Pickleball Magazine 6-4 | Page 20

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What ’ s News in Pickleball

SCIENCE OF PICKLEBALL

PICKLEBALL AND POWER — THE GENDER EQUALIZER

By Joe Dinoffer

In tennis , due to the fact that male players generally have some inherent physical advantages over female players , men are thought to be “ better players ” than their female counterparts . Tennis is a sport where overhead strength and foot speed do make a difference . As you will read in this article , however , pickleball is very different and convincingly better than tennis in this very important aspect !

There are three abundantly clear facts about pickleball for us to declare it the “ BEST BALL SPORT ” for gender equality :
1 . BALL SPEED – Let us use tennis as an example . Top male and female tennis players hit groundstrokes at close to the same ball speeds . We must clarify , however , that it is the overhead serve in tennis where men have more of a ball speed advantage . Why ? Anatomically speaking , the male shoulder is simply more capable of swinging at a ball in that overhead position . Take away the overhead serve ( pickleball serves are underhand ) and you get gender equality .
2 . FOOT SPEED AND COURT SIZE – The court size in pickleball is small enough that effective movement is not about how fast a player can run in a straight line , but rather how well the player can recover , anticipate , react , change direction . This is another example of gender equality in pickleball .
3 . TOUCH SHOTS – Pickleball is the only ball sport where touch and control shots play such an important role in competition . In fact , this is yet another aspect that tells us pickleball is the most gender-balanced ball sport in the world .
CONCLUSION
The result of this gender equality in pickleball is a more social environment with more fun and engagement for the whole family ! •
Joe Dinoffer is a master professional in the USPTA and PTR , has written nine books , produced 22 DVDs , and has appeared on the Tennis Channel . His company , www . OnCourtOffCourt . com , manufactures training aids for pickleball and tennis , and he shares that experience and passion in this regular column for Pickleball Magazine . He has also produced dozens of pickleball tips for YouTube .

PRETTY PICKLERS RAISE FUNDS FOR GOOD GRIEF

By Claudia Van Loo

The Pretty Picklers was founded in New Jersey by Pickleball Ambassador Kerry Shannon to promote the sport of pickleball and serve the community with charitable events and donations . Recently , the group held a pet photo contest to raise money for Good Grief , an organization that provides counseling and support for children and families coping with great loss .

So far , Pretty Picklers has raised more than $ 600 . First place winner Manny Lai is an “ Aspiring Pickleball Mascot .” To see 2nd and 3rd place winners , visit tinyurl . com / 4pmhp75d . •
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