If your child said they were serious about going pro in pickleball, how would you react?

Obviously, if you're reading this, there's a chance you'd be thrilled. You could say pro Audrey Banada is lucky for having THREE kids interested in pickleball…but those kids are pretty lucky to have her as a role model, too.

Keep scrolling for the story.

Also in this issue:

• When these two meet, hold your breath

• Women share their on court experiences

• Ask yourself these Q’s before your next game

• Playing in tourneys will change your game

Let’s cook. 🧑‍🍳

GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY — 10 New HEAD Boom Series Paddles!

We are excited to partner with HEAD to give away 10 of their brand new Boom series paddles!

10 winners will be revealed in our newsletter the week of September 22st. Enter HERE and boost your chances of winning by completing the bonus steps!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

A Chest Bump That’s Justified

If Julian Arnold is playing against Matt Wright, you know it's going to be an electric match. This is just a law of nature.

Not to downplay the efforts made by their respective partners Hunter Johnson or Federico Staksrud in this point.

All four of them put on a show. Even Barstool picked up our highlight.

FEATURED STORY

Does Sexism Exist in Pickleball?

Recently, we noticed that top pro Lea Jansen was called out in a Facebook post in The Kitchen Pickleball's group in which the OP said, "There are few things more entertaining in pro pickleball than watching Lea Jansen lose," referring to what he thought was poor sportsmanship on Lea's account.

Then, Lea fired back.

"Glad you tuned in and love all my fans! Let me know where I can catch you performing at a high level!" she said, to great applause from other commenters.

Lea isn’t the only woman in pickleball who expressed concern. Our full blog details a Reddit post in which hundreds of commenters detail their experiences from the pickleball court.

INSTRUCTION

Ask Yourself These Questions Before Playing

Game planning before your next doubles match? You should be wherever possible. Ask yourself these questions before each game:

• Who do we return to? Who’s less comfortable getting in, or more of a crash threat?

• Who’s taking the majority of the thirds? Who are we targeting as we are transitioning?

• Is there a shot at the kitchen we want to avoid? For example, does one of our opponents have a mean backhand speedup that can find one of our weaknesses? What dinking patterns are advantageous for us?

• What are their tendencies countering? Does one player like to cheat to one side a little bit?

These tips are especially useful in competitive tournament/DUPR play. First timer tournament players can find more tips here.

TRENDING

Audrey Banada, @pickleballmama, may be one of the luckiest pickleball players in the world. But her kids might also be the lucky ones.

➝ She demonstrated that their mama can accomplish quite a lot on the pickleball court after she & Sarah Ansboury defeated Rohrabacher/Bright last April while the three pickleball-loving kids watched from the stands.

Now, all three of her children are showing interest in going pro, too — including her 5-year-old. Sounds like any pickleball parent's dream, right? Read how she's done it.

DON’T MISS THIS

Why You Should Play in Tournaments

Don't think you're a tourney person? Well, you may be right. But you may also just be psyching yourself out of a great learning opportunity.

The tournament atmosphere is unlike anything you will ever experience in normal rec play:

• Playing against new people is crucial for development

• You develop patterns and begin to identify peoples' play styles, which you then adapt to

We recently highlighted a few more ways tourneys can help rec players.

Need a tournament to test your skills? Play at the ULTIMATE pickleball party, The Kitchen Open Austin. It’s the biggest amateur tourney of the year in Austin.

There are only 4 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER! Learn more here.

TRAINING

The Best Training Machine on the Market

Are you really trying to be the best pickleball player you can be? If so, ya gotta get your reps in.

The ERNE is BY FAR the best training machine on the market. There’s a reason why it’s always sold out.

Reserve yours today. If you order this week, it’ll arrive in October.

IMPRESSIVE

Some of the Highest-Level Pickle We’ve Seen

We’re big fans of the National Pickleball League (NPL), the first competitive place for pickleball players ages 50+. This is high-level, smart pickleball, and we can’t get enough.

In last weekend’s event:

• The Boca Raton Picklers crushed the 2024 NPL regular season, capping it off with a historic 12-0 shutout in Houston and finishing 16-4.

• The Columbus Hotshots, Houston Hammers, and Denver Iconics also secured top spots, all at 15-5.

Championship Weekend kicks off October 17-20 in Cincinnati, with the top four teams earning first-round byes.

More details and streaming info to follow. See past matches here.

QUICK HITS

• Whoa: Dodger’s star Betts talks pickleball DURING game on National TV

• LOL: Hiding my inner pit bull after I lose

• Competition: Wanna play a tournament in Peru? 

• Quick Tips: Using swing weight to your advantage

• About Time: Wheelchair pickleball now a competitive event at USAP Nationals

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