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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

• How To Handle A Dink At Your Feet

• Dynamic Stretches for Pickleball: What to Do Before You Play

• DRILL OF THE WEEK: The Backhand Return Drill

• Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: Tone Bat Wings & Glutes At Home (1 Ball Move)

• GEAR REVIEW: 11SIX24 Pegasus Jelly Bean Paddle

• Team USA Wins The Inaugural Major League Pickleball Nations Cup In Dominant Fashion

• Mark Wahlberg & Celebrity Pals Headlining Pickleball Event In North Texas

• From Shy To Center Court: Cailyn Campbell Finds Her Voice In Professional Pickleball

• HUMOR: When You Try The Shot The Pro Hit ...

• Coach Mary: I Wish I Knew These 3 Things When I First Started Playing

🥷SKILLS

How To Handle A Dink
At Your Feet

A good dink does not have to be particularly fast or sharply angled to create trouble. Sometimes the most awkward ball is the one that lands almost directly in front of a player's shoes.

The ball drops low, there is very little room to swing, and the player suddenly has to decide whether to step back, reach forward, or attempt a delicate lift over the net.

A dink at the feet can be especially frustrating because it looks like an easy ball until the moment of contact.

The problem is usually one of spacing. The ball has entered an area where the player cannot comfortably position the paddle, and a small adjustment becomes necessary before making the shot.

Understanding how to create that space is the first step toward handling these balls consistently.

Why Balls at the Feet Are So Difficult

Players are generally more comfortable contacting a dink slightly in front of the body, with enough room for the paddle to move through the ball.

💪 Health & Fitness Section

Dynamic Stretches for Pickleball:
What to Do Before You Play

You stretch before every pickleball game, but are you doing the right kind? Holding a stretch might feel like good preparation, yet the movements you choose before stepping onto the court can make a difference in how ready your body is for that first quick sprint or lateral shuffle.

See which dynamic stretches belong in your pregame routine and how to warm up in just five to ten minutes.

🥷 Drill of the Week:

The Backhand Return Drill

Opponents keep serving to your backhand, and your returns keep landing short, giving them an easy third shot. But your backhand stroke may not be the real problem. The Backhand Return Drill helps pinpoint what's going wrong when serves target your weaker side.

Try the drill to build a deeper, more reliable backhand return and stop giving opponents an easy opening.

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

Tone Bat Wings & Glutes
At Home (1 Ball Move)

⚙️ GEAR REVIEWS
 
11SIX24 Pegasus Jelly Bean Paddle

NEW FROM PICKLER JUNCTION: The Pickler Junction Team’s reviews go above and beyond a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. They pull together independent testing, verified buyer feedback, community opinions, and objective performance data to show where the 11SIX24 Pegasus Jelly Bean Paddle shines, and where it may not be the right fit, depending on how you play. Note: Review will list MSRP, link will show sale price if available.

Shopping for new pickleball gear? Reply here and we’ll tell The PJ Team what to review next!

🏓 PRO NEWS

Team USA Wins The Inaugural
Major League Pickleball Nations
Cup In Dominant Fashion

Team USA claimed the inaugural MLP Nations Cup title, with Ben Johns leading a dominant American lineup. But the road to gold wasn't entirely smooth, as an unexpected challenge from Asia pushed the Americans into a tense DreamBreaker and showed just how competitive international pickleball is becoming.

See how Team USA secured the first Nations Cup title and which international players made the strongest impression ahead of Worlds.

🤩 ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Mark Wahlberg & Celebrity Pals Headlining
Pickleball Event In North Texas

Mark Wahlberg is trading the movie set for the pickleball court at this week's World Championships in North Texas. He'll be joined by an unlikely mix of Hollywood stars, professional athletes, and some of pickleball's biggest names for a celebrity showdown.

See who's joining Wahlberg on the court, when they're playing, and how you can watch the action in person.

👏 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

From Shy To Center Court:
Cailyn Campbell Finds Her Voice
In Professional Pickleball

Cailyn Campbell was once so shy she wouldn't speak to her own grandparents, and when her brother introduced her to pickleball at 13, she didn't even like the sport. Now, at just 16, she's competing against some of the world's best players on the professional tour.

See how Campbell went from a reluctant beginner to a rising PPA talent, and how pickleball helped her find her voice.

🤣 HUMOR

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

TALLAHASSEE, FL: Something Good: 91-Year-Old Pickleballer Honored With Courts In His Name
BURLINGTON, WA: Special Olympics Crowns Pickleball Champions
RIGBY, ID: Nonprofit Pickleball Organization Quickly Spreading Through Eastern Idaho
TWIN FALLS, ID: Slice Pickleball To Host Fundraiser Tournament For Jill Skeem
MANTENO, IL: Lighting Set For Six Manteno Pickleball Courts
HIGHLAND PARK, IL: Serving Up Support: Pickleball Tournament Shines Light On Children's Grief
FORT WORTH, TX: More Than A Game: Pickleball Builds Community At TCU


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

💪 I Wish I Knew These 3 Things
When I First Started Playing

From Tanner Tomasi: “I wish I knew these three things when I first started playing.”

We are getting a geometry lesson here!

1. Tanner explains that if he was more aware of court geometry, he would have been better at defending angles and attacks.  In the video, he shows this example:  if you dink middle, and your opponent is contacting there, they will not be able to speed up cross-court, because their shot will go out.  You can give up the sideline and just cover the middle.  Be sure to watch this video!

2. The second thing Tanner says he wished he had learned earlier:  movement through the transition zone.  He explains that when you execute your third shot, you should “Crab Walk” into the middle of the court and then stop and split when your opponent contacts the ball.  Stay low and move forward balanced with your paddle out in front.  Do not rush in fast and then attempt to lunge to defend your opponent’s attack.  Be sure to watch this video.

3. The third thing that Tanner wishes he had learned earlier relates back to one of my previous articles about the “New No Volley Zone.”

Tanner explains that you should be fluid through this zone.  If you are being attacked, attempt to move back and get ready to reset. (Imagine a 2–3-foot zone behind the NVZ line.)  If you are on offense, because you executed a good low dink, then move in, ready to attack with a drive, topspin roll, flick or overhead.  You will move back and forth within this zone as the point progresses.  Again, it is critical that you watch this video.

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