👟 ALW Signs with Nike + Franklin — why this deal changes everything
🏗️ The Backcourt Club — when pickleball isn’t a negotiation
📋 26 Ways to Level Up in 2026 — the cheat sheet I’m using
🇯🇵 Training a Future 5.0 — backhand power + smart drills
🧠 Pickleball & Mental Health — a wild graph and real laughs

Let’s get to it!

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Make It Your Habit

Okay, remember when we were all speculating where ALW would land after her Paddletek deal ended?

Well… she just split the difference in the most power move possible.

Anna Leigh Waters signed two major long-term deals — one for apparel and one for gear — and both are huge.

First: Nike.

Nike signed ALW to a long-term apparel and footwear deal, making her the first-ever pickleball athlete to join Nike’s elite global roster. Starting at PPA Masters, she’ll compete exclusively in Nike performance apparel and footwear across pro events.

That alone is a massive statement.

On the equipment side, ALW signed a long-term paddle and gear partnership with Franklin, spanning signature paddles, balls, and accessories. She’ll debut new iterations of Franklin’s C45 paddle line (also starting at PPA Masters), and Franklin has already hinted at developing a new “pro” ball alongside their already-dominant X-40.

My take: this is great for ALW — and even better for pickleball.

Nike getting involved for real is a legitimacy moment. When the biggest sports brand on the planet puts the Swoosh on the undisputed #1 player in the game, it sends a very loud message:
pickleball is no longer fringe — it’s prime time.

And Franklin played this smart. They now have the face of the sport helping co-design a signature line, with real influence over paddles, balls, and gear. According to Zane Navratil (ALW’s MLP teammate), the Franklin deal is being discussed as $10 million — financial details weren’t officially disclosed, but that number feels very believable given the scope.

Now comes the fun question:

Who’s next?

If Nike is officially in the pickleball chat, they’re not stopping with one athlete. ALW is the signal — not the finish line.

Ben Johns feels like the obvious next move. Nike doesn’t tend to make quiet statements, and pairing the two most dominant players in the sport would be seismic.

Either way, this is a massive win for ALW — and a turning-point moment for pickleball.

Who do you think Nike signs next?
Hit reply and tell me your prediction.

If only everything in life were this simple, right?

This is basically how pickleball works for me.

It’s not a debate. It’s not a negotiation. I don’t hope I play pickleball.

I play pickleball.

Even on days when I’m slammed.

Honestly, the only thing that ever gets in the way is winter — when outdoor courts are covered in snow (or it’s just too cold), and indoor courts are booked solid. Which is… frankly unacceptable.

So that’s why Lance and I are seriously considering relocating our garage and shed and building two indoor pickleball courts in our backyard.

And if I’m doing that, I’m obviously adding a sauna and a cold plunge — and calling it The Backcourt Club.

I’ll develop an app and sell memberships.

People can buy dedicated weekly time slots and rent or swap their court times inside the app. I’ll make sure Lance and I keep the times we love, and when we’re out of town or busy, we’ll release those slots for others to gobble up.

Country-club energy — but for pickleball people.

And if a certain world #1 ever wants to drop by for a clinic? We’ll make room.

I haven’t finalized memberships yet — but if this made you think, “uhhh yes, I want in”…

👉 Hit reply and tell me. No promises. No timeline. Just collecting names for the future Founding Members list. 😉

The #2 female player in the world just dropped a YouTube video called 26 Things to Improve Your Pickleball in 2026, and if you’re the type who loves a good checklist, you’ll enjoy it.

That said — I don’t think she went super deep on most of them. Still valuable, just more big-picture than tactical.

So I decided to actually take her advice and do Step #1:
a full brain dump of my improvement list.

Here’s what spilled out:

That last one matters.

I’m working on redefining “winning” as:

Because I can’t control the other team or my partner.
I can only control myself.

If we lose, but I played my best and executed what I was focused on? That’s a win.
If we lose, and I sucked at what I was working on?
Cool. Then I can beat myself up a little. 😉

Other things on my list:

I could keep going, but that might get boring for you…

So, let’s get back to Anna’s list.

One thing really stood out that I’ve honestly never tracked before was #4:

Kitchen arrival percentage.

Pickleball is way more fun (in my opinion) when you actually make it to the kitchen.
Not so fun when the points end before that.

So that’s officially going on my metrics list.

And yes — I already have a deep hatred for unforced errors (#17).
And for myself, when I make them.
Kidding.
Sort of.
(I actually do have a low tolerance for incompetence… including my own.)

So now I’m curious:

👉 What’s on your improvement list for 2026?
And more importantly… what are you going to prioritize first?

👉 “I made a cheat sheet of Anna’s 26 tips (you can download and print it if you click here or on the image below)

I saw this reel on improving your backhand and honestly didn’t get it at first.

Why was the coach having them jump and land on one leg?

Then, the very next day, this tutorial appeared in my feed — and suddenly, it all clicked.

In the second video, the coach explains why he teaches players to lift their back foot during the backhand swing: it opens up space, lets the ball travel closer to the body, and creates way more power and precision.

Lightbulb moment.

Now I see exactly what that first drill was training — and now I’m absolutely adding this to my practice.

I already love my backhand, and if I can weaponize it even more? Yes please.

I also loved how this coach set up extra nets and targets to fine-tune placement during drills. It made me realize two things:

1) I should be drilling more.
2) and when I drill, I should be drilling with more intention.

I stumbled on a reel breaking down the relationship between pickleball hours and mental health — complete with a very official-looking graph.

Is it worth watching?
Yes.

The comments, as expected, did not disappoint — especially the ones reacting to the divorce portion of the graph.

Naturally, I added my two cents:

I met my husband playing pickleball — and I’m really hoping we don’t get divorced because of pickleball. 😅

I’m curious — do you feel like pickleball helps your mental health?
What’s the optimal number of hours per week for you?

Whatever that number is… I’m over here hoping you get it. 🏓💙

If this had you thinking about how big pickleball is getting — from ALW’s Nike deal to backyard court dreams — send this to your favorite drill partner.

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

Until next week…
may your backhands generate power, your goals stay clear, your court time be plentiful, and your pickleball continue to do wonders for your mental health.

— Janelle 🏓✨

P.S. Great news! I’m all packed and heading to Vietnam tomorrow morning. My paddle is in my carry-on, and my sister has officially committed to playing at least once while we’re there.

Things are definitely going my way 🙂