How about some pickleball propaganda for your Friday? Next time someone says it's just a fad...send them this:

Yoga, golf, tennis and even America's national pastime are trailing behind. And growth rates indicate that this is just the start.

In This Issue:

• The inside-out drop

• Gambling comes to pro pickle

• PPA Day 1

• Anti-tap

• San Clemente, here we come

To the weekend!

APP NYC Open Results

Inside Out

One of the best spots to land your third shot is right here:

It forces the opposing team to either take a low backhand or retreat away from the NVZ line. 

Unfortunately, that location is also incredibly susceptible to an opposing erne. The left-side player can easily jump the kitchen and smash a fourth.

A favorite shot to stymie the erne attempt is the inside-out drop.

Freeze the opposing team with a bit of misdirection and still deliver the ball to an offensive location.

The key here is a little bit of wrist manipulation. Your swing is going to look the same from your footwork to your forearm.

The difference is that your paddle face stays open a little longer than usual. Keep the wrist cocked back as you make contact and push through just as the ball is leaving the paddle.

Meanwhile: sell the idea that the ball is headed toward the left side or middle of the court. The late follow-through sends the ball to its desired location on the right side.

For higher levels of deception, add a look-away into the mix. Focus your eyes on the middle of the court instead of your actual target. Give this drop a try and make your approach to the NVZ a breeze.

Magic Touch

The all new Gravity series paddles from HEAD come with a massive sweetspot shape that combines the power you want with a soft impact feel you need.

The Gravity comes with a massive sweetspot combining power and touch. Gravity Lite offers the same design, but at a slightly lighter and more maneuverable weight.

Gravity LH features a longer handle, while the Gravity SH’s longer paddle face creates an even larger sweet spot and increased power potential.

Click here to choose the right model for you.

Gambling in Pickleball Starts This Week

Two years ago, we told you about the long-term deal between PPA & Genius Sports, a sports data and software company focused on sports betting.

While details of the deal have remained foggy, Genius announced recently that their revamped solution will premier at this week’s Selkirk Texas Open.

According to Genius Sports, the betting solution offers:

• Fully-modeled in-match and in-play odds

• Live streaming

• 80+ market types

This is, as far as we are aware, the first streamlined opportunity pickleball fans have to place bets on match results in the history of the sport.

Whether you’re an avid sports gambler or a bit of a teetotaler, it’s clear that the onset of gambling in pickleball will round out all of the progress the sport has made over the last couple of years towards earning a global, financial, and cultural sense of legitimacy.

Maybe a sport with the name “pickleball” needs that security more than we’d care to admit.

Spot an Underdog

Early adopters to the pickleball gambling scene already had a chance at a large payout. The 19-seed Jaume Martinez Vich shocked the PPA Tour yesterday with a run to Championship Sunday.

He toppled three top ten players (3) Jay Devilliers, (6) Dylan Frazier, and (2) Federico Staksrud on his way to the final. Coming into the day, the odds on a run like this would have been a great value in the sportsbook.

Martinez Vich is a former DII Tennis National Champion that hails from Spain. He attributes a new level of confidence to recent training he has put in with pickleball's ultimate hype man Tyson McGuffin.

Ben Johns rebounded as expected from his loss in Atlanta and will be the ultimate test for Martinez Vich in the men's singles final.

Blazing hot temps hit the courts on singles day in Texas. The one player not sweating anything, Anna Leigh Waters, took out Catherine Parenteau in the semifinals to qualify for Championship Sunday.

ALW will face Lea Jansen who appears to be locked in while playing in her home state.

Men’s Singles Final
(1)Ben Johns vs (19)Jaume Martinez Vich
Bronze: (4)Tyson McGuffin

Women’s Singles Final
(1)Anna Leigh Waters vs (2)Lea Jansen
Bronze: (4)Catherine Parenteau

Mixed doubles action kicks off today. Can anybody stand in the way of another Johns/Waters steamroll? Unlikely, but you will get to see the Mixed Doubles final broadcasted on ESPN from 5-6 pm ET on Sunday.

In men's and women's doubles, some players are already gearing up for MLP. Anna Bright and Lacy Schneemann of the NY Hustlers are putting in some reps. As are Lauren Stratman and Lindsey Newman of the Socal Hard Eights.

If you’re looking for Lindsey’s brother Riley Newman this weekend, don't expect to see him at the net tapping paddles…

Anti-Tap

Riley Newman says paddle tapping between every (pro-level) game should be a thing of the past – and he’s done doing it.

According to a recent statement, the pro player says his decision will “help elevate the optics of pro pickleball.”

Lea Jansen, Jay Devilliers, Alex Neumann, and James Ignatowich all responded with varying degrees of affirmation.

Tyler Loong took to Twitter, calling for the PPA Tour to make a statement about the issue.

“Could be a little awkward when one player/team is expecting to tap paddles at end of games and other team doesn’t 😂,” Loong said.

But not everyone in pro pickleball agrees with Newman’s approach:

What do you think, pickleball peeps? Should pros ditch the paddle tap between tournament games?

And just in case you need a new paddle to tap (or not)…

Refer your picklesquad to our newsletter. Earn the below rewards. Deal?

• 5 referrals: a “Less Talk, More Pickle” sticker

• 10: a $25 Selkirk gift card and a pack of PCKL-brand pickleballs

• 50: an Electrum paddle of your choice

• 75: a PCKL paddle of your choice

• 100: a Selkirk paddle of your choice

• 500: free paddles for life!

See the bottom of this email for your own personal referral link and start sharing that with your friends to earn some sweet, sweet pickle swag.

The Stage is Set for San Clemente

We are just two weeks out from the season one finale of Major League Pickleball. This week the 24 teams were split into their final groupings of the season. The stage is now set for San Clemente.

Our eyes are immediately drawn to group C where the two previous Champions both reside. The LA Mad Drops snatched the Mesa title in dominant fashion and the Seattle Pioneers moved to the top of the pack in Daytona. Led by Ben Johns, they are the favorite heading into the event.

Trades were abundant leading up to the final stop of the season. The Las Vegas squad swapped out three of their four players leaving Dekel Bar as the OG Night Owl.

The Milwaukee Mashers added Matt Wright and hope he is the missing piece between them and an MLP Championship.

The San Clemente stop comes with bonus pickleball as the top two teams in each level will compete in the Super Final on Monday, June 19 (which will air on Tennis Channel!).

In a new deal this week, MLP announced that both the season one Super Final and season two Super Final in December will be broadcasted on ESPN 2. 

It’s like Airbnb...but for Pickleball Courts

As if you need another reason to add a homecourt to your backyard, now you can share your court with local players when you aren’t using it.

Swimply allows court owners the chance to rent out homecourts and players the opportunity to reserve a private court for their game.

Headlines & Quick Hits

• Is this new paddle sport going to displace pickleball?

• Pickleball clinics with James Ignatowich and Anna Bright

• ICYMI: Pickleball slang terms you should know

Highlights

• These gets😮 

• That’s one way to celebrate…

• Throwback to this moment from MLP Daytona

• Good dad on the court

Homecourt Havens

This one gives big-time California vibes. The only thing missing is a net upgrade, but we assume that is on the way.

If you have a homecourt that you’d like to start paying the bills, sign up for Swimply’s pickleball feature: coming soon.

A review from the Dink Fam...