Universal Rackets Weekly Update!

Let’s Talk About Your Pickleball Game

Question: How can I stop popping the ball up to my opponents.

Answer: First we need to determine why the ball is popping up: is your grip too tight? How is your timing at contact? Are you giving yourself enough space for your shot? Once you identify the cause of the high balls, then you can drill on correcting the error. This will make for more low, effective shots in pickleball.

Drop Shots over Drives

When you first pick up a pickleball paddle, it may be your first instinct to drive the ball as hard as possible. This is especially true if you came from the sport of Tennis, soccer, or even the physical contact sport of basketball. There definitely is a place for powerful drives in pickleball, however it is the unique soft game and development of a soft touch that will win you more points in the long run. Once you can learn the 3rd shot drop and “resets’ into the kitchen, you will set you and your partner up for so much more success in the game of pickleball.

Click here for a drill on drops & resets‼️

Selkirk Pro S1 Balls Are Here! The “Go-To” Ball?

Franklins are too soft and crack, especially once they get worn out. Duras are not only fast but are expensive and lose shape quickly. The Selkirk Pro S1s hold their shape, and do not crack! In regards to feel: we’d say they are the halfway point between a Dura and Franklin. Not as hard and fast as a Dura but not as soft and slow as a Franklin. Did we mention that they have a 1-Year-No-Crack Warranty and a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee?

Click here to view and purchase! Make sure to use our code ADV-Universal at checkout for a gift card with your purchase.

Dinking, what is it? and why do it?

A dink is a short, low shot made from one team’s kitchen into the kitchen of their opponent. The reason we dink in pickleball is ultimately to win points against our opponents. The reason a dink is an essential shot in pickleball leads back to geometry and court positioning. Since the kitchen is only 7 feet deep on either side of the court, a short aggressive shot into the kitchen, where the other team cannot volley makes the most sense. The only way to return a good dink is to lift the ball from a low to high motion (with another dink).

The inventors of pickleball created the rules of the game and the kitchen in particular to make the game more fun and fair. In tennis you can run up to the net and volley the ball right to your opponent. In pickleball we are protected from those types of shots by the kitchen. A dink is a shot in pickleball that has been created to continue the play of the game until one team has made an error. That is why patience is essential to become an advanced pickleball player.

Click here for a full dinking video lesson‼️

Pickleball Wimbledon? All Whites?

All white dress code and green courts? If you are a tennis fan you will know exactly where this idea cam from: Wimbledon! Currently this is the only PPA Tournament with a formal dress code.

Now compared to the Wimbledon dress code it is no where near as strict. As seen in the photo above McGuffin would have clearly violated the Wimbledon dress code for the pink in his shoes. Pickleball players just have to make sure they are primarily wearing the color white.

Lesson of the Week: How To Aim Dinks

Click here to view this week’s lesson

Thank you for reading and we can’t wait to see you on court!

-Universal Rackets