Stop Swinging! Win More Points by Letting It Go!

Biodegradable Balls, Rooftop Courts, Playing PB w/ Arthritis, Watch Paddles Being Made, PB strategies for Short People & More

Author

FIT PICKLER
February 20, 2025

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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

  • Stop Swinging! Win More Points by Letting It Go!

  • Bio Ball: The New Biodegradable Pickleball That Aims To Tackle Plastic Waste

  • Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: Desk Workers? Do This At Least Once A Day

  • How To Play Pickleball With Arthritis - And Actually Enjoy It!

  • The 10 Biggest Mistakes Tennis Players Make In Pickleball

  • Inside Look: The Mass Production Of Fiberglass Pickleball Paddles (video)

  • Beverly Hills Mansion With Rooftop Pickleball Court Asking $40 Million

  • Humor: Wanna Play Pickleball? Me: YES!!

  • How Tennis Great Steffi Graf Got Bitten By Pickleball's 'Fun Factor'

  • The High-Impact 80/20 Rule For Pickleball Training

  • India’s Bold 2036 Pickleball Prediction

  • Rally Rundown: Local Highlights

  • Coach Mary: Strategies for “Vertically Challenged Picklers!”

🥷SKILLS

Stop Swinging! Win More
Points By Letting It Go!

Let It Go….🎶

In pickleball, we’re always told to keep the ball in play, react quickly, and stay engaged in every rally. But what if the secret to winning more points was knowing when not to swing? Knowing when not to hit a shot is an underrated skill that separates high-level players from those who give away free points.

Many players instinctively hit every ball that comes their way, but the best players learn to recognize which balls will go out, which will put them at a disadvantage if they return them, and when it’s better to force an opponent to hit another shot. If you’ve ever swung at a ball and immediately thought, I should have let that go, read on. There are four key areas where not swinging can actually win you more points—and you can train yourself to make better in-the-moment decisions.

  1. Recognizing Out Balls – How to Read the Flight of the Ball 

    One of the fastest ways to level up your game is by stopping unnecessary errors, and one of the most common unforced errors is hitting shots that would have gone out.

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

Desk Workers: Do This Stretch
At Least Once a Day

🗞️ NEWS

The New Biodegradable Ball That
Aims to Tackle Plastic Waste

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

With over 500 million pickleballs produced annually, the sport is facing an unexpected environmental problem—plastic waste that lingers in landfills for a century. Enter BioBall, a biodegradable alternative developed by Komodo Pickleball, promising to break down in just 3-5 years without sacrificing playability.

Early users report that it performs just like a high-quality tournament ball, but skeptics wonder: Will it truly hold up under intense, long-term play? And will its lifespan on the court justify the switch?
Game-changer or gimmick? See what players are saying and whether BioBall is the future of sustainable pickleball, click here…

📜 ANNOUNCEMENT

Spots Still Available! SAVE $100
When You Use Code RPPA100

Gamechangeher Events is dedicated to empowering and teaching women through the dynamic sport of pickleball. Their mission is to create a supportive and inclusive environment where women can learn, grow, and excel in their pickleball skills.

9 hours of instruction with max of 4 players per court. Two groups: 3.0-3.4 and 3.5+
Learn more here…

⚕️ HEALTH NEWS

How to Play Pickleball With
Arthritis And Actually Enjoy It!

Another Day in Tin Man Land ☹️ 

Arthritis might slow you down, but it doesn’t have to take you out of the game. With the right strategies, gear, and mindset, you can keep enjoying the sport you love while protecting your joints. Smart warm-ups, modified movements, and the right paddle can make all the difference. Plus, pickleball itself can actually help with arthritis by keeping your joints mobile and your muscles strong.

Want to keep dinking without the aching? Here’s how to play pickleball with arthritis—and actually enjoy it, click here…

🤔 STRATEGY

The 10 Biggest Mistakes Tennis
Players Make In Pickleball

Which Shot When?

Tennis players may have the footwork, power, and court sense, but stepping onto a pickleball court with a tennis mindset can lead to some epic blunders. From swinging too big to ignoring the kitchen, many tennis converts struggle to adjust to the fast, finesse-driven nature of pickleball.

 Learn the ten biggest mistakes former tennis players make—and how to fix them—so you can stop giving away points and start winning more games. Ready to level up your game? Click here to see how…

🤣HUMOR

Wanna Play Pickleball?

