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

What's Cooking in the Kitchen This Week:

• When to Stay Back Instead of Charging To The Kitchen

• Does A Drink The Night Before Hurt Your Pickleball Game?

• DRILL OF THE WEEK: Two Drops, One Drive

• Fitness Expert Glenn Dawson: One Move To Fix Your Posture

• USA Pickleball’s New Spin Test: What It Means for Your Paddle

• Gear Review: JOOLA Ben Johns Perseus Pro IV 14mm

• Big Weekends In Brisbane For Tardio & Black At The 2026 PPA Walker Australia Cup

• BTS Gets Competitive With a Pickleball Tournament in New 'Run BTS 2.0' Episode

• HUMOR: The Voice I Hear In My Head When I Play Pickleball With Beginners

• Coach Mary: Service Return Master Class

🥷SKILLS

When To Stay Back Instead
Of Charging To The Kitchen

Getting to the kitchen is one of the first strategic lessons players learn in doubles pickleball. The team at the kitchen line generally has an advantage over the team stuck near the baseline, so the message is simple: get forward.

The trouble starts when “get to the kitchen” becomes “get to the kitchen no matter what.”

There are plenty of rallies when moving forward is exactly the right decision. There are also moments when taking another step simply puts a player in a worse position for the ball that is about to arrive.

The goal is still to reach the kitchen. The question is whether the previous shot has actually created an opportunity to move.

A High Drop Hasn't Earned Forward Movement

The easiest example is a third-shot drop that sits too high.

The player recognizes that the ball landed in the kitchen and immediately starts forward. But landing in the kitchen does not automatically make a drop good enough to follow.

Watch the opponent instead.

💪 Health & Fitness Section

Does A Drink The Night Before
Hurt Your Pickleball Game

A glass of wine with dinner or a beer the night before pickleball might seem harmless, especially if you feel fine the next morning. But research suggests alcohol can affect sleep and recovery in ways you might not notice, raising an interesting question about how much it takes to affect your game.

See what the research says about drinking the night before pickleball and whether one drink is enough to make a difference.

🥷 Drill of the Week:

Two Drops, One Drive

Do you drive almost every third shot, or drop nearly all of them? Either habit can make you predictable, especially when the return calls for something different. The Two Drops, One Drive Drill challenges you to break that reflex and make better decisions under pressure.

Try the drill to sharpen your third-shot choices and learn when each shot gives you the advantage.

 🏋️ STAYING FIT with
GLENN & BRIANNA

One Move To
Fix Your Posture

🏓 PRO NEWS

USAP’s New Spin Test:
What It Means For Your Paddle

USA Pickleball has changed the way it tests paddle spin, introducing a 2,100 RPM limit for newly certified paddles as of October 1. Instead of judging how rough or grippy a paddle feels, the new system measures the spin it actually produces, raising questions about existing paddle approvals and what manufacturers can build next.

See what the new spin test means for your current paddle and how it could affect the next one you buy.

⚙️ GEAR REVIEWS

JOOLA Ben Johns Perseus
Pro IV Paddle Review

NEW FROM PICKLER JUNCTION: The Pickler Junction Team’s reviews go above and beyond a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. They pull together independent testing, verified buyer feedback, community opinions, and objective performance data to show where the JOOLA Ben Johns Perseus Pro IV shines, and where it may not be the right fit, depending on how you play. Note: Review will list MSRP, link will show sale price if available.

Shopping for new pickleball gear? Reply here and we’ll tell The PJ Team what to review next!

🤩 ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

BTS Gets Competitive With a
Pickleball Tournament

BTS traded microphones for pickleball paddles in the latest episode of Run BTS 2.0, and things got competitive fast. With V and j-hope already familiar with the game, the seven members battled through a doubles tournament filled with trash talk, questionable strategies, and some unusual stakes for the losers.

See who came out on top, which BTS members showed off their pickleball skills, and what was at stake beyond bragging rights.

 🏓 PRO NEWS

Big Weekend in Brisbane
For Tardio and Black in Australia

Gabriel Tardio and Hurricane Tyra Black had big weekends at the PPA Australia Cup in Brisbane, where top American pros faced some of the region’s toughest competition. The tournament delivered a few surprises, including some unexpected partnerships and impressive performances from local players.

See who took home gold and which players made the biggest impression in Australia.

🤣 HUMOR

RALLY RUNDOWN:
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

LOS ANGELES, CA: LA County Students Spearhead Project To Recycle Sports Balls
SANTA BARBARA, CA: 14-Year-Old Local Madalena Flores Rising Up The Ranks In Pickleball
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA: Former Tennis Stars Weather Ups, Downs In Virginia Beach Pickleball
ERIE, PA: Teen Pickleball Classic Raises Funds For Young Athletes
SPOKANE, WA: Healthy Competition: For Wealthy Vue, Pickleball Has Been Exercise, Friendship And Tournaments
PROVINCETOWN, MA: Condo Plan Stalled By Stealth Pickleball Club


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

  💪 Service Return Master Class

Introducing Roscoe Bellamy, a new coach that is covering service return.  Check out this great video “Service Return Master Class”.

Roscoe covers three main points:  Positioning, Technique, Strategy.

Positioning:
·    Start back further, not just at the baseline.  Give yourself more time to contact the ball in front of you.
·    Lean into the return with forward momentum, rather than trying to run through the shot.
·    Split step, then use outside leg to position body for a Forehand or Backhand return.  Move through the shot, rather than running forward.

Technique:
·    Use a “Unit turn” – turn your upper body to the side that you will execute your return.  Not an arm swing or backswing!
·    No looping topspin backswing.  Linear backswing.  You are rebounding your opponent’s serve.  Short backswing, turn, forward lean, head stays level.
·    Legs!  Power comes from your legs, not your backswing.
·    Return is flat.  They are providing the power.  You need to just contact using the above-mentioned techniques.

Strategy:
·    Aim your return to the player who has a less effective third shot drive or drop.
·    Aim your return down the middle so they must communicate, and you take away their angles.
·    Aim your return to the player who is most effective at the NVZ – keep them back for one more shot.
·    Deep returns!  
·    Cross-court deep returns – net is lower, more margin for error.

We do not practice serve returns enough, unless we play singles.  Put this into your drilling and practice routine.  Serve return is probably the most important skill in your tool chest.

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