Pickleball Newsletter

_{Professional Pickleball:}

• Ben and Collin Johns, the #1 doubles team, decided to end their partnership together in 2025. While they still won 35% of tournaments played together in 2024, they haven’t won together since July or came close to matching their dominant 2023 season where they won 75% of tournaments played.

• Anna Leigh Waters and her mother, Leigh, are back winning together on the PPA tour for the first time in 2 years.

• Pickleball manufacturers are pushing back on the United Pickleball Associations (UPA) paddle certification requirements and fees.

  • In a letter from Selkirk, paddle companies air out their grievances over the UPAs lack of transparency in testing and call for an independent and non-profit certification body.

  _{Next PPA Event:}

• The Masters in Rancho Mirage California - starting January 6th

_Paddles:

• USA Pickleball has introduced a new testing standard, PBCoR (Paddle/Ball Coefficient of Restitution) to limit the “trampoline effect” of newer paddles.

  • The JOOLA Mod TA-15 and Gearbox Pro Power Elongated will be banned from tournament play as off July 1st, 2025.

    

_{Top Paddles of 2024:}

• The Honolulu J2K won paddle of the year from a variety of paddle reviewers.

• Check out Pickleball Studios top paddle picks:

_{Tip: Target your opponents left foot}

• Often a weak spot (for right handed players), targeting the left foot of your opponent is considered a “safe zone”. This will limit the opportunity for your opponent to hit a speedup, especially if they have a one handed backhand. James Ignatowich and 4.0 to Pro Podcast both discuss targeting this spot.

  • Check out an instance where James is targeted at his inside foot and pops the ball up:

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_{Best point of 2024?}

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_{Pass it on!}

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