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Hey Dinkville Community,

We’re officially one week in at Dinkville Under Broad at Nashville Yards, and we can’t wait to see you out there playing pickleball and mini golf in the heart of downtown Nashville!

🎾 Book courts and open play — all for $10 or less
⛳ Play mini golf and hang out under the bridge
🍔 Enjoy food & drinks Thursday through Sunday
🎶 Experience the downtown vibe like never before

Download the Dinkville app now to reserve your court, join open play, and be part of Nashville’s newest pickleball destination — Dinkville Under Broad at Nashville Yards

Today In Pickleball Brought To You By The Dink

How Anna Bright Won an MLP Title By Deciding to Care Less

[This newsletter segment was written by Anna Bright, the world’s #2 ranked women’s pro pickleball player. Her team, the St. Louis Shock, just won the MLP Cup. She also writes an amazing weekly newsletter. Subscribe here.]

Could wanting to win less... help you win more? 

This past weekend my MLP team and I, the St. Louis Shock, FINALLY hoisted a trophy after two years together and falling short of our goals repeatedly, despite generally being the consensus first or second best team in the league.

So, how did we do it? What changed? 

Myself, Kate Fahey, Gabe Tardio, and Hayden Patriquin were never held back by our level of play. That has always been insanely high, as evidenced by our 24-1 regular season record this year.

What we seemed to be struggling with was the mental side of things once we were in a position to win a title — the pressure, the expectation, the all-consuming desire to hold up the trophy and be the last team standing.

We were starving, we NEEDED it, we obsessed over it. 

This event, we decided to take a different approach.

• While it was a fun tournament that everyone wanted to win, it naturally didn't have nearly the same weight as the playoffs in NYC, and we leaned into that and decided we would simply opt to care... less.
• We practiced detachment, and I think it helped us play much more free. Of COURSE, we still cared and wanted to win, but without feeling like we needed the title like we needed to breathe, and I think that helped a lot. 

So, how do you actively detach from a match emotionally, you wonder?

✅ View your match as not the end-all-be-all, but rather a chance to test your progress 

✅ Try to laugh and smile at things that you'd otherwise find aggravating

✅ When you feel tension, anxiety, or stress rising, focus on the things that calm you down — for me, it's my breath! 

So, just some food for thought, and something for you to consider exploring if you feel like you are repeatedly falling short of getting something you really, really want.

The Race to Beat Ben

Anna Leigh Waters turned pro when she was just 12 years old. Ever since, she’s been dominant. The pinnacle of the sport. A paragon of excellence.

Nobody is more accomplished. Unless you’re talking about gold medals. In that one category, Ben Johns still has the 18-year-old beat. By one.

Heading into Worlds, Ben has 166 career PPA Tour gold medals to Anna’s 165. She’s so close! Right?

Not so fast. Consider this: In order for Anna to tie Ben, she’ll most likely have to triple crown the event.

• She and Ben are the clear favorites to win mixed doubles
• Alongside Anna Bright, she’s the favorite for women’s doubles, too
• But Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio are looking dominant, having now won six straight men’s doubles golds
• So it’s only singles where ALW has the edge — she’s dominant, Ben not so much

So, if the odds play out, she could tie Ben with 166 career golds. She’ll just have to be perfect. For the 38th time in her career. (One category she’s got Ben walloped: he’s triple-crowned a mere 21 times.)

Is Overcrowding Rec Pickleball’s Biggest Problem?

Pop quiz: Why do you play pickleball?

Of the 1,100+ avid DUPR users recently surveyed, two reasons rose above the rest: health (94%) and fun (93%). Competition (88%) and social connection (83%) followed close behind. Pickleball, that is, is the rare hobby that’s good for both your mental and physical health.

The new pickleball report, co-authored by research firm SFIA and DUPR and not yet publicly available, illuminates a few other trends we’re keeping an eye on.

Even as players gush about their experience, they’re running into friction. The top complaints?

• Overcrowded courts (44%)
• Finding partners at the right skill level (39%)
• Scheduling play (32%)

Nearly nine in ten respondents play primarily at public parks, and three-quarters use dedicated facilities or clubs.

We know US participation is leveling off from mid-COVID numbers, but ours is still the country’s fastest-growing sport. Do we really have an accessibility problem, or is this issue just the pain point of a vocal minority?

You tell us — are overcrowded courts a problem where you play?

What Is Swing Weight? Tips to Choose a New Paddle

Whether you’re a beginner or pushing 5.0, finding the right paddle to suit your game is more important than you think. That dusty Engage or JOOLA you’ve been beating up since COVID? Yeah, it’s not doing you any favors.

The right weapon doesn’t just complement your play style, it gives you confidence with each and every shot.

There are, quite literally, thousands of options to choose from. To help wade through the noise, reviewer Matt’s Pickleball put together a tutorial. It’s worth a watch, but here are three solid places to start.

✅ Paddle shape. Beginners should start with hybrid or widebody shapes, as these provide greater stability and a more forgiving sweet-spot. Elongated, while immensely popular in rec circles, comes with compromises. The longer, narrower shape leads to a higher swing weight and a smaller sweet-spot.

✅ Swing weight is what really matters. It measures how heavy the paddle feels during your swing, and it has a massive impact on timing, hand speed, and fatigue. A higher swing weight adds plow-through and depth, but slows down your hands, especially noticeable in resets or fast hands battles. For most players, the sweet spot is somewhere between 110 and 120.

✅ Twist weight is another underrated metric. It measures how stable a paddle is when you miss the sweet spot, which you will, especially when handling heavy drives or speed-ups at the kitchen line. A twist weight of 6.5 or higher makes those mishits feel more controlled. Any lower and you’ll struggle.

Ultimately, no paddle will magically fix your game, but the wrong one can absolutely make it harder to improve.

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Thank you,
Landon Hallam
Dinkville Founder/CEO