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- The Drop Volley: 3 Situations Where It’s a Game-Changer
The Drop Volley: 3 Situations Where It’s a Game-Changer
When Your Partner Has a Bad Day, PB Industry Changes in 2024, PB's Iron Man, Mental Health & More
FIT PICKLER
January 16, 2025
Health, Fitness, News & Fun for Picklers of All Ages
What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:
The Drop Volley: 3 Situations Where It’s a Game-Changer
Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: The #1 Stretch For Lower Back Pain
How To Keep Trust When Your Partner Has a Bad Tournament Day
The Biggest Changes In The Pickleball Industry in 2024
How Pickleball Emerged As Mental Health Savior During COVID
Humor: When Your Partner Serves Into The Net on Match Point
Andre Agassi's Tennis Admission
Pickleball’s Ironman: The Inspiring Journey of Arvind Prabhoo
Pro News: Biggest Pickleball Tournaments Of 2025
Rally Rundown: Local Highlights
Coach Mary: Playing With Your Significant Other or Close Friend
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🥷SKILLS
The Drop Volley: 3 Situations
Where It’s a Game-Changer
Drop It While It’s Hot!
In pickleball, the drop volley is an underrated yet highly effective shot that can change the course of a rally. Unlike a regular volley where you hit the ball back with speed, a drop volley gently redirects your opponent’s shot into the kitchen, neutralizing their power and giving you control of the point.
While not commonly talked about, this shot can be a real game-changer in specific situations—if you know how and when to use it. Below, we’ll explore three key situations where the drop volley becomes a powerful tool, explain how to execute it effectively, and give you some practical drills to master this skill.
Transitioning to the Net During Fast-Paced Play: One of the trickiest areas to navigate in pickleball is the transition zone, where you’re often caught between baseline play and advancing to the net. In fast-paced rallies, players tend to panic and either retreat to the baseline or rush forward too soon. The drop volley provides a safer alternative—it allows you to reset the rally and move forward with control.
Why It’s a Game Changer
-A drop volley slows down the pace and forces your opponent into a defensive position.
-It allows you to stay in the mid-court without getting pushed back or risking a weak shot.
🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA
The #1 Stretch For Lower Back Pain
🏓 STRATEGY
How To Keep Trust When Your Partner
Has a Bad Tournament Day
There, There, It’ll Be Alright
Off days on the pickleball court happen to everyone, but how you handle them can make all the difference. Whether your dinks are off or your volleys seem cursed, staying composed and keeping your partner's trust is key.
The right mix of smart play, clear communication, and a positive mindset can turn a rough game into a learning moment—and keep the fun alive.
Get tips on managing off days without losing your partner’s support, click here…
🗞️ NEWS
The Biggest Changes in the
Pickleball Industry in 2024
Movin’ On Up!
The pickleball industry had a landmark year in 2024, marked by major acquisitions, high-profile partnerships, and significant facility expansions. From new franchisors entering the scene to pro pickleball getting its first video game, the sport is booming in every direction. Even media is stepping up, with plans for subscription-based pickleball TV apps and professional academies taking shape.
Explore the biggest moves that shaped the pickleball industry in 2024, click here…
🧠 MENTAL HEALTH
How Pickleball Emerged as a
Mental Health Savior During Covid
Here I Come To Save The Day!
When the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, pickleball became more than just a game—it became a lifeline. Sports psychologists highlight how this social, low-pressure sport provided much-needed mental health relief, helping players stay active, connected, and resilient in tough times.
For many, it wasn’t just about exercise—it was about finding joy and support in an uncertain world. Discover how pickleball brought hope and healing when it was needed most.
🤣HUMOR
When Your Partner Serves
Match Point Into the Net
@pickleballmemes #pickleballmemes #pickleballtiktok #pickleball #catsoftiktok
🥇PRO NEWS
Andre Agassi’s Tennis Admission
Decisions, Decisions….
Tennis legend Andre Agassi may have dominated the world’s biggest courts, but he’s got some real thoughts about the rise of pickleball. Balancing his love for tennis with admiration for pickleball’s accessibility, Agassi shares why this growing sport offers something unique for players of all ages and skill levels—and why he believes both sports deserve a place in your life.
