find themselves doing this in games.

Overhead Backhand Smash

From Tanner Tomasi and Hannah Blatt, check out the attached video.

·    Step one:  if your partner is not about to hit the overhead smash, this is your chance to help them on the backhand side.

·    Step two:  take a step backwards, coil your shoulder, the use your wrist to snap it down.

·    Step three:  know that this is not an outright winner.  You are aiming at your opponent’s feet, so when you snap it down, you are ready for the next shot.

Both players emphasize that this shot will help avoid having to retreat and run down your opponent’s lob.  You will keep your position of power at the NVZ.

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