The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) has fired a significant shot in the ongoing battle to globalize the sport by expanding its international footprint through new and extended partnerships. The organization announced on June 11th its collaboration with Global Sports Pickleball (GSP), India’s leading pickleball body, and a renewed agreement with Pickleball England, which operates the continent’s largest tournament, the English Open. These moves signal a strategic effort by the APP to not only export American expertise but to nurture reciprocal development that brings international talent into U.S. training academies and tours.

If you’re serious about stopping opponents from marching to the kitchen line, you need more than just hustle—you need the right kind of aggression. In pickleball, not all volleys are created equal. There are four distinct shots—the roll, the flick, the poke, and the punch—that each serve a different tactical purpose depending on your opponent’s position. Learning when and how to use each one is the difference between a passive redirect and a point-ending play.

Major League Pickleball’s Daytona Beach stop delivered fireworks—and perhaps its biggest surprise of the season—as the LA Mad Drops surged from mid-table mediocrity to title contention. With dominant showings against league leaders St. Louis and Texas, LA finished the weekend undefeated, powered by elite singles play and standout performances from Parenteau and Kawamoto. Meanwhile, other top contenders faltered—St. Louis dropped their first match of the year, and New Jersey fell to a feisty Utah squad in a DreamBreaker stunner.

A new player is entering the court-side social scene—big time. Ballers, a high-concept racket-sports social club, just secured $20 million in Series A funding from a stacked lineup of pro athletes and industry investors, including Andre Agassi, Sloane Stephens, and sports magnate David Blitzer. With plans to open over 50 locations nationwide, the concept blends premium pickleball, padel, and other court sports with upscale dining, craft cocktails, and nightlife vibes—all under one luxurious roof. First up: a flagship in Philadelphia’s historic Turbine Hall, followed quickly by Boston, L.A., and Miami.

Palm Springs could soon become a top-tier destination for dinks, drops, and post-match drinks with a new pickleball complex proposed just steps from the airport. If approved, Pickle Park Palm Springs would offer 16 courts, extended daily hours, and an on-site bar—turning a patch of land near Ramon Road into a serious hotspot for locals and traveling players alike. The city’s planning commission is set to vote on the project June 10, and so far, city staff is backing the plan.

Venice Beach got a little less casual this week when Andy Roddick and Terrell Owens showed up swinging—and not for selfies. The former tennis world No. 1 and the six-time Pro Bowl receiver teamed up for a promo event and proceeded to dismantle unsuspecting civilians on the pickleball court. Roddick’s laser serves and Owens’ freakish athleticism made it clear: even when they’re off-duty, these guys aren’t in the mood to “go easy.” Call it a friendly match if you want, but from the scoreboard’s point of view, it was target practice.

The transition zone isn’t a sprint to the kitchen—it’s a battlefield, and rushing through it guarantees you’ll lose the skirmish. Success in this middle ground comes down to four critical habits: stopping your feet before your opponent strikes, adopting a wide, catcher-like stance, lowering your paddle to expect foot attacks, and keeping that paddle in front like a shield. Most players blow through this area like it’s lava. But the real secret to smoother points and fewer errors is learning to control the chaos right there in the middle

A paddle is only as good as the hand that holds it—and most hands are getting it wrong. Grip choice might be the most overlooked aspect of the average player’s game, but it has an outsized effect on every shot you take. From backhands to serves, volleys to smashes, how you hold the paddle determines your mechanics, control, and ceiling as a player. Fixing your grip now saves you from a mountain of frustration later—and opens the door to cleaner technique and stronger results.

Burger King Japan has teamed up with the Pickleball Japan Federation to debut the Pickleball Burger—an eyebrow-raising concoction of three beef patties, 11 pickles, and rice-patty buns. Designed to ride the wave of pickleball’s global boom, the burger’s over-the-top build is equal parts fast food marketing gimmick and protein-packed spectacle. While it’s unclear how much actual “pickleball” inspiration went into the design beyond the pickles, it’s definitely catching attention—and a few sideways glances

Pickleball isn’t just a sport anymore—it’s now officially a muse. In an unexpected but entirely delightful turn, a Minnesota writer has published Pickles and Paradise, a collection of 80 poems devoted solely to the joys, quirks, and calamities of pickleball life. With everything from haikus to limericks, the book taps into the absurdity and beauty of the court, proving that paddle play can inspire just as much reflection as it does sweat. Complete with illustrations and observations drawn from real court time, it’s quickly becoming a must-have for anyone who’s ever shouted “nice shot!” and then immediately said “sorry.”

