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Emergency landing narrowly misses courts
Modify your summertime PB strategy. PB goes global.
Forbes recently released a list of the “Characters You See in Open Play.”
We’re not going to show it to you yet because we figured pickleball newsletter subscribers probably know player archetypes better than Forbes.
Answer our poll here and we’ll compare your results to the Forbes piece next issue.
In This Issue:
Seasonal pickleball differences
PB enters the Bay Area
The sport goes global
Tales from the Court, Pt. 2
Time to start your week in the best way.
Change Your Game with the Seasons
Summer is officially here and balls across the nation are...soft. Hot temps = soft plastic = slow balls.
Don't be surprised if your Ferrari forehand drive starts looking more like a Prius, your overheads don’t end the point, and rallies last longer than an episode of Succession.
What can you do about it?
Sorry bangers, but it's soft game season. Stop trying to crush drives through your opponent. Button up your third shot drop and embrace peak consistency.
It's also a great time to work on defense. Resets are a breeze with a softer ball. You have more time to react and the ball is easier to control coming off your paddle.
The effects of a soft ball are even more noticeable on the bounce. The overheads you could never return should look less intimidating in hot weather.
Don't give up if you leave a ball high. Let their smash bounce and watch it slow down dramatically after it hits the ground.
Like it or not, it's time to adjust to warmer weather. Don't throw out your shoulder trying to find more power. Embrace the summer vibes and slow things down a little.
You've got pickle problems and we've got pickle answers. Tell us what you're struggling with on the court and we'll let you know how to solve it (email your issues here).
Easy, Safe, Fun: Lectric
Forget the hassle of finding parking at pickleball courts.
The XP Lite is a unique eBike with easy maneuverability, a twist grip throttle option, a basket to hold your things, and five levels of pedal assist.
Learn more about this fun transportation option here.
The San Francisco Treat
Believe it or not, there are still parts of the country not obsessed with pickleball. The game has spread from pocket to pocket starting in the Pacific Northwest spanning down to the Florida Keys.
Surprisingly, some of the nation's biggest cities have missed the memo.
New York has been notoriously late to the pickleball party. Over on the West Coast, the San Francisco Bay Area has been too concerned with silicon chips and social media to pick up a paddle.
That is all changing in 2023:
San Jose (population >1MM) embraced the game. They’re adding courts rapidly to keep up with demand.
Stanford University is quickly sprouting a pickleball club.
Mitchell Park swamped their tennis courts in favor of pickleball.
Private venues are popping up all over the bay.
As much as the Bay Area is ahead of the curve in tech and venture capital, it is playing catchup in pickleball. Expect to see more headlines storming out of the bay soon.
We can see the next one now: Google campus paves Quidditch fields to answer pickleball demand.
Pickleball Going Global
Meanwhile: if 2022 was the year pickleball took over the United States, 2023 may be the year it goes global.
That’s not to say PB hasn’t existed in other countries until now, it’s just that there are so many more places to play popping up abroad.
Plus, we’re beginning to see real cultural acceptance of the sport. Take China as an example:
Posts about pickleball on social media received millions of views across the country over the last few months.
Collaborations between shopping malls and local clubs exhibit the game in high-traffic areas.
Skechers, a key pickleball investor in the US, also organizes well-attended tournaments throughout China.
Pickleball doesn’t just have potential in the most populated countries in the world. Funds are being raised right now to build the first courts in Uganda:
“While Ugandan youth are drawn to the sport, they have yet to play on a proper court,” says a GoFundMe page aiming to raise enough funds to build the nation’s first official courts in Kikaaya.
So far, interested Ugandan players have played on makeshift courts. These new ones will have mesh fencing and a seating area for up to 200 spectators.
The Ugandan Pickleball Association says Kikaaya is known as the pickleball capital of Uganda.
Click here to read more about our sport’s expansion across the globe.
Stay in the game with OS1st
The Official Sock of Major League Pickleball, OS1st compression socks are designed for comfort, injury prevention and improved recovery.
A Growing Number of Pros trust OS1st including Jay Devilliers, Jessie Irvine, James Ignatowich, and Brooke Buckner.
Hear what “Big Poppa Jimmy” said about the sock’s comfort and durability, “I finally found the one sock that can handle split steps as aggressive as mine.”
To learn more about OS1st products visit www.os1st.com.
Tales from the Court, Part 2
This unusual pickleball experience comes to us from Greg K. Send in your own interesting pickleball stories here.
While in rec play at the Doniphan, Missouri city park courts, we heard the sound of an airplane engine in distress.
Next thing we know, a single seat airplane was diving toward a cattle pasture next to the courts.
At the last moment, the plane veered toward the courts at high speed. It landed on its gear and rolled through a fence, stopping 50 feet from the courts.
Needless to say, it stopped all the games in their tracks as everyone scattered. No one was hurt.
Headlines & Quick Hits
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Highlights
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