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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

• Hilarious Pickleball Bigfoot Video

• How to Force Your Opponents to Pop Up

• Eat This Tasty Snack Before Games to Boost Your Focus & Reactions

• Professional Pickleball's Equal Pay Power Move Should Be The Standard

• Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: Relieve Knee Pain In 2 Moves

• 79 Year-Old Pickleball Pioneer Fran Myer Isn't Slowing Down Anytime Soon!

• Ridiculous Jack Sock ATP Pickleball Shot - Video

• Pickleball Is Evolving Faster, Girls Have A Lot More Power

• Pickleball Helps Grieving Mother Cope With The Loss Of Her Son

• Coach Mary: How to Avoid Hitting Volleys Into The Net

Learn More at RPPA.org

🥷SKILLS

How To Force Your Opponents
To Pop Up

In pickleball, the player who gets to hit down is usually the one who wins the point. That’s why pro players are so good at working the ball into a position where they can swing from high to low — ideally at their opponent’s feet or into an open space. But here’s the secret: you don’t have to wait around for your opponent to make a mistake or float a ball.

You can actively force them to hit upward by placing the ball in difficult spots, changing speeds, and attacking their balance. And when you do that consistently, you’ll create more chances to finish points on your terms — not theirs. Let’s break down seven smart ways to make your opponents hit up at you.

Why You Want to See the Ball Rise A ball coming upward is easier to attack. It gives you time. It gives you options.

And it usually means your opponent is in a defensive position. Here’s the basic equation:
• A ball below the net = must be hit up.
• A ball above the net = can be hit flat or down.

Your job? Create situations where your opponent’s contact point is below net level — or their body can’t do anything but lift the ball to survive.

💪 Weekly Advice To Keep You Fit & Injury Free

  Eat This Tasty Snack Before Games
To Boost Your Focus & Reactions

Ever find yourself a split-second too slow on a volley? You see the shot coming but your paddle gets there just a beat late. Maybe you chalk it up to age, or just a rough day.

But what if the real fix wasn’t more practice – but a simple change to what you eat before you play?

New research shows you can actually snack your way to faster reactions and laser focus. The secret weapon? Two nutrients you’ll find in foods already sitting in your kitchen.

Let’s get straight to why these nutrients matter, and how they could help you play a faster, more focused game, starting with your very next match.

Outspeed Your Opponents – With Food!

The two nutrients are lutein and zeaxanthin. You might know them as “eye vitamins,” but they do more than help you see the ball. They also give your brain a boost.

Both nutrients support the areas of your brain that handle fast decisions, focus, and quick reactions – everything you need for great pickleball.

 💼 BUSINESS NEWS

Pro Pickleball’s Equal Pay Power
Move Should Be The Standard

While other sports still debate pay equity, pro pickleball has already made it happen. With average annual salaries for top female players surpassing those in the WNBA, and women featured equally in broadcasts, team slots, and sponsorships, Major League Pickleball is showing what a level playing field really looks like.

See why this isn’t just a sports story—it’s a blueprint for equity done right.
Click here…

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

Relieve Knee Pain In 2 Moves

👀 PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

79 Year Old Pickleball Pioneer
Fran Myer
Isn’t Slowing Down Anytime Soon!

Fran Myer didn’t just pick up a paddle—she helped shape the sport. From co-founding the first-ever pickleball retail site to becoming the first woman inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame, Fran’s journey proves that it’s never too late to start something new—or to change the game entirely.

At 79, she’s still competing, still connecting, and still inspiring players of all ages to move, laugh, and keep showing up. Meet the woman who helped build pickleball—and find out why she’s not done yet.

 😳 CRAZY ATP

Jack Sock For The Win!

🏓  NEWS

Pickleball Is Evolving Faster,
Girls Have A Lot More Power

Women’s pickleball isn’t just evolving—it’s accelerating. Coach Vinnie Brascia, who trains his daughters Mary and Maggie, says today’s top female players are blending power, precision, and pace like never before.

The soft-touch game at the net is giving way to aggressive shot-making, but brute force alone won’t cut it.

Find out how the smartest women on tour are adapting—and why the future of the game might look a lot more like the men’s.
Click Here…

🥲 MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

Pickleball Helps Grieving Mother
Cope With The Loss Of Her Son

Carolyn Glickstein lost her son, but found healing on the pickleball court. At 80, she teaches young professionals on the rooftop of her son’s former Miami condo—on a court dedicated in his memory.

Through her coaching and her Instagram, Good Grief Pickleball, Carolyn is creating a safe space for others to grieve, move, and connect. See how one woman turned heartbreak into hope—and how a game helped her keep going.
Click Here…

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

BEAUFORT, SC: Pickleball Helps Local Man Fight Parkinson's Disease
Westport, CT: Pickleball Enthusiast Tom Lowrie To Be Honored By The Town
ROCHESTER, NY: City Opens First Dedicated Pickleball Courts At Maplewood Park
TORONTO, CANADA: City's First Multi-Court Pickleball Facility Coming To East End Waterfront Park
SHREVEPORT, LA: Pickleball Takes Center Stage With A New $10M Park
BOISE, ID: Couple Files Suit Against City of Boise Over Pickleball Noise
LARGO, FL: Pickle & Pint rides the indoor pickleball wave

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

  💪 How To Avoid Hitting
Volleys Into The Net

How To Avoid Hitting Volleys Into The Net: Roll Versus Punch Volleys Explained

The Flying Pickleball Academy is putting out some good instructional videos.  How many times have you had a great put-a-way opportunity, and you dump it into the net?  Be sure to watch the video several times to get the execution down pat.

If you cannot access the video from this article in the Desert Sun, then go to YouTube, search for Flying Pickleball Academy, and look for Roll volleys versus Punch volleys.

First, let’s look at the difference between a punch volley and a roll volley.

·    The punch volley is for a ball that stays up.  Note that it is executed in front of the body – no backswing!  Hips and shoulders are hitting the ball!

·    The roll volley should be executed when the ball is lower, below your waist.  Drop your paddle down, at 6 o’clock, and roll over the ball to create topspin.  Watch the video!

·    Basic rule:  when the ball is up, hit the punch volley.  When the ball is lower, execute the roll volley with topspin.

·    You can also execute this skill on the backhand side.  Turn your chest and use a snap or flick, with your off hand thrown back.  If the ball is low, drop your paddle down, and use a low to high stroke, brushing up on the ball to create topspin.  Follow-through is vital.

·    I love that the video shows how you keep your paddle in front of you!   Incorporate your hips and shoulders and follow-through.

·    A note from me:  if you hit it into the net, the point is over, and your opponent gets the point.  Be sure to contact out in front, follow-through with a big use of your shoulders and your off arm.  If the ball goes low, drop your paddle and use a roll volley.  Big follow-through!!!!!

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