Pickleball 24/7 for free! | PEAK European Pickleball League comes to the UK

Pickleball 24/7 for free!

In the last year, we’ve seen Pickleball come to mainstream TV via ESPN, Prime Video, and the Tennis Channel.

In 2024 however, it’s going to be ‘all you can eat’ Pickleball as the PPA tour and the Tennis Channel have agreed on a deal where together they will create pickleballtv, a free standalone ad-supported streaming channel featuring matches and stories from around the sport.

The agreement means that the Tennis Channel will produce all of its own content as well as content for the partners the PPA has such as Prime Video, Disney, CBS, ESPN and Paramount.

The PPA will be pumping more money into the game by providing the capital in this partnership whilst the Tennis channel will bring it’s production and media expertise.

Read more here on the PPA website.

The PEAK European Pickleball League comes to the UK

Dubbed the Hampshire England Pickleball Masters, the third stage of the European Pickleball League comes to the UK on 17th - 19th November with prize money of €3000 at stake. The UK event will be held at Kingsley Tennis Centre in Hampshire.

The European Pickleball League is a collection of 7 tournaments across Europe (over more than 1.5 years) where you gain points in each tournament that count toward your European ranking. At the end of the season, the best 32 players in each category qualify to play a knockout tournament final.

The European Pickleball League has already stopped at Porto - Portugal and Elche - Spain this season with further stops of Madrid - Spain, Munich - Germany, Lisbon - Portugal, Nice - France after the UK event. The finals will be held in Porto, Portugal during December of 2024.

Registrations just opened for the UK stage. You can find more details here and you can pick up tickets on the raqt app available here.

Pickleball features on BBC Essex Sport Radio

More top-tier press coverage for Pickleball this week as Trevor Hammond, Pickleball England county rep for Essex and Angel Pickleball Club leader took to the airwaves to share with the BBC audience why pickleball is become so popular in the UK.

Trevor successfully campaigned for his local council to add pickleball court lines to a multi-use games area at Shotgate Park and he regularly puts on free taster sessions.

Thanks to Trevor for getting the word out.

You can check out the interview here.

Brits abroad

Several of the UK’s top players are participating in events around the world. From the World Pickleball Championships in Bali to the Swedish Open and the APP Tour events in Atlanta and Dallas.

World Pickleball Championships

This past weekend, three of the UK’s top players participated in the World Pickleball Championships in Bali all coming home with medals. Louis Laville and Pei Chuan Kao came away with a bronze in mixed doubles, Pei also got two silvers in both singles and women's doubles whilst Louis also secured a silver in men’s doubles. Congratulations to them both!

The Swedish Open

UK players Freddie Powell and Pep Giuliano also attended the Gamma Swedish Open this weekend again bringing home some silverware. Freddie came home with two gold medals in singles and mixed and a silver with partner Pep Giuliano in the men’s. Again, congratulations to them both!

APP Atlanta and Dallas

Meanwhile, Thaddea Lock, the UK No.1 woman’s player is taking on the USA this weekend, starting with singles today at APP Atlanta before moving on to APP Dallas next weekend. We’ll report on Atlanta next week. Good luck Thaddea!

I went to Arizona to play pickleball!

At the end of October, I took a friend who'd never played pickleball before to Arizona to play the locals on both outdoor and indoor courts. This is how it went!

This is best viewed on YouTube because of the video footage I have but as always it’s available on YouTube and your favourite podcast app. Search ‘Pickleball Addiction’.

Join the Pickleball Addiction Facebook group to ask questions of our podcast guests

I created a Pickleball Addiction Facebook group to further the conversation on topics raised in this newsletter.

And now, exclusively members of this Facebook group will be able to ask questions of our future podcast guests. Join the group now!

Coaching Corner

Mastering the fourth shot

A couple of editions ago I wrote about the third shot. When to drop and when to drive.

Whilst mastering the 3rd shot is a key skill that you need to employ in almost every rally, the fourth shot is an equally important component for the opposing team.

The significance of the fourth shot

The fourth shot has the potential to make or break the flow of the rally and can be a determining factor in winning points. Its importance stems from its role in setting the pace and flow of the point, and it can greatly affect your opponent’s positions on the court, particularly concerning getting to the kitchen.

Maintaining the ‘Kitchen Advantage’

One key strategy is maintaining the ‘kitchen advantage’. Positioning oneself at the kitchen line increases the chances of winning points by establishing a strategic advantage. In the right circumstances, our 4th shot can keep our opponent pushed to the back of the court, thus giving us the opportunity to maintain our kitchen advantage.

Reading the Opponent's Third Shot

The fourth shot is largely dependent on reading the opponent's third shot. If the opponents decide to drive their third shot, you ideally want to try and block the ball back to the person who drove, or go behind the player anticipating poaching the ball, always keeping swings compact, and aiming to get the ball down at their feet.

Responding to Drop Shots

When opponents drop their third shot, make it challenging for them to reach the kitchen by responding based on the ball’s height. If the drop is high (net height or above) you should generally aim to smash the ball to keep them back.

If the third shot is below net height, placing a soft return into the opponent’s kitchen is often the most effective strategy, forcing them into a neutral or defensive shot.

Decision Making for Close Calls

For close calls, judiciously decide whether to hit out of the air or let it bounce, and whether to attack or concede the kitchen line based on the quality of the shot received.

Ben Johns suggests letting the ball bounce if the contact point off the bounce is higher than if taken out of the air, allowing for a more threatening shot.

