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Disguising speedups, beating bangers, new official ball for the PPA?

June 05, 2025

Tip: Hold and disguise your dinks

As pickleball level increases, players get better at disguising their speedups. Here are two examples of pros Dylan Frazier and Gabe Tardio hitting their dinks and speedups side by side.

1️⃣ Dylan sets his paddle early and pauses briefly

2️⃣ Gabe has a more unique form with a lot of body motion for distraction

☑️ Both keep their form identical until the last second to limit their opponents ability to react

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🎥 Watch in slow motion on Instagram by clicking on the reels above

4.0 to Pro Podcast - How to beat bangers:

Bangers: Players who prioritize hitting most of their shots with max power over drop shots and dinks

1️⃣ Expect every ball to be sped up. Get to your ready position early.

2️⃣ Be still and stable when countering a hard drive or speed up. The extra momentum from moving forward and hitting at the same time may make your counter go out of bounds. You don't need to take a big swing, use your opponents pace.

3️⃣ Hit short and low counters to have opponents approach the kitchen and dink.

4️⃣ Let out balls go out! Bangers hit a lot of balls that are going out of bounds. Make the decision to let a ball go out when the ball is on your opponents side of the court.

Give them less:

❌ Waist high balls

❌ Short points

❌ Dead dinks

Give them more:

✅ Balls at their feet

✅ Longer, extended dink rallies

✅ Aggressive dinks to keep them off balance

PPA is changing their official ball: Vulcan is out, who is in?

Many people have been frustrated with the Vulcan ball as it goes out of round quickly causing an inconsistent bounce (including top pro Ben Johns yelling ‘Get a new ball, make it a real sport!”)
No confirmation yet on the next official ball, but it may likely be the FS Pro from Franklin

MLP Phoenix Recap:

Dallas Flash remain undefeated but are still in second behind the St. Louis Shock in terms of points per match
Quang Duong was fined 50k and suspended 4 games after breaching his PPA contract and playing in an unsanctioned tournament in Vietnam
Not a lot of parity in MLP this year, the top teams remain dominant and undefeated against the bottom 8 teams

We've got a very clear distinction between the Top 8 and the Bottom 8 in Major League Pickleball in 2025
— Matty Pickles (@matty_pickles)
10:30 PM • Jun 1, 2025