From Throwing TD's to Hitting Dinks
Municipal Park Ladder Play
Members are starting to hit their groove and packing out the weekly Ladder Play. Ladder Play is structured for all players and spread out from top to bottom depending on the player rating. If you win/lose, you move up/down court and switch partners so everyone mixes in and gets to play with different players! We had 4 courts going Thursday night and 7 courts going Saturday Morning! Very fun and love the support of the local community! Sign up in our community discord or on our Dinkville website! Click here for link. See pictures from last weeks play
Drew Brees Battles in the Picklebowl
Former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees takes his talents to the courts. Pickleball Pros paired up with Celebrities in a Picklebowl tournament that aired 10/26. For more information on this event click here!
Up Your Game Brought To You By The Dink:
Lead to Succeed with the Two-Handed Backhand
Tyson McGuffin and Kyle McKenzie recently shared the secrets of the two-handed backhand on Selkirk TV. Just as importantly, they broke down some common mistakes.
For a powerful, effective two-handed backhand, grip ratio is key. Ideally, your non-dominant hand leads and your dominant supports; imagine a 70-30 split in terms of grip & movement dominance.
It may sound counter-intuitive to have your non-dominant lead, but doing so ensures full extension of your arms. McKenzie says those who approach the shot with their dominant hand leading tend to "play off their hip" and use too much wrist.
Here’s what NOT to do:
Instead, you should extend your arms away from your body to generate more power. Leading with the non-dominant hand is the key to making that happen.
We recommend drilling with the paddle in the non-dominant hand to develop stability & consistency. As in, find a wall and literally hit 'forehands' with your non-dominant hand. If you haven't tried this before, you'll immediately see an improvement in your backhand stroke.
View the full lesson here.
Get To Know Our Members Abigail and Grazzia Borrani
Who are you?- Abigail and Grazzia Borrani
When did you start playing pickleball?- We started playing Pickleball in May of 2022.
How did you get started with Dinkville?- We wanted to gain more experience playing with players who are better than us. Dinkville has not only provided great competition, but an extremely welcoming community. ❤️
Why do you love Pickleball?- Abigail tried to get Grazzia to love tennis but no matter how many times she tried it, she hated it. 🤣 So we tried out Pickleball and immediately fell in love. It is a great way for us to spend time together and meet new friends.
What’s your favorite shot in Pickleball?- Abigail’s favorite shot in Pickleball is to smash an Overhead… but isn’t that everyone’s? Grazzia’s favorite shot is the Lob.
What are your goals this year in Pickleball?- Our goal is to play in more tournaments. 🙏🏻
What’s your advice to new players?- Our advice to new players is to be patient with your progress and try to play with people who are better than you. 🙌🏼☺️
Today in Pickleball Brought to you by The Dink
APP Houston Open Recap
Houston, we have a problem. Paddles were not spared in the men's final of the APP Houston Open.
An epic battle between Hunter Johnson and Federico Staksrud saw two paddle casualties. After Johnson's paddle snapped on a return of serve, he decided to smash it on the ground for good measure. Frustrated by a series of line calls, Staksrud sent a paddle into orbit entering a timeout.
Johnson secured his first APP Title with a victory over Staksrud in the final game to 15.
The standout star of the weekend was Vivienne David who blasted off to win two gold medals in Space City. She and Jorja Johnson held off two of the top teams in the game, Anna Bright/Parris Todd and Simone Jardim/Andrea Koop.
A first time pairing with Thomas Wilson was also fruitful for David. Her backhand and his forehand are two of the most formidable shots in the game. With both of them in the middle, opponents had almost nowhere to go.
- Megan Fudge proved her win on Thursday was no fluke. She defeated Todd again on Sunday to lock up the gold medal.
- The consistency of JW Johnson/Zane Navratil outlasted the flash of DJ Young/Dekel Bar in the men's doubles final.
The APP Tour is headed straight to Hilton Head Island for one of the favorite stops on the tour, the Hilton Head Open.
All Chalk at the PPA DC Open
The top seeds prevailed in each division of the PPA Tour DC Open. Every pro gold went to a number one ranked team. Ben Johns, with the help of brother Collin Johns, captured the triple crown less than an hour from where they grew up.
The home-court advantage had Johns looking like the GOAT we knew in 2021. This was his first triple crown since April. The Johns brothers seized the men's doubles title from Riley Newman and Matt Wright. These two teams have exchanged the belt in 3 consecutive tournaments.
Johns skated through the men's singles field. He faced Jay Devilliers on Sunday but the Frenchman could not stand in Johns' way. Ben and Anna Leigh Waters dominated in mixed doubles without dropping a game. Their finals win was broadcasted live on CBS on Saturday afternoon.
Waters and her mom, Leigh Waters, fought their way to another Championship Sunday appearance. They came up short this time around, losing to an inspired team of Lucy Kovalova and Callie Smith.
Anna Leigh Waters kept her singles win streak alive with a win over Catherine Parenteau. The singles finals' format switched from best-of-five to best-of-three. Waters won 11-2, 11-3.
The PPA Tour 2022 season is coming to a close, there are only four events left in the year.
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Thanks,
Landon Hallam, Dinkville Commissioner, Landon@dinkville.com