The hardest part of parenting Anna Leigh Waters

Everything you need to know about the new JOOLA Pro V paddles

February 24, 2026

 

It’s a big day in the pickleball paddle industry. As it has every year around this time, JOOLA has officially released it’s latest high-performance model — the Pro V series.

These paddles build on the extremely popular Pro IV, which was among the highest rated paddles of 2025, and the new tech in the Pro V shows why the brand is consistently at the top of the sport.

We dive into what’s different about the new model below. The Pro V series is now available for pre-order exclusively on JOOLA’s website — shop here.

Also in this issue:

  • Don’t try this shot at home 🤯

  • The hardest part of parenting Anna Leigh Waters 🎧

  • Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin pull off huge upset 😮

  • Our best-selling hat is now available as a trucker 🧢

  • Bouncing back: The power of resilience in pickleball 💪

Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Did Chris Haworth just invent a new serve?

We think it’s safe to say you shouldn’t try this serve at home.

In his gold-medal match against Ben Johns at the PPA Tour Mesa Cup this weekend, Chris Haworth broke out something we’d never seen before — or at least not to this extreme. After getting a running start a la Happy Gilmore, Haworth ripped a serve seemingly as hard as he could.

We’re amazed Johns was even able to return it — he might be among about 5 people in the world who could.

🔗 Check out this highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok

PICKLEBALLERS

Leigh Waters: The hardest part of parenting Anna Leigh Waters

In case you missed it last week, Leigh Waters joined Pickleballers to discuss raising and coaching the most dominant pickleball player of all time — her daughter, Anna Leigh Waters.

In the episode, which you can watch here, Leigh sits down with Roscoe and Jared to tell the full story behind pickleball’s biggest moves: Anna Leigh signing with Nike, switching from Paddletek to Franklin, and what those months were really like behind the scenes.

Leigh also explains what it’s actually like wearing every hat at once — mom, best friend, coach and protector — while raising someone whose “normal” is winning everything. They talk perfectionism, motivation when you’re already the best, how Anna Leigh stays obsessed with getting better, and why Leigh constantly reminds her: This level of dominance isn’t normal, and losing doesn’t mean the sky is falling.

🔗 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify

GEAR

New JOOLA Pro V paddles take inspiration from golf, hockey

Paddle flex has been a focus for JOOLA's pickleball engineers for several years.

When the company released it's "Gen 3" line -- which was followed up by the Mod TA-15 and then the 3S series -- the patented "propulsion core" functioned like a diving board, bending on impact and springing back into place to transfer more energy to the ball.

The brand followed that up by introducing foam inserts at the throat of the paddle for the Pro IV series, which JOOLA called "Tech Flex Power" and allowed the paddle to flex even more -- adding forgiveness while enhancing feel, power and dwell time.

Now JOOLA is innovating even further when it comes to paddle flex, introducing a new "KineticFrame" in its new Pro V models, which was inspired by kick-point engineering in hockey sticks and golf clubs.

The KineticFrame is built to flex and recover during impact, and unlike prior paddles with a "diving board" neck flex, the KineticFrame uses a proprietary flex-point architecture that allows the paddle head to move parallel to its original position.

The dual-pivot design produces a motion that delivers:

  • Predictable and repeatable exit trajectory.

  • Uncapped, precise power (ie. the more you put in, the more you get out).

  • Reduced launch-angle deviation.

  • Faster snapback for rapid exchanges.

  • Improved energy transfer efficiency.

THE PROS

Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin sweep Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters at PPA Tour Mesa Cup

Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin have been extremely close to taking down Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters in recent months.

  • In November, they lost to Johns/Waters in three games in the semifinals at the Pickleball World Championships.

  • In January, they lost to Johns/Waters in five games in the finals at the Masters.

  • Earlier this month, they lost to Johns/Waters in five games in the finals at the Cape Coral Open, which was especially heartbreaking because they had a match point in Game 4.

On Sunday at the PPA Tour Mesa Cup, Bright and Patriquin finally broke through in convincing fashion, sweeping the No. 1 seeds 11-8, 11-9, 11-3 in the final to earn their first gold medal together.

“I felt a lot of nerves,” Bright said after the match. “Even though (we were up) 10-3, I was so nervous."

Bright also poked fun at her and Patriquin's 0-6 record against Johns/Waters heading into Sunday's final.

“No one beats us seven times in a row,” she said.

Compared to previous meetings, Patriquin played a more aggressive style and dictated the pace from the start.

It's just the third loss for Johns/Waters in a final (the other two were: Austin 2024 to Bright/Andrei Daescu and North Carolina 2025 to JW and Jorja Johnson) and they are now 59-3 in finals together.

It was Patriquin's second gold medal in mixed doubles (the other was with Jorja Johnson) and Bright's 11th (with five different partners -- James Ignatowich, Riley Newman, Andrei Daescu, and Dylan Frazier).

INSTRUCTION

Bouncing back: The power of resilience in pickleball

Have you ever felt like a single mistake completely threw you off your game? Maybe you missed an easy shot, and instead of letting it go, you let it snowball — grumbling to yourself, tensing up and making more errors.

Or perhaps your partner made a few bad plays, and suddenly frustration takes over. Before you know it, you're playing distracted, out of sync, and struggling to get back in the zone.

This is where resilience makes all the difference — and often separates the good players from the great players.

WHERE IT MATTERS

Imagine you’re trailing by a few points. A player lacking resilience might panic, get frustrated, or start playing recklessly. A resilient player, on the other hand, sees this as a chance to regroup, adjust their strategy and fight their way back into the game. Instead of letting frustration take over, they stay composed, analyze what’s happening and make smart adjustments.

Resilient players also manage momentum well. When their opponent starts gaining the upper hand, they don’t just hope things turn around. They recognize the shift and actively make changes, whether that’s executing a specific strategy or focusing on shot placement.

Mistakes are inevitable in any game, but resilient players don’t let unforced errors define them. Whether it’s a footwork mistake, a misjudged ball, or a poor shot selection, they process it quickly, learn from it and move on.

QUICK HITS

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