Pro PB Drama!

Is Winter Coming?

Author

FIT PICKLER
December 28, 2023

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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

  • WINNER OF DEC. “GOT IT” CONTEST ANNOUNCED

  • Fitness Expert Glen Dawson on Elbow Pain Relief

  • Professional Pickleball Leagues: DRAMA … Is Winter Coming?

  • To Padel or To Pickle? Will Either Take Over Tennis?

  • The PB Fashion Brand Based on the Founder: J. Pritchard

  • How A Kentucky Pastor Uses Pickeball to Connect with the Community

  • Pickleball Cupcakes: Quick, Easy and Adorable

  • Coach Mary: Pickler Tricks for the New Year

🏆DECEMBER WINNER OF THE “GOT IT” CONTEST
This month’s Prize: The Art of Pickleball Tote Bag
Winner: “editorss” (Check your email editorss!)

© Original Design by Artist T. Santora

🏋️ STAYING FIT WITH GLEN

EXERCISE FOR ELBOW PAIN RELIEF

🗞️ IN THE NEWS

THE DRAMA OF PRO PICKLEBALL LEAGUES

No, this is not a real series coming to HBO … just a fun graphic 😉

A fascinating article in “Awful Announcing” last week sheds a not so glamorous spotlight on the Professional Pickleball leagues suggesting they may be worthy of their own reality show..

Subtitled, “With celebrity investors, free spending, and rival leagues on the brink, the professional pickleball scene is like an HBO drama,” the article is an interesting dive into “the battle for the soul and money roiling the professional sport.”

Explaining the alphabet soup of professional pickleball leagues, their owners and repeated merger attempts, the article highlights the crazy drama surrounding the sport and features interviews with top players, officials, and industry insiders.

For an interesting take on the intrigue and challenges of getting a professional sports league off the ground and the controversy surrounding the effort
Check it out here…

To Padel or To Pickle?
Will Either Take Over Tennis?

In the ever-evolving world of racquet sports, there is a “seemingly new” sport currently making waves - Padel. Padel is not in fact “new” at all, but its seemingly sudden rise to fame is finally getting noticed in the United States.

Padel is a unique blend of tennis, squash, racquetball, and maybe even a bit of beach volleyball.

This dynamic game was born in Acapulco, Mexico, in the 1960s, thanks to the efforts of Enrique Corcuera. Corcuera, an avid tennis player, wanted to create a racquet sport that could be enjoyed by his whole family, including his children.

Drawing inspiration from various racquet sports, he designed the first Padel court with walls and a net, setting the stage for the game we know today. From its modest beginnings, Padel has since evolved into a global phenomenon, prompting comparisons between the extremely popular sport of Pickleball.
Read more here…

👚 FASHION

J. Pritchard Honored with New
Pickleball Fashion Line

J.Pritchard, a pickleball apparel brand, recently paid tribute to its founding family by creating a unique pickleball clothing collection inspired by its heritage.

The collection features vintage-inspired designs and includes men's and women's T-shirts, hats, and accessories with slogans and graphics that pay homage to the company's roots.

They aim to stylishly capture the essence of the sport and the values of family and community that are integral to pickleball. See more in the Women’s Wear Daily article here…

👏COMMUNITY

The Pastor Who Uses Pickleball
To Connect With His Community

Kentucky based Baptist Pastor, Andrew Dyer, has found a creative way to use the sport of pickleball as an evangelistic tool.

The pastor utilizes his love for the sport and organizes outdoor pickleball tournaments in his community, attracting both church members and non-believers.

By creating a relaxed and friendly environment through playing pickleball, the pastor has been able to connect with people, share the gospel, and build relationships that extend beyond the court.
Click here to see more…

👩‍🍳 BAKING

PICKLEBALL Cupcakes:
Short, Sweet and Adorable!

Super cute decorating tips for Pickleball themed Cupcakes!

 HOLDING COURT with
COACH MARY

  🥸 PICKLER TRICKS TO LEARN IN THE NEW YEAR

How to Trick Your Opponents and Win More Points

I thought I would share a more advanced tip this week to keep you 3.5 and up players interested! Elijah and Justin from Pickleball Journey recently posted this YouTube video: Be sure to watch it several times.

Trick #1: Baiting them. Pretend to move away from your ten feet at the kitchen. After you contact your dink, move to the middle, making your alley look wide open. When they try to pass you, you have already cheated back to cover that open spot. You are also distracting them with your movement, and they may pop it up or make an error because they are watching you, instead of the ball.

Watch Justin’s impressive demo several times.

 Trick #2: At the kitchen line, act as if you are going to speed it up with a drive, but then lob it over them from the kitchen. You can exaggerate your backswing, pretending like you are going to drive it, but then either lob, dink or redirect.

Check out Elijah’s great demo.

 Trick #3: Switching positions on the court. This is also called stacking. Prior to receiving the serve, give your partner a signal, indicating whether you are going to stay, switch or fake. After your partner returns the ball, switch sides. This is a great way to keep your opponent from targeting the weaker player, or targeting backhands, or targeting the player who is making more mistakes and is getting frustrated. This is a great way to get your forehands down the middle if you are playing with a lefty.

Justin and Elijah demonstrate what this looks like if you are the receiving team.

Try these in practice and drills, then don’t forget to attempt it in game situations!

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