How Your Return of Serve Shapes the Entire Rally

Weird Cooling Tricks, $47M Fraud, $60K Theft, Why Picklr chose Japan, PB on HBO, Which Serve To Use When, PB Saved My Life, Business News & More

June 12, 2025

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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

  • How Your Return of Serve Shapes the Entire Rally

  • Weird (Yet Effective) Cooling Tricks Pickleball Players Swear By

  • ‘It saved my life’ A Recovery Center Is Using Pickleball To Treat Mental Illness

  • Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: 3 Moves To Improve Hip Mobility

  • Pickleball’s $60,000 Paddle Testing Machine Goes Missing

  • Pickleball’s Pro League Boom: Why It’s Attracting Big Investors

  • Why Picklr Invested Heavily In Japan, Not In Vietnam Or Malaysia

  • Pickleball In Venice: HBO Stars Play On Clay

  • The Next Sport To Try Its Own ‘Drive to Survive’ May Be Pickleball

  • DOJ Sets Amount in Fraud Bankruptcy Case Of Former Pickleball Rocks Owner

  • Coach Mary: What Serve To Use When

🥷SKILLS

How Your Return Of Serve
Shapes The Entire Rally

As You Can See From This Simple Chart…

In pickleball, many players focus their energy on the third shot — learning to drop, drive, or roll it into position. But here’s something most overlook: the third shot only happens after the return. And how you return the serve plays a massive role in how the point unfolds.

Your return isn’t just a formality. It’s your first real chance to shape the rally — to influence pace, direction, positioning, and even psychology. Do it right, and you can turn defense into instant control.

Let’s break down how to use your return of serve as a strategic weapon — and how to train for it.

⚕️ Introducing Our New Health & Fitness Section
Weekly Advice To Keep You Fit & Injury Free

Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Just Me?

  Weird (But Effective) Cooling Tricks
Pickleball Players Swear By

Ever felt like your legs turn to Jell-O by game three? You’re not alone. For many of us, it’s not age or fitness – it’s heat.  

The good news? There’s a whole set of cooling rituals pickleball players use to outlast the sun and the scoreboard. They might sound weird – but they work. 

Welcome to your summer survival guide, packed with the smartest tricks fellow players swear by. 

Why Your Game Falls Apart When It Gets Hot 

When your core temperature climbs just two degrees, everything starts breaking down. Your coordination gets sloppy. Your reaction time slows. Your muscles become cramp magnets. 

 🧠 MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

‘It Saved My Life’ - A Recovery Center Is Using Pickleball To Treat Mental Illness

Here I Come To Save The Day…

At a recovery center in Cincinnati, a makeshift pickleball court lined with traffic cones is doing something extraordinary: helping people reconnect with others—and themselves.

From battling isolation to finding joy, participants like Betsy Fischer and Judy Lamping say the weekly game has been life-changing. One even credits it with saving her life.

This isn’t just a story about a sport—it’s about community, healing, and second chances. Pickleball is proving it’s more than a game. It's becoming a lifeline.
See the whole story here….

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

3 Moves To Improve Hip Mobility

Pickleball’s $60K Paddle
Testing Machine Goes Missing

It’s 10pm Do You Know Where Your Pickleball Testing Machine Is?

A $60,000 high-tech paddle-testing machine—used to keep pro pickleball fair—has mysteriously vanished, and police are on the hunt.

The device plays a key role in enforcing paddle regulations, and its disappearance has sparked concern across the sport’s competitive ranks.

Follow the investigation as authorities work to track down the missing machine and restore order to the court.

💼 BUSINESS NEWS

Pickleball’s Pro League Boom:
Why Its Attracting Big Investors

There’s Gold In Them Thar Hills!

Pickleball isn’t just a weekend hobby anymore—it’s a booming pro sport with millions of players, packed arenas, and a tidal wave of investor interest.

With prize money rising, team formats grabbing attention, and over 476 new brands entering the scene last year alone, pro leagues like MLP and the PPA are turning casual play into a commercial powerhouse.

Want to see where the sport is headed—and who’s cashing in? This breakdown shows how pickleball became the next big thing in sports business.
Read more here…

💼 BUSINESS NEWS

Why Picklr Invested Heavily in Japan,
Not In Vietnam Or Malaysia

Weighing In On Why Japan

Why would The Picklr—already the world’s largest indoor pickleball franchise—choose Japan for its next big expansion, despite pickleball being far more popular in Vietnam and Malaysia? The answer lies in Japan’s deep-rooted racquet sports culture, abundance of tennis facilities, and strong emphasis on wellness and community.

With 20 clubs planned and a trusted local partner leading the charge, The Picklr sees Japan not as a late bloomer, but as the perfect launchpad for long-term growth across Asia. Read more about their decision here…

🤩 ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Pickleball In Venice:
HBO Stars Play On Clay

🏓 SPORTS NEWS

The Next Sport To Try Its Own
Drive To Survive May Be Pickleball

All Drives, No Dinks!

Behind-the-scenes sports docs have become must-watch TV—and now pickleball is stepping into the spotlight. The PPA Tour is filming its own documentary series, capturing the rivalries, personalities, and fast-paced growth of the pro scene.

With no distributor signed yet, it’s still under the radar—but the cameras are already rolling. Will this be pickleball’s breakout moment?

If you love sports drama, startup energy, and the thrill of a game on the rise, keep your eye on this one. The tour is betting big—and if it lands a platform, it could change how the world sees pickleball. Read more here…

🧭 COMMUNITY NEWS

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

HOLDING COURT with
COACH MARY

  💪 What Serve To Use When

THESES VIDEOS SHOW CUT, BANANA OR SLICE SERVES - CHECK THEM OUT BUT MAYBE SAVE MASTERY FOR ANOTHER DAY

Bottom line:  
Use a topspin drive serve in the wind.

Use a lob serve against bangers or opponents with good slice.

Use a backhand serve to create slice that stays low, creating weak returns.

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