Blog

What Is Pickleball? I Took a Lesson to Find Out!

March 1, 2026March 6, 2022 by Drew Pierce

Pickleball is a fast-paced paddle sport where most points are won at the net (the ‘Kitchen’). For beginners, success comes from keeping the ball low, loosening your grip for better spin, and wearing proper court shoes to handle the quick lateral movements. While similar to tennis, it requires less running but faster reaction times.

I took my first one-on-one pickleball lesson this week to answer America’s favorite recent question, “What is pickleball?” I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the fastest-growing sport in America. It is clear that I have a ton to learn, but the 60-minute session left me confident that my tennis skills will translate well on the pickleball court. However, there were a few surprises for this brand new player. If you’re considering picking up a pickleball paddle, here are a few things that my instructor shared with me, as well as a few things that caught me off guard.

Pickleball and Tennis Can Coexist: What the US Open Reminds Me Every Year

September 14, 2026 by Drew Pierce

Every year when the US Open rolls around, I get a little nostalgic for tennis.

I can play pickleball several times a week and spend far too much time thinking about paddles, strategy and whatever part of my game happens to be failing me that month. Pickleball has become my sport.

Then I watch the US Open.

And I remember.

Tennis is a beautiful game.

Something about the movement of a great tennis player that pickleball simply cannot replicate. The court is bigger. Points can develop slowly and then explode. Covering that much ground for hours at a time takes a physical commitment.

Tennis still has a little elegance.

I don’t mean that as an insult to pickleball. I love pickleball.

But nobody has ever called Tuesday night pickleball open play elegant.

And that’s OK.

In fact, I think one of the biggest mistakes we can make as pickleball grows is believing tennis somehow needs to lose for pickleball to win.

It doesn’t.

New Jersey Just Won the MLP Championship—And It Only Took Breaking the Curse

August 31, 2026 by Ace Rivera

Central Park, NYC — August 30, 2026

I’m sitting here at City Pickle at Wollman Rink in Central Park watching the New Jersey Fives celebrate their first-ever MLP championship, and I have to say: this was the most inevitable outcome that took the longest to happen.

Two years of runner-up finishes. Two years of winning the regular season and getting to the finals. Two years of looking like the best team in the league while somehow being the second-best team when it counted. And now, finally, they’re holding the trophy.

Here’s the thing though—it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t dominant. It was messy, it went to a Dreambreaker in the first match against St. Louis, and it required Anna Leigh Waters to hit the final points when everything was on the line. That’s championship pickleball. That’s what separates the teams that finish with the best record from the teams that actually win titles.

The Tesla Aurum Just Dropped and Mooloolaba Courts Open

August 21, 2026 by Drew Pierce

Tesla and Selkirk are back with a new collaboration, pickleball facilities are expanding worldwide, and the equipment landscape is changing in ways that matter to your game. Let’s talk gear and growth.

Who Won MLP Orlando 2026? New Jersey 5s Beat St. Louis Shock 3-1, Secure #1 Playoff Seed + 12-Team Playoff Bracket Set

August 5, 2026August 3, 2026 by Ace Rivera

The MLP regular season just ended with an absolutely unforgettable Super Sunday in Orlando. The New Jersey 5s got revenge against St. Louis with the most dramatic mixed doubles game in league history, securing the #1 playoff seed, the playoff bracket is now set, and we’re officially one week away from everything that matters. Let’s dig in.

The Two-Handed Backhand in Pickleball: When to Use It, How to Learn It, and Which Paddles Fit

August 1, 2026 by Drew Pierce

Player hitting a two-handed backhand in pickleball at the kitchen line

The two-handed backhand has gone from a tennis-transplant quirk to a legitimate weapon at the 4.0+ level, and in 2026 it is close to mandatory if you want to survive a kitchen-line firefight. Adding your non-dominant hand gives you stability on fast hands battles, real topspin on the third shot drive, and a roll volley that actually dips.

I need to start with a confession.

For my first two years in this sport, I was a one-handed backhand guy and proud of it. I came from tennis, I had a slice I liked, and I genuinely believed the two-hander was something tennis converts did because they hadn’t bothered to learn a proper pickleball backhand yet. I said this out loud. To people. Repeatedly.

