😂 Pickleball Snobbery — when “just playing” isn’t good enough anymore
💰 The $1.23M Pickleball Player — Anna Bright just made history
🧠 Do You Play Smaller Against Better Players? — the caution trap
🎯 Offense vs Defense — the mental trick that fixes bad shot selection
🥊 Gabe Tardio’s Backhand Counter — build a speed-up punisher

Let’s get to it!

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Need I say more?

Okay fine… I will.

I love memes like this because the logic is flawless.

Can’t see the number?
Guess you better go play pickleball.

I feel like the answer is always pickleball.

Mad? Pickleball.
Sad? Pickleball.
Need love? Pickleball.
Need a vacation? Pickleball.

But, truth be told…

I don’t just want to play pickleball.

I want to play good pickleball.

Last weekend, my friend Brent invited me to play, and before I said yes, I basically interrogated him.

Who’s playing?
What level?
Will it be good pickleball?

Twenty questions.

Because not all pickleball is created equal, and I’m not interested in just hitting a ball around anymore.

I want the good stuff.
Strategy. Discipline. Patience. Smart points. Competitive games.

Which made me wonder…

Is this how wine people feel?

Like, once you’ve had really good wine, you just can’t go back to the cheap stuff?

Or does this just mean I’m becoming…
a pickleball bitch?

Honestly, I’m not sure.

But if loving good pickleball is wrong…

I don’t want to be right. 🏓

Pickleball contracts are getting… spicy.

Anna Bright just became the most expensive player in Major League Pickleball history.

The St. Louis Shock spent $1.23 million to secure the #1 draft pick so they could bring her back to the team.

Yes.

Seven figures.

For pickleball.

Now, before everyone loses their minds, the money technically goes to the league for the draft slot, not directly into Bright’s bank account.

But still…

That’s a pretty loud way of saying:

“Yeah… we want her.”

Apparently, there was a full bidding war between teams trying to land the pick.

Which makes sense.

Anna Bright is a monster in doubles, thrives in the MLP team format, and just helped deliver a massive upset at Mesa.

⸻

Bright responded:

“I’m going for way too much money.”

“What if I have a bad day?”

“Now, I have to play like God.”

Imagine showing up to league night knowing someone paid $1.23 million for you.

No pressure.

⸻

The bigger takeaway though:

Pickleball money is escalating fast.

A million-dollar draft slot would have sounded absolutely insane even a couple of years ago.

Now?

It’s reality.

Which begs the question…

What will ALW go for next year when her contract is up?

I read an interesting observation this week from YouTuber Tanner Tomasi.

He said that when he plays people better than him, he tends to shift into a “just make balls” mindset.

Less aggression.
More caution.
Basically: don’t mess up.

But the problem, he says, is that it makes you predictable.

If you’re only dinking and waiting for mistakes, better players will happily dictate the pace and slowly dismantle you.

His argument?

If you’re playing someone better than you, you actually need to lean into your full tool belt — speed-ups, deception, the weird stuff.

Otherwise, you’re just hoping they miss.

⸻

When I read that, I thought:

Hmm… I think I do this too.

When I play higher-level players, I definitely become more cautious.

But I’m not sure it’s because I’m scared to attack.

I think it’s because I know they’ll punish a sloppy attack instantly.

Against weaker players, you can speed things up from questionable positions and get away with it.

Against better players?

If the ball isn’t placed perfectly… it’s coming back faster.

⸻

So what ends up happening for me is this:

I slow down, I dink more, and I stay patient.

Because I know my patience and consistency are actually strengths.

I feel like I can hang with almost anyone in a dink battle.

But it also made me wonder something Tanner brought up…

If we never experiment with those aggressive shots against better players…

Do we ever actually get better at them?

Or do we accidentally train ourselves to become permanently cautious players?

⸻

I don’t know the perfect answer.

But I suspect the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle:

Patience plus selective boldness.

Not reckless speed-ups.

But not playing scared either.

⸻

Curious if you’ve noticed this in your own game:

Do you play more cautiously against better players?

Because I’m still figuring this one out.

Here’s a quick tip that can instantly improve your shot selection.

