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Terrell Owens says pickleball is more strategic than football
Comparing the Six Zero Black Opal and Six Zero Coral paddles
Pro players James Ignatowich, Ryan Fu and Vivian Glozman announced late last week that they've filed a formal appeal challenging the United Pickleball Association's decision to terminate their contracts.
In a joint statement, the group of players said they participated in an unpaid "grow the game" educational clinic that they claim did not conflict with their UPA contracts, which include an exclusivity clause preventing them from participating in competitor events. The UPA said in a response that they “will take the appropriate next steps to evaluate."
We dive into the saga below.
Also in this issue:
Terrell Owens says pickleball involves more strategy than football 🎧
We can’t wait until designed plays are more common in pickleball 😮
Paddletek and ProXR announce merger 👀
CRBN sues Vatic Pro over alleged patent infringement 👨🏻⚖️
MLP releases 2026 schedule 🗓️
Comparing the Six Zero Black Opal and Six Zero Coral paddles 🤔
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑🍳
AMATEUR HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
They executed the fake to perfection 🤌🏻
We’ve seen people try to get creative with designed plays in the past, but this is possibly the best execution of a fake third shot that we’ve seen.
The guy in the black in the screenshot above is about to intentionally miss the ball so his partner can rip a winner down the middle. In addition to faking out the opponent, this move also essentially sets a screen so they can’t track the next ball as it breezes past them. Well done, guys.
🔗 Check out this highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
PICKLEBALLERS
Terrell Owens says pickleball is more strategic than football 👀
In case you missed it last week, Terrell Owens — one of the greatest NFL wide receivers of all time — joined Pickleballers to talk about his career and discovering pickleball in retirement. He walks Roscoe and Jared through his commitment to daily training, drilling with pros and why pickleball requires more strategy than football.
From drives, drops, and dinks to chess vs. checkers at the pro level, he explains why pickleball has completely hooked him — and why he’s chasing high-level competition at 51 with the same mindset that made him great in the NFL.
FEATURED STORY
Pro players Ignatowich, Fu, Glozman file formal appeal challenging contract terminations
Professional pickleball players James Ignatowich, Ryan Fu and Vivian Glozman announced Friday that they've filed a formal appeal challenging the United Pickleball Association's decision to terminate their contracts, a move that made headlines in the pickleball world recently.
In a joint statement released Friday morning, the group of players said they participated in an unpaid "grow the game" educational clinic that they claim did not conflict with their UPA contracts, which include an exclusivity clause preventing them from participating in competitor events.
"We are deeply concerned by the UPA’s arbitrary and inconsistent decision to terminate our contracts for participating in an unpaid, educational 'grow the game' clinic overseas," the statement said. "Nothing in our contracts prohibited this activity. We did not compete in another league, promote a rival tour, or receive compensation of any kind."
The players say they have the support of the World Pickleball Players' Association, a group formed earlier this year that has pushed for increased transparency and a more consistent approach to contract disputes. The WPPA board includes several big-name pros, including Tina Pisnik, Dekel Bar, Jessie Irvine, Collin Johns, Jay Devilliers, Gabe Tardio and Donald Young.
"This has been an unsettling experience for all of us," Ignatowich, Fu and Glozman said in their statement. "We acted in good faith and sought and received approval from the league-appointed Players Council, even though no approval was required. Still, our intentions and integrity were questioned, and we were publicly terminated. We hope the league uses this moment to provide clearer guidance and a fairer, more consistent process for everyone moving forward.”
The UPA (the governing body of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball) said in a written response to The Kitchen, "(We have) received an appeal and will take the appropriate next steps to evaluate."
INDUSTRY NEWS
Paddletek and ProXR announce merger, will release new pickleball paddle line in January
Paddletek on Friday morning announced the creation of the Paddletek Group, which unites Paddletek, ProXR and Yobow under one brand, according to a news release.
The Paddletek Group will continue to produce pickleball and padel equipment and provide support for sponsored athletes, while using the expertise of both entities to lead the brand's innovation efforts going forward.
“The formation of The Paddletek Group marks an important milestone for our brand, and for the sports of pickleball and padel,” said Curtis Smith, Founder of Paddletek. “Bringing all of these brands together under one platform amplifies our ability to innovate, support both recreational and elite players and deliver performance-driven products to players around the world.”
Paddletek has sold more than 1 million paddles to date while being manufactured in the United States. With the merger, the Paddletek Group becomes the No. 2 paddle brand among advanced players, according to Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) sales data.
The Paddletek Group will introduce a new performance paddle line next month, and plans are also underway to expand innovation efforts to the growing sport of Padel.
TRENDING
CRBN Pickleball filed a patent infringement lawsuit last week against Vatic Pro, alleging that Vatic's V-Sol Power pickleball paddle is in violation of a patent that CRBN has relating to its foam core technology.
The patent that CRBN holds pertains to its TruFoam core found in the Genesis and Waves paddles that were released this year.
Both the CRBN TruFoam Genesis (released in January), and the Vatic Pro V-Sol Power (released later in the year), have cutouts in the foam core.
THE PROS
Major League Pickleball releases 2026 schedule
Major League Pickleball on Monday announced the league's complete 2026 season schedule, which will feature nine regular season events in team markets, the annual Mid-Season Tournament and an expanded three-week playoff.
All events will take place from May-August, beginning May 22-25 in Dallas.
Tickets for most 2026 MLP season events are now on sale via Tixr, with the exception of St. Louis and the regular season finale at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World, which will be available exclusively through Ticketmaster.
It's the first time the league has scheduled an event at Walt Disney World (July 30-Aug. 2), and MLP will also visit St. Pete Athletic in St. Petersburg, Florida, (June 18-21) for the first time.
The three playoff events will be held in Dallas (Aug. 6-9), San Diego (Aug. 13-16) and New York City (Aug. 28-30).
PADDLE CORNER
Six Zero Black Opal vs. Six Zero Coral: Which should you choose?
Six Zero released two paddles this fall, and both have already been very popular. If you haven’t already, you’ll probably start seeing the Black Opal and Coral paddles at your local courts very soon.
They both have a 100% foam core, but offer different playing characteristics and are geared toward different types of players.
The Coral is like a nice SUV -- sturdy, reliable and consistent, but it isn't going to wow anybody. What it will do is get you from Point A (the baseline in this analogy) to Point B (the kitchen line) very effectively, and it's well suited to a wider range of players (3.0-4.5).
The Black Opal, on the other hand, is like a sports car -- It has a much higher ceiling in terms of power, pop and spin, but those attributes can only be harnessed by more more skilled players (think 4.5+). A 3.0 or 3.5 player using a Black Opal would be like a novice driver jumping into a Corvette without knowing how to drive a stick shift.
Already know which one you want? Use code “KITCHEN” on Six Zero’s website to save 10%.
QUICK HITS
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