Rodney "Rocket" Grubbs was well-liked in the pickleball community.

His apparel brand, Pickleball Rocks, could be spotted at pickleball courts around the US and abroad.

Now, he's at the center of a multimillion-dollar scandal.

What went wrong for Rodney? We have updates below.

Also in this issue:

• Pickle-kids can’t be stopped

• Regain control at the NVZ (before your opponent does)

• Your new favorite shoe

• Doubles teams we want to see

Let’s go.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Watch Out for the Pre-Teens

We're used to feeling worn down by the 20-somethings who just found pickleball and have sports backgrounds. They're just too fast.

But now, we may as well just turn it in. The 15-and-under crowd have stepped up to dominate the rest of us:

• Just look at this smooth twoey from a 15-year-old. Straight up elder abuse...and the elders aren't even very elder.

• Even worse: this pair of 11- and 12-year-olds playing and winning the smart game against opponents in their 20s.

Nothing warms our hearts like watching the next generation step in. But please, stay far, far away from us in tourneys. The Kitchen's team are all over the age of 30. We wouldn't have a chance.

FEATURED STORY

The Sinking of “Pickleball Rocks”

“The world’s most recognized pickleball apparel brand,” as Rodney Grubbs referred to his company, was mostly funded by the founder issuing promissory notes typically worth $25,000 at 12% interest…investments which, for the most part, haven’t seen any return.

Court documents show Grubbs owes $47.5 million - but hasn't been charged with a crime; only given a cease and desist order from his home state of Indiana.

Pickleball Rocks received investments from over 500 people around the United States and the world. Some were from retirees who say they felt pressured into using part of their nest egg.

This spring, a group of creditors compelled Grubbs into involuntary bankruptcy. After all that "fundraising," it seems he's only worth $1.6 million, or about $46m short of being able to pay back his debts.

Grubbs did respond to this, finally. Read what he has to say here.

GEAR

Your New Favorite Piece of Pickleball Gear Goes On Your Feet

Some tennis shoes are fine for outdoor pickleball, but no shoe is perfect for all court types…until now.

OluKai studied the game and spoke with rec and competitive players alike to find out what you really need on your feet when you’re playing pickleball.

Turns out, there are tremendous differences between tennis shoes & pickleball shoes:

Multi-directional traction: To accommodate for variations between indoor vs. outdoor courts, the shoes had to be designed to grip almost any playing surface.

Comfort without stuffy materials: Pickleball players often hit the courts for hours at a time, and much of the sport is played in warm climates or during warmer seasons. So the cushioning needed to support but not overheat the player.

MORE, not less, support than a tennis shoe. Shorter, choppier movement of players means more support is needed for pickleball, even though the size of the court is much smaller than tennis.

Learn more about OluKai and their unique shoe design here.

INSTRUCTION

The Volley Dink: Controlling the Kitchen

The average player hits their dinks too hard. A lot of these dinks generate errors from the opponent, so it's hard to spot.

But as you get better in pickleball, you’ll start paying the price if you don't learn the volley dink, according to top five pro James Ignatowich.

"I think part of it is a recognition problem, where a player realizes too late that they need to volley it and they jolt their paddle to it too quickly," James notes.

So how do you hit an effective volley dink out of the air?

• Remember that the ball has more energy because it hasn’t bounced yet. It wants to go quicker, so it doesn’t require any back swing on your end.

• Extend the follow through a little bit. When you do this, you extend the point of contact ever so slightly, giving you more control.

Hitting a dink out of the air should always be your first option rather than letting it bounce and retreating back. Learn what can go wrong when you don't here.

TRAINING

Want to Practice Those Volley Dinks?

…Or any other shot, for that matter?

The folks who brought you the ERNE Pickleball Machine just unveiled their Sweet Stick Training Paddles to help you hit with your paddle’s sweet spot every time.

And if you’re drilling close people who don’t want to hear you do it, well, you’re in luck: they’ve also dropped their Sound Dampening Balls. They play like regular pickleballs, but with less noise.

These are the hottest training products on the market, they just keep selling out — reserve yours today.

THE PROS

Pro Doubles Teams We Want to Watch

We can’t be the only people who make up doubles pickleball teams in their head, right?

Since there’s no way to play the PPA’s video game yet, I guess we’ll just have to dream about a Jack Sock & Jack Munro partnership.

Seriously, if that hypothetical pairing were to become a reality, it would not matter to us how they performed. The spectacle of acrobatics alone would be worth the watch.

Our picks of three doubles teams we’d love to see is now live. But in the meantime, we’d like to know who you’d choose.

Let us know which doubles team pairing you’d most want to see. Send your response here.

THE PANTRY

Quick Hits from the Kitchenverse

• Leigh Waters doesn't mess around with lobs

• PickleCon is coming

• You will never see a tape ball like this EVER again

• The best pickleball court on earth?

• ** Hits winner while meditating **

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