Then I spent about six months getting handcuffed at the kitchen line by a 4.5 who did nothing but speed up at my right hip. Every single time, my one-handed backhand volley would either float or die. He knew it, I knew it, and by the fourth game he had stopped even pretending to hit anywhere else.

That’s when I finally added the second hand. And I want to be honest about the timeline: it made my game noticeably worse for about three weeks, and then it made my game dramatically better forever. If you’re on the fence, that’s the trade you’re actually considering.

Here’s everything I’ve learned since, including the gear mistake that made my first attempt miserable.

USA Pickleball Was MIA at FanaticsFest 2026. Padel Showed Up. Here’s What Pickleball Can Learn.

August 1, 2026July 21, 2026 by Drew Pierce

I spent time at FanaticsFest 2026 this year, two out for the four days at the Javits Center in New York City, and joined over 200,000 fans moving through the doors between Thursday and Sunday. Superstar athletes everywhere. Panels, autographs, brand activations the size of small cities. It’s become one of the biggest fan festivals in the country, and it just added a whole extra day to keep up with demand.

Chaos in Grand Rapids: How St. Louis Broke ALW’s Streak and Won the Mid-Season Tournament

July 16, 2026 by Drew Pierce

The MLP Mid-Season Tournament just wrapped up in Grand Rapids, and it was absolute chaos. The St. Louis Shock just dethroned the New Jersey 5s from their perch atop the league, Anna Leigh Waters suffered her first loss of the season in the most surprising way possible, and we got a blueprint for how to actually beat the world’s most dominant player. Let’s dig into what went down.

The Dink: Release Date, Cast, Trailer & Why Hollywood’s New Pickleball Movie Feels Personal

July 27, 2026June 24, 2026 by Drew Pierce

Pickleball just got its own movie, The Dink, and Ben Stiller is involved, which means two things are now true: the sport has officially arrived in the mainstream, and I am contractually obligated as a child of the 90s to have an opinion about it.

The Dink ~~premieres July 24~~ is out now on Apple TV. It stars Jake Johnson as a washed-up former tennis prodigy who gets pushed into pickleball during rehab, Ed Harris (never ages!) as his pickleball-skeptical father, Mary Steenburgen (never ages!) as the partner who pulls him into the sport, and Stiller himself in a supporting role as the doctor who hands him a paddle in the first place. The trailer just dropped, the internet has takes, and I have a personal reason to care about this one beyond the usual “my hobby is famous now” excitement…but we’ll get there.

Here’s everything worth knowing, plus the part of this story I genuinely did not expect to write about myself.

Summer Pickleball Tips 2026: How to Beat the Heat, Stay Hydrated, and Protect Your Game in Hot Weather

June 2, 2026 by Drew Pierce

To play your best pickleball in summer heat, start hydrating the day before, drink 16 to 20 oz of water about two hours before you play, then sip 6 to 12 oz every 15 to 20 minutes on court. Add electrolytes once you pass an hour or sweat heavily. Play early morning or after 6 p.m., wear light-colored moisture-wicking clothing, and stop at the first sign of dizziness, cramps, or a pounding head. Those are warning signs, not “push through it” signs.

Last winter I wrote a whole guide on surviving the cold court. Now the pendulum has swung the other way, and the bigger danger most rookies face isn’t a cracked ball. It’s a cramped hamstring at 2 p.m. in July with no shade in sight. Summer is when our local courts get packed, and it’s also when I see the most people quit early, gas out mid-match, or worse. So let’s fix that.

This guide answers the questions I get asked most once the temperature climbs. Simple, thorough, and ridiculously helpful, just like always.

Speedup Tide 14L vs. Selkirk Boomstik: The Foam Core Power Struggle

May 14, 2026May 5, 2026 by Drew Pierce

The Selkirk Labs Boomstik is the gold standard for “limitless” power and a massive sweet spot, but it comes with a premium $333 price tag. The Speedup Tide 14L ($170) is the underdog that offers a unique, more connected feel with a thinner 14mm profile that surprisingly mimics the dwell time of a thicker paddle. Choose the Boomstik for raw, forgiving offense; choose the Tide 14L if you want a fast, high-spin weapon that doesn’t feel like a hollow “pop” machine.