Performance meets personality in a bold collaboration that’s turning heads on and off the court. Diadem Sports has teamed up with Los Angeles-based art duo Shelby and Sandy to release a limited-edition pickleball paddle collection that blends tournament-grade engineering with playful, pop-inspired design. Dropping during National Pickleball Month, the three-paddle lineup celebrates individuality, craftsmanship, and the rising cultural tide of the sport. From vibrant visuals to collector-level packaging, these paddles were made to rally—both in spirit and in gameplay.

The Picklr, a Utah-born indoor pickleball franchise, is going international—kicking off its Asian expansion with a bold plan to open 20 locations across Japan. Known for transforming underused real estate into vibrant pickleball hubs, The Picklr has rapidly grown from a single facility in Uintah to 44 U.S. locations, with 500 more sold globally. The Japanese launch isn’t just a business move; it marks a new chapter in the global rise of the sport, driven by Japan’s growing player base and real estate that perfectly suits multi-court indoor facilities.

In a Kowloon Bay gym where badminton once reigned, the unmistakable thwack of a wiffle ball now signals something new: pickleball is catching fire among Hong Kong’s youth. With minimal equipment, fast-paced action, and a social vibe, the sport is drawing in teenagers who might otherwise dread traditional PE. Former gym teacher Kennedy Lai, now head of the Newly Emerged Sports Association, has found in pickleball what many educators seek—a sport kids can learn in a day and love for a lifetime. And with initiatives like the Fly High Charity Sports Programme offering first-time lessons, even skeptics are finding themselves hooked.

Everyone knows the basics of pickleball: keep it low, get to the kitchen, don’t pop it up. But if you're finding your progress has stalled or you're stuck between rec-level rallies and wanting to play smarter, there’s a layer of strategy in doubles that no one is talking about—but should be. From strategic placement on putaways to deliberately ball-hogging the middle, there’s a chess game happening under the surface of every point. Learning how and when to execute these nuanced plays could be the difference between surviving and dominating on the court.

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to this country. Their sacrifice allows us the freedoms we enjoy every day—on and off the court. Whether we spend this weekend with family, friends, or playing a few games of pickleball, may we do so with gratitude in our hearts and a deep respect for those who made it possible.

Atlanta is turning up the heat—not just in the kitchen but across 30+ indoor courts at what will soon be the largest indoor pickleball facility in the country. The Pickleball Club of Georgia (PCoG), set to rise from a warehouse in Blandtown, will combine sport, leisure, and social life into one massive paddle-powered destination. Once completed, it’ll offer a full-service gym, a kitchen and bar, indoor golf simulators, a pro shop, and event spaces, all designed by Terminus Design Group. Forget a quick match—members might spend the whole day living the pickleball dream.

Tucked under the Selkirk Mountains, a humble family business is quietly revolutionizing the way pickleball gear is designed, tested, and imagined. Selkirk Sport—founded in 2014 by the Barnes family—has grown nearly 2,000% in revenue since 2019, all without a dime of outside investment. While other brands chase trends, Selkirk doubled down on one sport and one sport only. The result? A million-dollar, in-house R&D lab outfitted with 3-D printers, a robot arm, a CT scanner, and even a cannon that fires balls at paddles until they break. And yes, it’s every bit as fun as it sounds.

If you’ve ever wondered how the other half serves, look no further than the floating pickleball court on Jeff Bezos’ $75 million superyacht support vessel, Abeona. While the Amazon founder’s fiancée Lauren Sánchez lived it up in Paris, the yacht’s crew took full advantage of the empty helipad—transforming the 57-foot rotary-wing landing zone into the slickest sea-level pickleball court imaginable. With the tech billionaire’s $500 million sailing yacht Koru in the backdrop, this game had more ocean views than your last ten vacations combined.

You don’t need new gear, a flashy spin serve, or another five-hour YouTube binge. You need fundamentals. That’s the brutal truth behind a high-level breakdown of 4.5-rated play—where simple choices (or the lack of them) dictate the point. Whether it’s driving the third shot into a retreating opponent’s chest or avoiding dead drops that beg to be punished, these matches show that most players aren’t losing because they lack skills—they’re losing because they can’t make the right call under pressure.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a global tennis bad boy, an adult film legend, and a crew of reality TV stars collide on a pickleball court—you’re about to find out. OnlyFans is launching a new series called Smash City, and yes, it’s all about pickleball. The show premieres June 13 on OFTV, the platform’s PG-rated streaming service, and it brings together a cast of OnlyFans creators for a four-episode tournament that trades serious play for spicy chaos. Oversized paddles, “Pickleball Pong,” and a $20,000 prize ensure the show is equal parts competition and spectacle.