5 Bullet Weekly- Tuesday Ladder at Lipscomb!
1. Lipscomb Ladders on Tuesdays & Thursdays
Join us for the last Ladder of the season at Lipscomb for the ladder challenge! All skill levels are welcome to play from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for just $10. With only 16 spots, you’ll be playing for three solid hours, moving up or down the ladder based on your wins and losses. Secure your spot and experience competitive play against a variety of skill levels in this fun, organized event!
2. Free Beginner Clinics at Hendersonville Veterans Park
Know someone new to pickleball? Invite your friends and family to our free beginner clinics every Tuesday at Hendersonville Veterans Park. Sessions run from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Let’s introduce more people to the game we love with guidance from our Dinkville captains.
3. Book a Private Lesson
Ready to take your skills to the next level? Request a private lesson with one of our certified instructors for focused, one-on-one coaching tailored to your game. A great way to build confidence and improve quickly!
4. Join the Community WhatsApp Group
Stay connected and get more playtime! Our community WhatsApp group is the place to coordinate games, share tips, and connect with other Dinkville members. Start playing with new people in the community today!
5. Do Your Homework
Want to keep leveling up? Watch pickleball videos online, check out high-level matches on TV, and learn from the pros. Studying technique and strategy will help you bring a new edge to your own game.
Today In Pickleball Brought To You By The Dink
Up Your Game
Kiss Your Serve Struggles Goodbye
Your serve is one of the most underrated and overlooked aspects in pickleball. A strong serve can lead to easy thirds and make the rest of your skillset irrelevant.
A new video from Austin at the Pickleball Playbook offers a ton of tips to improve your serve. Let’s look at a few tips varying in level of difficulty.
Level One Pre-Serve
- Where are your feet and hips pointing when you serve? For a closed stance serve your lead foot should not be horizontal in line with the baseline. It should be at a 45-degree angle so you can maintain balance while stepping forward.
- Your lead hip (left hip for right-handed players) should be pointed at your target. If you’re still having trouble controlling your serve, check your foundation before moving forward.
Level Two Practice Rounds
- Many players lose out on power because they’re afraid to hit the ball too deep. Don’t be. While practicing your serve, start by hitting reps deep, past the baseline. You want to build up the strength and muscle memory to hit serves near the baseline without maxing out.
Level Three Fine-Tuning Form
- Austin preaches that your swing path should be outward and upward. You want to create space between you and the ball to maximize power.
- And finally, you need to create lag with your paddle during your swing. Lead with your butt cap while you swing and accelerate the paddle face through the ball at contact. He offers a drill to help learn the feeling of creating lag in the video.
The serve looks simple from the surface, but there are plenty adjustments that can be made to increase your power. Don’t settle for a slow serve.
Pickleball Club Robbed, ‘We’re Just a Target’
The Camas-Washougal Pickleball Club in Washington is grappling with the theft of a large storage box from Wolfe Courts in Hathaway Park, Washougal. The stolen box contained essential equipment, including an automated defibrillator, paddles, balls, and maintenance supplies.
Club President Lynda Boesel is advocating for improved security measures, such as better lighting and camera installations, and has suggested using a nearby city-owned storage building for safer equipment storage.
The club, which has grown by over 100 members this year, is now asking members to bring their own equipment. To replenish stolen items, Boesel launched a GoFundMe campaign, raising over $4,000 so far. The theft highlights the club’s vital role in the community, from promoting pickleball to supporting local services through donations.
Bright Good as Gold in Milwaukee
Anna Bright played in two gold medal matches in Milwaukee and won both of them. She was the only player to walk away with two golds on Sunday.
New Mixed Powerhouse
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Bright and Dylan Frazier pair up in mixed. Both are top 5 doubles players and together they are contenders for the mixed doubles crown. They captured a PPA mixed title yesterday with a win over Jessie Irvine/Gabe Tardio.
Another Women’s Doubles Classic
The Kawamoto twins should never be underestimated in a draw. As the No. 5 seed, Jackie and Jade cruised to the women’s doubles final and yesterday they pushed Bright/Rachel Rohrabacher to their limits.
The match went to 5 games but at the end of the day, it was ‘The Girlies’ Bright/Rohrabacher who came out on top and are back-to-back champions.
Number 2 for Fed and Gabe
Federico Staksrud and Gabe Tardio won their first title together in Kansas City earlier this year. Yesterday, they locked in title number two with a convincing win over CJ Klinger/James Ignatowich.
Johnson Takes Down the Champ
Hunter Johnson was a considerable underdog heading into the men’s final. He started the match on fire with a game one win 11-4. But in game two, the tables turned and Johnson was actually pickled by Fed. Johnson flipped the script again in game three closing out the match and securing his second gold of the year with an 11-3 win.
Down to the Wire
Kate Fahey narrowly escaped with gold in women’s singles. First-time finalist Chao Yi Wang took Fahey to three games and was only a couple of points away from the crown. Fahey won game three 11-9 to secure her third title in just a few months.
PPA Milwaukee Open Results
Howells and Oshiro Each Take Two
Credit: USA Pickleball
A new group of National Champions were crowned yesterday in Mesa. Bobbi Oshiro and Will Howells paired up for a mixed doubles title and each won two golds on the weekend.
Singles Champions
Bobbi Oshiro’s second gold came in women’s singles. Oshiro is not known for racking up singles titles but with a National Championship on the line, no one was going to stand in her way.
The men’s singles title went to Chris Haworth who has been one of the best singles players all year long. He topped Patrick Kawka 11-1, 14-12.
Bringing the Energy in Doubles
Will Howells’ second gold came alongside Jack Munro in men’s doubles. The duo brought big energy to the competition, pumping up the crowd between points.
In women’s doubles, it was Jill Braverman and Megan Fudge who hoisted the trophy. They fought off Mari Humberg/Allison Harris to secure the crown.
If you want a chance to compete at Nationals next year you have to start preparing early. Find the list of golden ticket qualifier events here.
USA Pickleball Nationals Results
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Thank you,
Landon Hallam
Dinkville Founder/CEO