Find out what Agassi had to say about tennis and pickleball, click here…
🥇 PRO NEWS
Biggest Pickleball Tournaments of 2025
What’s Happening Where
With pickleball’s explosive growth showing no signs of slowing down, 2025 is set to be packed with high-stakes tournaments across the globe. From major stops in Dubai and Madrid to the highly anticipated PPA and APP finals, this year’s calendar promises exciting matchups and record-breaking prize purses. Champions will rise, partnerships will be tested, and records will be shattered.
Find the full list of 2025’s biggest pickleball tournaments, including key dates and locations here…
👏 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Pickleball’s Ironman: The Inspiring
Journey of Arvind Prabhoo
Arvind Prabhoo
(Source: Mangalorean News)
When a tragic accident left Arvind Prabhoo paraplegic, it could have marked the end of an active life. Instead, it became the beginning of an inspiring journey—one that now has him leading India’s pickleball movement and transforming lives through the sport. His resilience, vision, and leadership continue to shape a growing pickleball community in remarkable ways.
Read how Prabhoo’s story turned adversity into opportunity and made pickleball a beacon of hope for many. See More Here…
🧭 COMMUNITY NEWS
RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS
MALAYSIA: Pickleball Picking Up In Sarawak Schools
ST. CHARLES, LA: Pickleball Tournament Raising Funds For First Responder Mental Health
JONESBORO, AR: Jonesboro Firefighters To Host Pickleball Tournament For Camp Sunshine
PARK CITY, UT: Recreation Department To Test Portable Pickleball Courts For Utah City Film Studio Plan
KALAMAZOO, MI: Brewery Owners Donate To Build $7M Pickleball Complex
MYRTLE BEACH, SC: Major Myrtle Beach Pickleball Complex For Consideration
SEATTLE, WA: Largest Pickleball Facility In Washington State Coming To Seattle
CHEYENNE,WY: Pickleball: It's Unavoidable- Even In Wyoming
LEOMINSTER, MA: Pickleball Tournament Draws Dozens And Raises Thousands
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
💪 Playing Pickleball With Your
Significant Other or Close Friend
Playing With Your Significant Other or Close Friend
Check out the attached videos for suggestions and strategies, and for a few laughs.
Stages of Playing Pickleball With Your Spouse
Playing Pickleball With Your Female Friend
Communication and Coordination
Playing Pickleball With Your Spouse
Have you heard the phrase “Familiarity Breeds Contempt?” Often, we are more cordial and respectful of strangers than we are with our intimate friends or partners. If you want a good working relationship on and off the court, here are a few suggestions.
Drill together! Work as a team to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Figure out who has the best third shot drop, and who has the best mobility. Who should be the set-up player, and who should be the person who hits the winner. I am a set-up player, so it is tough for me to do that if you take the return of serve. Let me take the middle and set you up!
Acknowledge your weaknesses, and work on them outside of competition. If you make quite a few unforced errors, think about patience, setting up the put-a-way. If you are taking most of the middle balls, are you successful?
Are you being respectful and supportive on the court? Frustrated with your own game? Do not take it out on your partner.
In between points, be sure to bump paddles. If your partner makes an error, bump their paddle anyway, and get their mind off the past. Check out the “Hackenberg Rule video”. They make sure they have physical touch between each point, whether they won the rally or not.
If your partner is getting all the balls, and they love it, you must control your frustration. Keep the ball deep to your opponent’s backhand, so that they cannot target one person. About 8 years ago in a tourney in Tustin, I remember being so frustrated that the other team was keeping the ball away from me. My partner was so happy! She was getting a ton of play. We were not being successful, and I wanted to change the dynamic. I tried to communicate that I wanted her to get to the net to attack, so she should let me hit the third shot drop. One strategy was to lob them deep so they could not return to her. Finally, we clicked and won that match. Whew!
You are playing with a stranger that you just met. You do not play well together, and you get frustrated. Hint: if you are playing regularly on public courts, you want people to enjoy playing with you!!!! Be positive, be fun, do not worry about the score. You do not have to go home with this person. Be the player everyone wants to partner with!
DO NOT COACH SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW, UNLESS THEY ASK YOU FOR ADVICE!! You might be the better player, but only offer suggestions when asked.
Pickleball is a recreational game. It is not your occupation or career. If it is that important to win, maybe you are putting too much emphasis on Pickleball to establish your happiness and/or identity. How about Yoga? Pilates? Hiking? Biking? Swimming? Walking? Golfing? Weights? Archery? My point – do not put all your eggs in your Pickleball basket. Life is too short to not enjoy this precious game.
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