Call out whether you’re on offense, defense, or neutral before every shot.

You can say it out loud or just in your head.

Offense.
Defense.
Neutral.

It sounds a little ridiculous at first, but it forces your brain to recognize the situation you’re actually in.

Because let’s be honest…

A lot of bad pickleball decisions happen when we think we’re on offense when we’re very much not (and I stole this tip from Jordan… you can watch the full tutorial here:)

Example: The Third Shot

When you’re serving, and the return comes back, you’re still at the baseline.

If your opponents have already made it to the kitchen line?

You’re on defense.

That means the third shot isn’t always about hitting a winner — unless you can nail the returner in transition, or can punish the other opponent for hugging middle by driving one down his unprotected line.

Most of the time, the goal is simply to move from:

Defense → Neutral

Drop the ball.
Reset the rally.
Earn your way to the kitchen line.

Trying to win the point immediately from a defensive position is usually where things go sideways.

⸻

The Real Culprit: Stupid Speed-Ups

You know the ones.

You’re stretched wide.
Contact is low.
Balance is questionable.

And yet…

For some reason, your brain says:

“Yes. This is the moment to attack.”

Why????

⸻

Before you think I’m innocent here…

I absolutely still make stupid shot selections.

The difference now?

I know immediately when I’ve done it.

Even if we win the point.

I’m still like:

“Janelle… that was dumb.”

And then I engage in a brief moment of self-flagellation and berating, because coddling myself is not how I’m going to build a higher pickleball IQ.

Jamie Black has a killer backhand counter punch.

You speed up the ball or dink one just a little too high and BAM!

The ball comes screaming back at your feet.

I finally got curious enough to go searching for how the pros do it.

And I found this great breakdown from Gabe Tardio.

Turns out there are a few key details that make the counter work.

The Big Concepts

1️⃣ Continental Grip

This keeps your paddle face naturally angled downward.

Which means when you counter…

the ball goes down at their feet, not floating up.

⸻

2️⃣ Start With Your Paddle LOWER

This one surprised me.

Most players hold their paddle high.

But Gabe actually drops his paddle slightly before the speed-up comes.

Why?

Because then your counter motion naturally goes up through the ball, creating topspin.

Low start → brush up → ball dives down.

⸻

3️⃣ Roll Your Shoulders Forward

Subtle but huge.

Rolling your shoulders forward:

• angles the paddle face down
• speeds up your reaction time
• prevents the dreaded chicken wing

⸻

4️⃣ Keep the Counter Compact

No big swing.

It’s basically a quick punch motion:

Out → Up

Fast. Short. Violent.

⸻

Gabe’s Backhand Counter Cheat Sheet

Grip: Continental
Ready position: Paddle slightly low
Body: Shoulders rolled forward
Contact: In front of body
Motion: Out + Up (create topspin)
Goal: Drive the ball down at their feet

⸻

The Drill That Actually Builds It

Wall drills.

Seriously.

Rapid-fire counters against a tilted wall board build reaction and hand speed better than almost anything.

Think:

20–50 rapid reps without missing.

Your hands will start feeling dangerous.

⸻

If you want to see the full breakdown from Gabe and Coach Austin, watch the video.

I’m gonna drill this until I’ve got the nastiest counterpunch this side of the Rockies.

If this week’s edition made you:

• question whether you’re becoming a pickleball snob
• rethink when you’re actually on offense vs defense
• or decide it’s time to build a nasty counterpunch

then my work here is done.

If this landed in your inbox via a friend, hit subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s drop.

Until next week…

Play bold.
Think smart.

And remember — sometimes the best upgrade to your game is simply recognizing whether you're on offense or defense.

Now go find yourself some good pickleball.

See you on the courts.

— Janelle 🏓✨

P.S. My pickleball weekend is looking… aggressive.

Friday: couples league with Lance (6–8 pm)
Saturday: five straight hours for a wedding party + friends (2–7 pm)
Sunday: more pickleball with friends (3–5 pm)

So yeah… it’s basically a pickleball marathon weekend.

I don’t know how you’re going to beat that.

But I hope you try. 🏓