Return to Sender

JOOLA Lawsuit, USA World PB Conference, PB in France & Japan

Author

FIT PICKLER
June 13, 2024

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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

  • Fitness Expert Glen Dawson: Cut Faster, Stronger & Without Injury

  • Return To Sender: Mastering the Serve Return

  • JOOLA Lawsuit: Administrative Error or “Bait & Switch?”

  • Dinking Around at the USA Pickleball World Conference

  • One Man’s Journey to Introduce Pickleball in Japan

  • The Peaceful Co-Existence of Rackets & Paddles in France

  • Getting Sour with Pickle Juice Cocktails

  • Announcements: PickleCon and RPPA

  • Rally Rundown: Local Highlights

  • Coach Mary: Return of the Serve

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with GLEN

CUT LATERALLY FASTER
STRONGER & WITHOUT INJURY

🥷SKILLS

Return to Sender

The Key Elements to a Successful Return of Serve

A strong return sets the stage for a successful rally, giving you control from the get-go. Let's break down the key elements and provide actionable tips to enhance your return game. Here are 5 Essentials to Master, Common Mistakes and Drills to help you improve:

1) READY POSITION
The first consideration in service return is being in the ready position to be able to react quickly to where the ball is hit.

• Feet: Shoulder-width apart, slightly staggered for balance and quick movement.
• Knees: Slightly bent, allowing for springy, responsive footwork.
• Paddle: Held out in front, around waist level, with a relaxed grip.
• Body Position: Weight slightly forward, head up, eyes locked on the server.
• Split Step: As the server begins their motion, perform a small hop to activate your muscles and prepare for movement.
• Lateral Shuffle: Move quickly side-to-side to adjust your position as you read the serve's direction.
• Step Forward: On contact, step into your return, adding power and ensuring you're moving towards the net.

⚖️LEGAL NEWS

JOOLA LAWSUIT:
Administrative Error or Bait & Switch?

The paddle manufacturer JOOLA is facing a proposed class action lawsuit for continuing to sell paddles they claim are USA Pickleball Approved, even though that designation has been revoked.

Was it an “administrative error” or a classic example of “bait and switch?” JOOLA’s Gen3 paddles were submitted for approval in late 2023. They obtained the certification that allows for these paddles to be used in both amateur and professional play. However, in May 2024, JOOLA informed USAPA that the wrong paddles had been submitted for certification.

The decertification means that players cannot use these paddles in tournament play. The lawsuit accuses JOOLA of deceptive practices by continuing to sell these paddles with the revoked approval, misleading consumers about their true status and value. The suit seeks refunds for purchasers of specific JOOLA paddle models.

🗞️NEWS

Dinking Around at the USA
Pickleball World Conference

Las Vegas 2024

Move over Star Trek, Pickleball has made it to the Convention Center in Las Vegas, the convention capital of the world. This past weekend, hundreds of pickleball enthusiasts and pickleball vendors filled the South Hall of the Las Vegas convention center.

The crowd ranged from 12 years old to 70’s and above, as folks listened to speakers on a wide range of pickleball topics, roamed the exhibit hall and played in tournaments in the first ever World Pickleball event sponsored by USA Pickleball.

🇯🇵 GLOBAL NEWS

One Man’s Journey to Bring
Pickleball to Japan

Pickleball enthusiast Daniel Moore shares his journey of starting a “Pickleball Movement” in Japan.

He explains the reasons for its growth and some difficulties he faced at first because culturally he says Japanese do not like to be the first to try new things. He credits the Japanese media and celebrity influence for getting traction for the movement.

He believes critical mass was reached in 2023 and now that the Japan Pickleball Association (JPA) is a viable entity, he believes the next big push will come when Japanese players begin becoming popular in USA-based tours.

🇫🇷GLOBAL NEWS

The Peaceful Co-Existence
of Rackets & Paddles

In a country with over 34,000 tennis courts and only about 300 pickleball courts, the French Tennis Federation (FTT) is proactively embracing other “racket-adjacent” sports.

While other countries and states are worried tennis is losing its luster from the other sports, the French seem to believe the more the merrier. The FTT even added pickleball to its association and are working on getting national championships sanctioned.

🍸COCKTAILS
Getting Sour with Pickle
Juice Cocktails

In case you missed it a while back, Carvana PPA Tour shared some fun recipes for lovers of Pickles and Pickleball. Check out the “Pickle-Rita,” The Pickled Surfer and the Spicy “Pickle-Mary.”

✅ SURVEY CONTEST ✅

ANNOUNCEMENTS

RPPA Extends Free
Membership Option


The First Association dedicated to Recreational Pickleball Players!
Go to RPPA.org and take advantage of the FREE Membership Offer

PickleCon is Coming in August

PickleCon is coming to Kansas City August 8-11! The event will feature 60-plus vendors and more than 100 pickleball courts.
Learn More at Picklecon.com

🧭 COMMUNITY NEWS

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS


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

HOLDING COURT with
COACH MARY

  💪 Return of Serve Tips

RETURN OF THE SERVE

I am featuring a new coach this week, Julian Arnold.

I really like this video, which emphasizes the key parts of the return of serve. Watch the attached video several times!

1. He emphasizes a short backswing – yes! Pickleball is played in front of your body, not behind you.

2. He stresses getting your hips and body behind the ball. He calls it the “outstep”. Get your body behind the ball, so you can generate power from your core as you move to the net.

3. Your momentum should be forward! Move your body so that your hips and core are behind the ball, to generate core power. As you contact the return, your momentum should bring you to the net quickly.

Because as the returning team you can get to the NVZ earlier than the serving team, it is crucial that you get your return deep and move into the NVZ line as your opponent is figuring out how to execute a third shot drop, drive, ¾, or lob.

In rally scoring, this is even more important!

Note: When returning serve and when executing the third shot, your momentum should bring you to the net with your paddle up!

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