Anna Bright's 5 keys to success

The best Ernes we've ever seen

April 16, 2026

 

Most of you probably already know that Anna Bright is really good at pickleball. But how exactly did she become the No. 2 ranked women’s player in the world?

Earlier this week she shared a few keys to her success — everything from the obvious tips (drill more) to the mental approach that allows her get the most out of her game. You’ll want to remember this advice. Learn more below.

Also in this issue:

  • This shot blew our minds 🤯

  • The best Ernes we’ve seen on the court 😮

  • We’re giving away 10 brand-new Engage X2 paddles 🙌

  • We updated our Top 20 pro player rankings 👀

  • Which Six Zero paddle is right for your game? 🤔

Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳

GIVEAWAY

We’re giving away 10 BRAND-NEW Engage X2 paddles!

We are partnering with ENGAGE to give away 10 of the brand’s new X2 pickleball paddles. ⚡️

HOW TO ENTER

  1. LIKE this post

  2. TAG a few friends (every tag is a new entry!)

  3. FOLLOW @thekitchenpickleball and @engagepickleball on Instagram

  4. SHARE this post to your stories

***YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL STEPS TO BE ELIGIBLE***

We will choose 10 random winners on April 20! 🥳

🔗 Check out our full review of the Engage X2 or shop all Engage paddles here — use code “KITCHEN” for 10% off

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

We don’t even know what to call this shot

Every once in a while in pickleball, somebody does something that makes our jaws drop. This time it was Mari Humberg during a drilling session with influencer Ed Ju.

Ju hits a pretty good ATP, but Humberg cuts it off (while jumping over the kitchen line) and sends it back into his court while he’s still way off to the side. We’re not even sure what this shot would be called. An ATP Erne?

🔗 Check out the replay on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok

VIRAL VIDEOS

The best Ernes we’ve seen on the court

The Erne is one of the coolest shots you can pull off in pickleball. It’s a cheat code that makes the kitchen line seem like it’s not even there, and often catches your opponents completely off guard.

We recently put together a collection of the best Ernes we’ve seen on the court.

THE PROS

The Kitchen’s Top 20 player rankings — April 2026

Every few months we spend some time sifting through recent results to come up with a current ranking of the Top 20 men’s and women’s pickleball players — for both doubles and singles.

We also consult with a pro (who we’re not naming) to get input from somebody who has actually played against the players in question. Below is a glimpse at who is at the top (we bet you can guess) and who is on the rise in each division.

MEN’S DOUBLES (FULL TOP 20 HERE)

1. Ben Johns — Johns remains the undisputed best player on the men’s side, despite the fact that Gabe Tardio has pulled even with him in the official men’s doubles points standings on the PPA Tour. The gap between Johns and the field is still pretty big. Get his paddle. 

Biggest mover: No. 3 Christian Alshon (previously No. 7) — He’s been ultra consistent in men’s doubles for more than a year (with Andrei Daescu in 2025 and now with Patriquin in 2026), but his mixed doubles results have also been very good so far in 2026. Get his paddle.

MEN’S SINGLES (FULL TOP 20 HERE)

1. Chris Haworth (previously No. 2) — He has more gold medals than anybody else this year (3) and they have all come in the biggest events – the Greater Zion Cup, the Mesa Cup and the Masters. Get his paddle.

Biggest mover: No. 5 Roscoe Bellamy (previously No. 9) — Bellamy has been on the rise for the past several months, and has two bronze medals so far in 2026. Get his paddle.

WOMEN’S DOUBLES (FULL TOP 20 HERE)

1. Anna Leigh Waters — There’s no debate here. In 2026 Waters is 34-0 in women’s doubles and 35-1 in mixed doubles. Get her paddle.

Biggest mover: No. 3 Parris Todd (previously No. 7) — This might be a controversial pick, but her results in 2026 have been extremely impressive. In women’s doubles, Todd has four silvers with four different partners (Kate Fahey, Alix Truong, Rachel Rohrabacher and Tyra Black), and she also has two bronze medals in mixed (both with Andrei Daescu). Get her paddle.

WOMEN’S SINGLES (FULL TOP 20 HERE)

1. Anna Leigh Waters — It's not close at the top of women's singles, either. Waters has 5 gold medals and counting this season, and hasn't lost in more than 680 days as of this writing. Get her paddle.

Biggest mover: No. 11 Kiora Kunimoto (previously unranked) — The 18-year-old has a 4th place finish this year and has also made the quarterfinals three times in her past 5 events. Get her paddle.

INSTRUCTION

Pro player Anna Bright details 5 keys to her success

Anna Bright is the No. 2 women's player in all of pickleball -- a ranking that took several years to achieve and certainly didn't happen by accident.

In her newsletter this week, Bright detailed the steps she has taken over the past few years that have led to that success, and how amateur players can incorporate her training methods into their own games.

STEP 1: DRILL, DRILL, DRILL

"This one is obvious, so I figured I would get it out of the way first," Bright said. "... If you want to get better and you’ve plateaued, you need to get out there and get dedicated touches. I love drilling and tend to prefer it to games. I wasn’t always like this, and in my first year of playing, I probably drilled less than 10 times. But eventually, it becomes necessary no matter how good you are. If you want to get better, I suggest you start falling in love with the process!"

STEP 2: CLEAN UP THOSE LOOSE ERRORS

"One thing that has always characterized me as a tennis and pickleball player is a deep hatred for making loose errors and giving away free, unearned points to my opponent," Bright said. "... I personally think there’s nothing more disgusting in pickleball than losing a game or MATCH on a missed return. You just can’t do it. Make people earn things."

STEP 3: TAKE YOUR REC GAMES SERIOUSLY

"Practice is the time to work on things, so there is nuance, but I am pretty much always bringing a very high level of intensity to my rec play,” Bright said. "I’m not saying you can’t have fun with your friends, but don’t mess around too much whenever you’re on court. … Be the person who tries hard, always.”

GEAR

Which Six Zero paddle is best for your game?

Six Zero released 3 paddles in the second half of 2025 — the Coral, Ruby Pro and Black Opal — keeping the brand among the post popular paddle companies in the game. In fact, when we asked members of The Kitchen Facebook community to tell us their favorite paddle, Six Zero was voted No. 1.

Each model has a different feel and will appeal to different types of players. If you’ve been debating which one to get, this video should help make that decision a lot easier.

In our review, we break down:

▪️ How Six Zero’s Diamond Tough Grit impacts spin and durability.

▪️ On court feel, power, pop and stability.

▪️ Which paddle in the Six Zero lineup is right for your game.

🔗 Watch the full review here or shop all Six Zero paddles here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 10% off.

PICKLEBALL TECH

Use CourtsApp to find court times near you

A new app aims to simplify the court booking process for pickleball players – and other racket sports enthusiasts.

CourtsApp has officially launched and the app is live in the northeast and will be expanding across the east coast and nationwide in 2026. The AI-powered marketing and booking platform currently features hundreds of facilities and thousands of courts across pickleball, tennis, padel, racquetball, squash and ping pong.

QUICK HITS

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