The answer will never be no 😤 

😎 COOL STUFF

Inside Look: The Mass production
of Pickleball Paddles

Wow!

🏡 REAL ESTATE NEWS

Beverly Hills Mansion With Rooftop
Pickleball Court Asking $40 Million

Meet You Upstairs!( photo credit Simon Berlyn)

Pickleball has officially reached new heights—literally. This $40 million Bel-Air mansion isn’t just another luxury estate; it’s a sports lover’s dream, complete with a rooftop pickleball court, putting green, basketball court, and even an indoor golf simulator.

Blending classic Bel-Air elegance with modern amenities, this three-story, 15,500-square-foot home caters to those who want both timeless sophistication and cutting-edge recreation.

Take a look inside the ultimate fusion of luxury and play! See Pics Here…

PRO NEWS
How Tennis Great Steffi Graf Got
Bitten By Pickleball’s Fun Factor

The Fun Factor

Steffi Graf may have conquered the world of tennis, but even a 22-time Grand Slam champion isn’t immune to the irresistible fun factor of pickleball. Trading powerful groundstrokes for quick volleys and soft resets, she’s stepping into a whole new kind of competition—one that’s fast, unpredictable, and surprisingly addictive.

Now, as she has just won the Pickleball Slam 3, the question might not be how well did she play—but also how much fun did she have doing it.

See what fun can happen when a legend takes on the wild world of pickleball,
click here…

💪  FITNESS NEWS

The High-Impact 80/20 Rule
For Pickleball Training

The Pareto Pickleball Principle

What if you could improve your pickleball skills faster by practicing smarter? The 80/20 Rule reveals that 80% of your success comes from just 20% of your efforts—but only if you're focusing on the right skills. Dinking, third-shot drops, and lightning-fast volleys aren’t just flashy—they’re game-changers that separate top players from the rest. Stop grinding away at low-impact drills and start practicing like a pro.

Discover the key 20% of skills that will skyrocket your game! Click here…

  🇮🇳 GLOBAL NEWS

India’s Bold 2036 Olympic
Pickleball Prediction

Dreaming Big!

Is pickleball on the path to Olympic glory? Pranav Kohli and Aditya Khanna, the visionaries behind Pickleball World Rankings (PWR), are boldly pushing for the sport’s inclusion when India potentially hosts the 2036 Games. With India emerging as a pickleball powerhouse—second only to the U.S.—they believe the sport's rapid growth, grassroots development, and structured governance could pave the way for its Olympic debut.

Could we see India’s first gold medal in pickleball in 2036? Stay ahead of the game and see how this ambitious plan is taking shape, click here…

🧭 COMMUNITY NEWS

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

HOLDING COURT with
COACH MARY

  💪 Strategies for “Vertically Challenged”
Pickleball Players

Strategies for “Vertically Challenged Picklers!”


 Height, reach and flexibility all aide Picklers to excel in the following skills:
·    Overheads – they can reach higher to get balls without retreating.
·    Volley dinks:  they can take more balls out of the air in the NVZ without stepping in the Kitchen.
·    Attacks:  they can reach out and attack with a topspin roll or backhand flick a ball that they can reach as it travels through the NVZ zone.
·    Poaching:  they can reach balls that are further away in their partners side of the court to execute a poaching attack.

Yes, you want to recruit a tall doubles partner!!!

However, here are some suggestions for players who are not tall, on how to compete against taller players. 

The video above deals with shots from the kitchen. See a good drill for dinking inside the Kitchen, note that you must be more precise and controlled:

· You do not want your taller opponent to take the ball out of the air, so you must perfect the short dink!

· Keep the ball low, so that it will not bounce higher. Imagine “Crime Scene Tape” – a string across the length of the net about 12-18 inches above the net. The ball must travel under the string, and over the net.

· To keep your trajectory low, be sure to follow-through with your paddle “flush” to the net, and not facing upward.

· Dinking is a pushing motion, not a swing. Use your bent knees, piston up, incorporate hip rotation, and use your shoulder turn to lift the ball over the net with control.

 In this video Morgan emphasizes three key points:

1. Position yourself deeper in the court, so that you can still get to the NVZ, but you can also defend lobs.
2. Use slice on your dinks.  This is easier for shorter players, and it keeps the ball low, and unattackable.

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