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- Pickleballers is BACK with new Anna Leigh Waters episode
Pickleballers is BACK with new Anna Leigh Waters episode
Disciplined execution is key to advanced play
It’s a big day at The Kitchen HQ: Pickleballers is BACK with the first episode of Season 3, and we’re starting with the biggest name in the sport.
Anna Leigh Waters returns to the show for her first full interview since signing a paddle deal with Franklin and becoming the first-ever Nike pickleball athlete.
Waters tells the full story behind the two most talked about moves in pickleball this year and breaks down what the public didn’t see during the transition. More below.
Also in this issue:
Is that Ben Johns or John Bens? 🧐
This is the world’s greatest pickleball vacation home 🌴
Disciplined execution is key to advanced play 📈
Major League Pickleball makes big changes ahead of 2026 season 📋
RPM Friction Pro V2 launching soon 👀
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑🍳
GIVEAWAY
Win a stay at the world’s greatest pickleball vacation home
We are excited to partner with Stay Wandery to give away a one-night stay at the WORLD’S GREATEST PICKLEBALL AIRBNB (and two discounted nights!).
One WINNER will get to choose any night between Monday-Thursday to stay at this insane Airbnb for FREE. 🎁
HOW TO ENTER
1. Sign up here & RECEIVE up to 500 additional bonus entries 👊
2. LIKE this post & COMMENT once you've signed up 🙌
*** You MUST complete steps 1 & 2 to be eligible. ***
BONUS MULTIPLIER: INVITE 5 friends to our Facebook community and ALL of your entries are DOUBLED! ✅
We will choose ONE random winner on Feb. 8! 🥳
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
This looks eerily familiar …
This recent video had us cracking up. We’re calling the guy in white John Bens, and if you watch the clip there’s really not much difference between his form and that of the greatest men’s pickleball player ever.
He has the outfit dialed, and he even executed Ben Johns’ famous backhand roll to perfection on this point.
🔗 Check out this highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
PICKLEBALLERS
Anna Leigh Waters: The Nike signing, the switch to Franklin and pickleball’s new era
Anna Leigh Waters is the most dominant pickleball player of all time — the sport’s biggest star, the standard everyone is chasing and now the first-ever Nike signed pickleball athlete.
In this episode of Pickleballers, Anna Leigh sits down with Roscoe and Jared to tell the full story behind the two biggest moves in pickleball: signing with Nike and leaving Paddletek after years to join Franklin.
She breaks down what the public didn’t see — the pressure of rumors before anything was actually signed, how she handled the internet going crazy after the leaked practice photo and why she ultimately chose brands based on what would grow the sport long-term.
PICKLEBALLERS DOORDASH & JOOLA GIVEAWAY: Each week we’re doing a Pickleballers giveaway to celebrate the latest episode. This week we are giving away a $500 DoorDash gift card & a JOOLA pickleball paddle. Enter here!
THE PROS
Major League Pickleball to feature 20 teams, no level designations in 2026
Major League Pickleball made several big announcements Thursday that will impact the 2026 season. In a call with reporters earlier this week, league officials outlined the changes and explained their rationale.
All teams will compete at the same level in 2026
After initially promoting only the Las Vegas Night Owls from Challenger to Premier at the end of the 2025 season, the league has now decided to do away with the Challenger and Premier designations altogether. There will be 20 teams competing in one division this year, and the plan is to keep everybody in one division in future years.
New York teams merge, Nashville and D.C. sitting out this year
The New York Hustlers are merging with the Brooklyn Pickleball Team. The franchise will operate as the Brooklyn Pickleball Team moving forward.
The Nashville Chefs and D.C. Pickleball Team (both exploring sale agreements) will not play in 2026. Both franchises asked the league for more time to finalize their potential sales, which could involve relocation/rebranding. The league agreed to let those teams spend this year finalizing those transactions and the plan is to bring those franchises back into the fold in 2027.
All players who ended the 2025 season on the New York, Nashville and D.C rosters will go into the free-agency draft player pool. A full player pool will be released after all other teams have made their keeper selections on Feb. 15. The free-agency draft is scheduled for Feb. 27.
INSTRUCTION
Disciplined execution is key to advanced play
The pro pickleball players who constantly succeed share a trait: The ability to consistently execute on their plan. We think of this as “Disciplined Execution.”
In short, “Disciplined Execution” means doing your best to:
Develop a game plan.
Stick to the game plan.
Execute the game plan.
If you are a beginner to intermediate player: Disciplined execution would mean sticking to a big-picture game plan that works. Here’s one simple example of disciplined execution: Don’t waste your time chasing outlier trick serves. Instead, focus your attention on mastering a reliable consistent serve that gets the job done. Then stick to the plan -- be disciplined about it.
If you are advanced intermediate: Disciplined execution means having clarity on the underlying strategies that work in pickleball and sticking to them when you play. This is often easier said than done.
If you are an advanced player: Disciplined execution means having a clear custom game plan for each opponent and sticking to it.
Extra coaching tip: You can adjust the strategy if needed, but you do it because the initial strategy is not working – not for no reason. Once you switch strategy, then that becomes the one you stick to.
GEAR
RPM Friction Pro V2 now available for pre-order
One of the best paddles of 2025 is getting an upgrade.
New-ish paddle company RPM — fresh off the success of its debut paddle, the RPM Friction Pro — will soon be releasing its second model, the RPM Friction Pro V2. The V2 is now available for pre-order and will ship late February.
According to pro player James Ignatowich, who started RPM last year, the V2 includes RPM’s new Axial Carbon Layup, coupled with an enhanced EVA foam ring to generate elite spin and power while enhancing the sweet spot.
The RPM Friction Pro V2 is now available for pre-order in 2 options ⬇️
James Ignatowich signature 16mm paddle: Designed for players prioritizing power, reach and aggressive play, without losing out on stability and control.
Ryan Fu signature 14mm paddle: Designed for players prioritizing aggression, reach, pop and maneuverability.
🔗 Shop the new RPM Friction Pro V2 here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 15% off.
QUICK HITS
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