Today's edition is brought to you by Tifosi Optics — offering a wide selection of eyewear designed for clarity and comfort on pickleball courts.

The Top 6 Pickleball Doubles Mistakes & How to Fix Them— From Kyle Koszuta

Hey guys, it’s Kyle from ThatPickleballGuy. By the end of this article, you’ll know the six doubles strategies I wish I knew when I first started playing pickleball.

Alright, we’re talking about what to do on the return. Let’s say we have the serving team, and we’re the returning team. If we’re returning, I’m going to be up at the kitchen line, and my doubles partner is going to be further back (Figure 1).

#1 Return and Run

Tip number one is to return and run to the kitchen. A big mistake people make is returning and staying back. You don’t want to return and stay because you’re not as dangerous when you’re back at the baseline (Figure 2).

The mistake is returning and staying back; what you want to do is return and run to the kitchen line.

When my doubles partner and I are both at the kitchen line and our opponents are back at the baseline, we have the advantage. You’re most dangerous at the kitchen line, and your best chance to get there is right after the return because they have to let the ball bounce (two-bounce rule). So, return and run to the kitchen line fast to gain that advantage.

#2 Stance and Punch

Now that we’re at the kitchen line, here’s the second strategy: stance and punch. After the return, you want to be in an active stance, with your paddle up and ready to punch the ball. Many people stand too upright, and their paddle is too low. Instead, have short, compact swings to avoid overhitting. That’s key to mastering the fourth shot, which is the shot right after the opponent’s third shot.

#3 Serve and Stay

Moving on to number three: serve and stay. We just talked about returning, but now let’s focus on the serve. A common mistake is stepping into the court after serving, which makes you vulnerable to a deep return because remember you have to let the ball bounce a second time. You don’t want to be backpedaling since it can throw you off balance and lead to weak shots. The strategy is to serve and stay back, then move forward to the kitchen line only after reading the return.

#4 Third-Shot Tactics

Now, number four: third-shot tactics. Most players, especially beginners, rely on one tactic—the drive. While driving the ball is a good option, it’s not the only one. The other tactic is the third-shot drop.

A third shot drop is a soft, controlled shot hit from the baseline that lands in the opponent’s kitchen (non-volley zone), forcing them to hit up on the ball. The goal is to neutralize the advantage of the opposing team’s positioning and create an opportunity to approach the net, where most points are won. It’s used to slow the pace of the game and set up a more strategic, controlled rally. So, mix it up between driving and dropping to apply different kinds of pressure on your opponents.

If you’re driving, aim at the person running in because it’s harder to return a ball on the move. If you’re dropping, try placing the ball in the middle of the court or to your opponent’s backhand side.

#5 Hold The Line

Next, number five: hold the line. When you’re at the kitchen line, avoid being sporadic or retreating. Holding your ground keeps you balanced and ready to attack. If you back off the line, you lose your ability to be aggressive, and you’re more likely to make mistakes. Instead, focus on short, controlled movements like sliding steps rather than running back and forth.

#6 Dink To Their Backhand

Finally, number six: dink to their backhand. This is a more advanced strategy. When you’re in a dinking rally, aim for your opponent’s backhand repeatedly. They’re more likely to make errors or pop the ball up for you to attack. Over time, you’ll win more points by exploiting this weakness.

Think you know pickleball inside and out? Challenge yourself with ThatPickleball IQ Test and see if you can score a perfect 10 out of 10! 

See you guys next time 👊🏻

Quick Tip: How to Strengthen Your Overhead Shot— From James Ignatowich

Hey guys, this is James Ignatowich, and today I’m going to cover how to maintain a wide base. I don’t mean super wide, but you want your feet to be at least the width of your shoulders. The reason for that is when the ball is up in the air, there’s wind, other elements, and a lot of time for that ball to be in the air, which means things will be changing. The most important thing with the overhead shot is staying balanced.

I’ve seen way too many players try to hit an overhead with their feet very close together, and when your feet are that close, you’re naturally going to be less balanced. The wider your feet are, the more balanced you’ll generally be. So when I hit an overhead, I try to keep my feet wide like this, and I’m also coming back facing the side of the court. I’m not coming back like this (figure 1); I can get back more quickly by side-shuffling (figure 2) instead of backpedaling.

Fun fact: I was teaching a clinic three weeks ago, and someone tried to backpedal, and they fell. You don’t want to end up like her (I’m not going to say who it was). But that’s another key tip!

For more tips.

Diadem Hush Paddle Review— From Kip Lacey

Hey guys, it’s Kip! I’ve got a fresh paddle to review for you today—the new Diadem Hush. This is the latest USAPA Quiet Approved paddle, and structurally, it is very different from anything on the market right now.

The major component of this paddle is an ETPU foam surface and body. ETPU stands for expanded thermoplastic polyurethane. It’s highly elastic, can withstand multiple compressions without permanently deforming, and is quite textured.

The frame of this paddle is a two-piece carbon frame, which Diadem says will increase the sweet spot, spin, and power. We’ve heard that from so many paddle companies on almost every paddle, but these components are completely different. I was very excited to see what the ball does with this frame.

This paddle is 18 millimeters thick, weighs 8.1 ounces, and feels pretty evenly balanced. It measures 16.5 inches long, 7.25 inches wide, with a 5.5-inch long grip and a 4.8 circumference. Diadem claims this paddle reduces noise by 40% compared to other paddles.

The Diadem Hush is pretty quiet unless you jump on a shot. Then you can hear a little click from the carbon frame.

View the Diadem Hush at JustPaddles.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the new Diadem Hush. I had reviewed the Owl paddle, which is also USAPA Quiet Approved, but it wasn’t an everyday paddle unless you live in a noise-restricted area. Going into this review, I thought the Diadem Hush would be similar, just another quiet paddle for those areas. But I was surprised in many ways. This paddle is a lot of fun to play with and does some cool things.

The ETPU foam surface really cushions the ball, making it extremely quiet unless you really attack the shot. If you’re hitting a serve or a drive, the carbon frame creates a slight clicking sound, so it’s not completely silent. But besides that, this paddle is super quiet and performs well. When I first started dinking with it, I was shocked by how well it performed.

This paddle reminded me of the Diadem Vice, where the ball just rockets off the face silently. However, the Hush offers more control. It still has power but is far more controllable. My average service speed with this paddle was 52.4 mph, and I didn’t serve under 50 mph. You can add topspin with great pace, and it’s still very controllable, which is a huge plus. The power is there, but so is the accuracy and control. Straight-line accuracy was impressive, and it allowed me to place shots where I wanted, as long as I didn’t over-swing.

Consistency-wise, the ETPU surface does cause the ball to trampoline off a bit, which can be unpredictable at times. However, the more I played with it, the more consistent it became. The spin, thanks to the textured surface, was great. The ball stayed on the paddle for longer, providing a ton of spin. It’s also a very soft paddle, making it ideal if you have arm troubles like tennis elbow. You don’t need to swing hard to get the ball moving.

The paddle is very quick at the net. You don’t need to swing much in hand battles—the ball will just pop off the face. This makes it excellent for defense-to-offense transitions. Even though the Hush is designed for noise-restricted areas, I can see people using it as their everyday paddle because it performs so well in many areas. It takes time to get used to, but once you do, it’s a lot of fun to use.

I’m really impressed with how good this paddle is. I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s a lot of fun. I’d love to hear if any of you have used this paddle, especially if you live in noise-restricted areas. For me, this is like a controllable version of the Diadem Vice, but it still retains some sound.

Great job, Diadem, with the Hush. View the Diadem Hush at JustPaddles.

That’s a wrap! See you guys on the flip side 😎