What is the most popular pickleball format? | PEAK European Pickleball League lands in the UK | How to Execute the Erne

What is the most popular pickleball format?

A flawed survey from ‘The Dink’ claims that mixed doubles is the most popular format of pickleball to play.

The question asked to 2775 players was ‘If you could only play one format in 2024, what would it be?’.

The Dink expressed surprise at the results and said:

The truth is, the survey is just flawed. If you’re a woman and you prefer gender doubles, you are going to pick women’s doubles, if you are a man then you are going to pick men’s doubles. The vote is split.

In order to get the correct results, you need to limit the answers to singles, mixed doubles and gender doubles. If we do this, then how does this affect the results?

Gender doubles once again claims the top spot but there is not much in it. Singles is clearly far less popular than either of the doubles formats but I wonder how much that is limited to the fact that most people don’t get to play singles as much due to court availability.

With that said, I think we can still say that doubles is significantly more popular than singles.

Check out The Dink newsletter here.

PEAK European Pickleball League lands in the UK

Dubbed the Hampshire England Pickleball Masters, the third stage of the European Pickleball League came to the UK on 17th - 19th November with prize money of €3000 at stake. The UK event, held at Kingsley Tennis Centre in Hampshire saw strong competition over 3 days.

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 brackets were split into:

- Social
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- Pro

…with age groups of 19+ and 50+.

At the pro level, the results were as follows:

19+ Pro Mixed Doubles:
1st place - Louis Laville / Pei Chuan Kao
2nd place - Théo Platel / Evie Kenna
3rd place - Julien Platel / Thaddea Lock

19+ Pro Men Doubles:
1st place - Louis Laville / James Chaudry
2nd place - Loren Varndell / Anakin Owen
3rd place - Théo Platel / Julien Platel

19+ Pro Women Doubles:
1st place - Thaddea Lock / Pei Chuan Kao
2nd place - Sara Chumillas / Jess Wilson
3rd place - Emma Wrixon / Evie Kenna

Pro Men Singles:
1st place - Theo Platel
2nd place - Vicente López
3rd place - Tom Turney

Pro Women Singles:
1st place - Thaddea Lock
2nd place - Karina Ranz
3rd place - Sara Chumillas

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 following the UK event. The finals will be held in Porto, Portugal during December of 2024.

To see full results, click here.

You can also watch a rerun of the matches here on Raqt.tv.

Visit the PEAK Pickleball Leagues website here.

PPA Dayton offers up surprise results

The weekend began with the surprise news that Anna Leigh Waters decided to withdraw from the singles event before round 1 on Thursday. Her regular singles rival and women’s doubles partner Catherine Parenteau also decided to skip singles leaving the completion open to the ‘best of the rest’.

Salame Devidze took the win in the final against Lacy Schneemann, with Lauren Stratman taking the bronze.

The men’s bracket saw lots of upsets along the way with Federico Staksrud getting eliminated in the round of 16 by Gabe Tardio and the wonder kid Hayden Patriquin beaten in the first round.

But it was familiar faces in the final as Ben John’s won his 200th PPA career singles match in the final against Tyson McGuffin with Connor Garnett taking the bronze.

The upsets continued on Friday when the normally formidable John’s brothers got knocked out early by Jaume Martinez Vich and Wyatt Stone.

With the number 1 seed out of the competition, JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier took home the men’s doubles title.

Ben and Anna Leigh took down the mixed title and it was business as usual too in the women’s doubles final as Anna Leigh and Catherine Parenteau beat Lucy Kovalova and Callie Smith taking their doubles partnership record to 50-0.

The PPA Finals, which will feature all the players with the most PPA points over the season will take place Nov 30 - Dec 3 in San Clemente, CA with the MLP Playoffs to follow.

Watch a rerun of the PPA Daytona matches here.

Coaching Corner

How to Execute the Erne

The Erne is one of those shots that spectators love to see and players love to execute. When you get it right, an Erne is extremely satisfying but also very effective.

When executed correctly, it often results in an outright winner. It's commonly used in high-level play, and the threat of an Erne can also force players to play shots they don’t want to play and make mistakes.

What is an Erne Shot?

An Erne shot is executed along the sidelines. It involves jumping across or over the non-volley zone and hitting the ball on the volley, catching your opponents off guard. This not only surprises them but reduces the time the ball is in the air making it hard for them to react in time.

Setting Up the Erne

Setting up an Erne requires anticipation and strategy. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Look for the Right Ball: The ideal scenario for an Erne is when your opponent hits a ball close to the sideline. This allows you to pick it off as a volley.

2. Create the Opportunity: You can set up an Erne by hitting a ball close to the sideline at an angle, forcing your opponent to let it bounce. Aim for a shot that makes them half-volley or watch the ball drop. As they focus on the ball, this is your chance to make your move.

3. Execution: When your opponent is forced into a low ball, either a bit behind them or to their side, make your initial move. Jump over the non-volley zone, hitting the ball with either a backhand or forehand, depending on which side of the court you are on.

Aiming the Erne Shot

Aim is crucial when executing an Erne. Here are some tips:

• Aim Low: Targeting the opponent’s feet is often the best strategy. Aiming low makes it difficult for them to return the shot effectively.

• Avoid the Chest Area: Avoid hitting the ball directly at the opponent’s chest, as their paddle is likely to be in a defensive position risking the chance of them getting the ball back whilst you are out of position.

• Consider the Opponent’s Dominant Side: Aim towards their dominant side or hip, or alternatively, towards the middle of the court.

Conclusion

Mastering the Erne in pickleball requires practice, agility, and strategic thinking. It's not just about the physical execution but also about setting it up correctly and choosing the right moment to strike.

By incorporating this shot into your game, you can add an element of surprise and increase your chances of scoring points against your opponents.

Remember, the effectiveness of the Erne lies as much in its execution as in its unpredictability.

Watch a video breakdown of how to execute the Erne on Selkirk TV here.

Upcoming UK Tournaments & Festivals

A bunch more events have been added to the calendar this week.

To find events popping up near you, visit the Pickled Events website!

If you’d like to promote your event for free in the Pickleball Addiction newsletter and on the Pickled Events website. Go here.

Indian Open announces dates in February and registration opens

The Indian Open is a 4 day ‘carnival’ to be held in Mumbai from February 8th - 11th 2024.

The Indian Open expects to see registration from over 800 players around the world players on 20 pickleball courts.

The competition also boasts a prize pool of $100k USD.

The event will also feature two MLP Style team competitions in which team owners will be given the opportunity to sponsor a team.

If you’re interested in learning more or would like to register for the event go here.

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