Watch this video from ThePickleballGuy to learn more.

What do you think? Join the Pickleball Addiction Facebook group to join the discussion.

Paddle Spotlight

The Diadem Warrior V2 is a unique and innovative paddle, notable for its sleek, edgeless design and lighter weight compared to its predecessor, allowing for faster movement in the hands. It stands out with its vibrant yellow look and feels sturdy, a testament to Diadem's focus on quality.

The Diadem Warrior V2 is a versatile paddle, suitable for various playing preferences, offering a balanced mix of strength, precision, and spin. At 19mm thick, the Warrior line is always going to be more of a control paddle than a power paddle. That said, the Warrior V2 should have plenty of power for most players.

While the feel is firmer compared to the previous model, it provides a satisfying play experience, especially for those who prefer stability and solid response during play.

In essence, the Warrior V2 is a refreshing iteration, introducing refined characteristics and a lively play style, potentially attracting those loyal to the brand and those new to it, looking for a quality paddle.

Use coupon NEWS10 for a 10% discount on your first purchase at the Pickleball Addiction Shop.

Upcoming Tournaments & Festivals

If you’d like to promote your event for free in the pickleball addiction newsletter. Just drop me an email at [email protected].

North West Festival
PRESTON
29th Sept - 1st October
FULL!

Pickleboobs & Balls Charity Festival
WARE, HERTFORDSHIRE
30th September
Register here

Sussex Pickleball Festival
1st October
FULL!

English Nationals
BOLTON
26th - 29th October
Register here

Chesterfield Festival
5th November
Register here

Hampshire England Pickleball Masters
Kingsley Tennis Centre
16th - 19th November
Register here

Sherbourne 3.0-3.5 Fun Festival
DORSET
18th November
Register here

Hampshire Pickleball Festival
26th November
FULL!

Southampton Pickleball Festival
30th December 2023
Register here

Guildford Gender Doubles Day
January 7th 2024
Register here

Hertfordshire Tournival
20th January 2024
Register here

Rallies in the Regis
Bognor Regis
21st January 2024
Register here

Southampton Pickleball Festival & Event
27th - 28th January 2024
Register here

Dinkin’ in the Midlands
WOLVERHAMPTON
3rd - 4th February 2024
Register here

Cambridge Team Tournament - Stour Cup
WARE
24th - 25th February 2024
Registration Opens 1st December.
Email: [email protected]

Leigh Pickleball Festival
MANCHESTER
25th February 2024
Registration opens soon!

Hertfordshire Festival
9th March 2024
Save the date!

Dinkin’ in the Big Hall
22nd and 23rd June
Register here

Herts Mixed Doubles Tournament
Hertfordshire
21st-22nd September 2024
Save the date!

Scotland

Edinburgh Pickleball Festival
4th November 2023
FULL!

Scots/Welsh Interclub Event
25th November 2023
Donald Dewer Sports Centre
Contact Drumchapel Pickleball Club for details:
[email protected]

Glasgow West Pickleball Festival
23rd March 2024
Registration opens soon!

Around the World

Orlando squeeze out DC in MLP Atlanta

MLP is back! And wow, did we see some spectacular play? And of course, it had its fair share of drama.

In one of the most controversial and criticized moves during the draft in July, the Orlando Squeeze traded their 3rd pick giving up the chance to make the seemingly obvious chance to land the men’s second-best player, Riley Newman.

Instead, they picked up Anna Bright as the overall 5th pick. And that trade was with, you guessed it, the DC Pickleball Team. As fate would have it, these two teams met at the Premier Level finals on Sunday.

Orlando Squeeze – Anna Bright, Andrei Daescu, Zane Navratil, Rachel Rohrabacher

D.C. Pickleball Team – Riley Newman, Jackie Kawamoto, Jade Kawamoto, Christian Alshon

DUPR did not fancy the Orlando Squeeze’s chances either, making DC 65% favourites to win the matchup.

From the word go, it looked like an uphill struggle for the Squeeze as they dropped the first two games and faced a match point in the 3rd. But they had fight left in them yet and managed to battle back to take the 3rd and 4th games (24-22 and 22-20 respectively) to take the final to a dreambreaker.

The momentum was firmly with the Orlando Squeeze now and they closed the dreambreaker out easily 21-10 with Anna Bright named as MVP.

You can watch the Premier Level final here on YouTube.

Hard Eights take down Challenger Level

The challenger-level final was an equally tight affair with the So Cal Hard Eights beating the Las Vegas Night Owls in a dreambreaker.

Las Vegas Night Owls – Susannah Barr, Emily Ackerman, Spencer Smith, Yates Johnson

So Cal Hard Eights – Ewa Radzikowska, CJ Klinger, Yana Grechkina, Todd Fought

It was an intriguing battle that was hard to predict but CJ Klinger put in an MVP performance showing how much he has improved in 2023 turning out to be instrumental in helping the Hard Eights win the title.

You can watch the Challenger Level final here on YouTube.

Noisy Neighbours

Given the lack of outdoor courts in the UK, you may not be aware that the noise pickleball courts make is causing a big problem in the USA slowing the growth of the game because courts are unable to be built in some residential areas.

USA Pickleball has responded to this by creating a quiet category to promote the manufacture of products producing a lower ‘acoustic footprint’. USA Pickleball will provide incentives to manufacturers that deliver quieter products.

Read the official statement here.

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