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- PPA Tour cracking down on bad line calls
PPA Tour cracking down on bad line calls
Hunter Johnson on what it takes to stay No. 1
Line calls have been a hot topic in pro pickleball since pro pickleball became a thing. Specifically bad line calls, and the players who continuously make them (if you follow the pro game, you probably know the ones).
The PPA Tour is debuting a new policy this week designed to crack down on those players who consistently get it wrong. The new system involves fines and possible suspensions for repeated bad calls. Learn more below.
Also in this issue:
Men’s singles is criminally underrated 🔥
Hunter Johnson on what it takes to stay No. 1 đź’Ş
Pickleball’s funniest moments 🤣
Stay hydrated with SLAMIT electrolytes đź’§
Review: Honolulu J6CR is full foam done right 🤓
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Is men’s singles the most underrated division to watch?
In pickleball, doubles is king. The biggest names in the sport are almost always associated with their play in doubles, but when it comes to watching pickleball on TV (or in person), men’s singles is slowly becoming one of the most entertaining divisions.
That’s because the speed and athleticism required to compete on the PPA Tour is now so high that almost every match in the bracket is a good one.
This point from Eric Oncins and Noe Khlif at the Newport Beach Open this week was a reminder of that. The fact that this was only a Round of 32 match shows just how high the level of play has gotten.
đź”— Check out this highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
PICKLEBALLERS
Hunter Johnson: The truth about being No. 1
Speaking of men’s singles, this week on Pickleballers we are joined by the best men’s singles player in the world: Hunter Johnson.
That’s a title that comes with way more pressure than people realize. In this episode, Hunter sits down with Roscoe and Jared to talk about what it actually feels like to be No. 1 in the world — the confidence it takes to get there, the doubts that creep in once you finally arrive and the psychological weight of knowing every match is someone else’s Super Bowl.
He breaks down the “Now what?” moment after reaching the pinnacle, how he deals with the target on his back and why he’s still more hungry than ever to keep the spot.
PICKLEBALLERS & JOOLA GIVEAWAY: Each week we’re doing a Pickleballers giveaway to celebrate the latest episode. This week we are giving away ANY JOOLA Pro V paddle of the winner’s choice! Enter here!
JOOLA x KITCHEN BUNDLE
Buy a JOOLA Pro V, get any Kitchen Hat for FREE
JOOLA Pro V paddles are officially available everywhere! Buy one from The Kitchen website and you can choose ANY Kitchen hat for FREE as a gift with your Pro V. JOOLA doesn’t offer any discount codes on their paddles, so this is the best deal you’ll find out there!
VIRAL VIDEOS
The FUNNIEST moments in pickleball
If you’re not laughing on the pickleball court every once in a while (or every point), you might be doing it wrong.
We recently put together a collection of the funniest moments in pickleball, including insane fails, bodybags, crashouts and celebrations.
Grab some popcorn and have a laugh with us.
THE PROS
PPA Tour implements policy designed to crack down on cheaters
The PPA Tour is introducing a new anti-cheating policy designed to hold players accountable for bad line calls starting this week at the Newport Beach Open.
Zane Navratil, the president of the United Pickleball Association's Pro Player Committee, announced the policy on social media earlier this week.
"Fired up to announce that we passed a solution to deter cheating in pro pickleball," Navratil said.
The new policy and details about the punishments for making repeated bad calls were sent in an email to UPA contracted players last weekend.
The system involves in-match penalties, post-match video review and a running total of bad calls that can result in additional penalties such as fines or possibly suspensions.
The policy only applies to courts where challenges are not available and only applies to PPA Tour matches.
POST-MATCH REVIEW
It will cost $100 for the UPA's Fining Committee to review the call, and if it's unanimous that the call was incorrect, the player who made the call will be fined $250 for the first offense. The player who made the challenge will be refunded the $100.
IDENTIFYING REPEAT OFFENDERS
The Fining Committee will keep a record of incorrect calls by players. The email did not specify how many bad calls would trigger further action, but said additional offenses could result in a player being put on probation, more fines and possibly a suspension.
"Offenders will be penalized and reviews will build a record of misconduct that informs future penalties," the email said.
STAY HYDRATED
GET FREE ELECTROLYTES AND ENERGY DRINKS TODAY!
Pickleball pros Anna Bright and Zane Navratil have launched a new pickleball hydration company. To celebrate their launch, SLAMIT Hydration is giving away 500 FREE SAMPLES of their premium electrolyte powder and energy drink mix made just for pickleball players.
ELECTROLYTES: Instead of using dead, bleached table salt like the leading brands, SLAMIT Hydrate uses unrefined Baja Gold Sea Salt — the healthiest salt in the world with over 90 minerals and electrolytes for your ultimate hydration. This rare salt is hand harvested from The Sea of Cortez, sun dried and packed with nutrition. Better salt = better pickleball. SLAMIT Hydrate contains nothing artificial, and they use real coconut water for added potassium to prevent cramping. It also has double the electrolytes of the leading brand. Plus, their watermelon and lemonade flavors are best in class.
ENERGY DRINK: Unlike leading energy drinks that are full of sugar and unhealthy ingredients, SLAMIT’s energy drink alternative, SLAMIT FOCUS, uses a healthy caffeine alternative called paraxanthine that improves energy, focus and reaction time by over 25% in studies. This boost in performance is critical to winning more pickleball points. Plus, it’s sugar-free and has only 5 calories per serving … yet the taste is amazing.
Claim your FREE SAMPLE PACK of both today only and get 12 bonus pickleball training gifts from Anna Bright, Zane Navratil, Tanner Tomassi, Shea Underwood and That Pickleball Guy (Kyle Koszuta). Just pay shipping.
SLAMIT tastes great and helps you win!
GEAR
Expert review: Honolulu J6CR is full foam done right
The Honolulu J6CR has been trickling out into the pickleball paddle market for a couple months now. Rather than setting a hard launch date, the company has been taking pre-orders and fulfilling those orders as they receive more stock.
That has resulted in the paddle almost always being sold out -- right now the next batch is scheduled to ship on March 31.
It makes sense that it would be in high demand, because out of all the full-foam paddles that we have tried over the past year, the J6CR makes a convincing case as the best.
The paddle features an intricate core design with multiple layers and cutouts that allow the paddle to absorb and transfer energy to the ball in a more controlled way.
It has more of a “pocketing” effect on contact compared to many other foam paddles on the market right now, which makes it a breeze to shape the ball on shots from the baseline and flicks out of the air at the kitchen line. It also maintains the top-end power that full foam paddles have become known for over the past year.
🔗 Check out our full review here or shop the J6CR here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 10% off
QUICK HITS
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