🏆 Best Point of the Week — calm chaos, a tide-turning rally, +2 masters at work
🎯 The 4 Biggest Point Enders — complete with custom cheat sheet
👣 Footwork Fundamentals — it makes all the difference
✋ Serve Grip Tweaks — baseline leverage vs. kitchen quickness
🇳🇿 Advanced Pickleball in New Zealand — indoor battles + private courts

Let’s get to it!

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Okay.
Apparently we now have a recurring segment.

Last week it was two “Shots of the Week.”
This week?

Best. Point. Of. The. Week.

This rally from the Carvana tournament featuring Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio is ridiculous.

At first, they’re fully on defense.
Lobbing. Resetting. Floating balls back just to stay alive.

And somehow… it doesn’t feel desperate.

It feels deliberate.

They look almost nonchalant — like they’re calmly absorbing everything, buying time, waiting. The other team throws in great returns. Even a tweener. It’s high-level chaos.

But then you feel it shift.

Step by step, they march forward.
The tide turns.
Defense becomes offense.

And suddenly the point belongs to them.

It’s not just that they win the rally.
It’s how they win it — cool, collected, completely unbothered.

Two masters at work.

Reminder:
It’s not over till it’s over.
And elite players don’t panic — they manage.

Count how many times you thought the point was done. 🏓🔥

I found this YouTube video breaking down the four shots that statistically end the most rallies in pickleball…

And as I was watching it, I realized:

Each one of these could easily be its own Five Dink Friday section.

So instead of rewriting the whole thing, I’m going to share the video here 👇

I’ve included my notes below, as certain pieces really stood out.

⸻

🧠 What Stuck With Me

1️⃣ Dinks — Exploit the Weakness

The biggest reminder for me:

When you find a weakness…
stay on it.

We love to mix things up. We think we’re being unpredictable.

But if someone is uncomfortable on their backhand foot?
Or hates balls at their feet?

Why would we stop going there?

I don’t love “picking on” people…
But in a good match against solid players?

Oh, I’ll be exploiting that all day.

That was a really good mental reminder for me.

⸻

2️⃣ Pop-Ups — Match Technique to Height

This section might’ve been the most valuable for me.

They break pop-ups into three zones:
• Overhead height
• Chest-to-head height
• Net height

And the big takeaway:

Don’t treat every pop-up the same.

The non-dominant hand tracking on overheads? Loved that reminder.

The difference between powering through vs. rolling with spin depending on height? So helpful.

This is one of those sections I’d actually rewatch.

If you ever feel slightly chaotic on high balls…
this is your section.

⸻

3️⃣ Drives — If You Need It, It’s There

Nothing wildly new for me here —
but if drives aren’t a strength in your game, this is worth your time.

Power from the legs.
Get below the ball.
Create space (no T-Rex arms).

Clean fundamentals.

⸻

4️⃣ Volleys — The Real Point Ender

Volleys statistically end more points than anything else.

Two reminders I loved:

• The visual cue for deciding when to take a volley dink out of the air
• The secondary target: right shoulder

Sneaky good.

And the reset reminder?

I actually think this is something I do well.

The second things feel out of control in a hands battle,
I reset.

Some might call it defensive.

I call it strategic survival.

And honestly?
I win a lot of points because my opponent implodes first.

⸻

I've provided a detailed breakdown of all four sections below for those who want a deeper dive.

1️⃣ Dinks
• Find a weakness → stay on it
• Aim at the feet (pressured zone)
• Topspin push dinks > floaty ones
• Prepare early, get behind the ball

2️⃣ Pop-Ups
• Overhead height → full overhead + wrist snap
• Chest/head height → angle > power
• Net height → roll with spin, don’t force it
• Match technique to height

3️⃣ Drives
• Power starts in the legs + hips
• Get below the ball for topspin
• Create space (no T-Rex arms)
• Forehand low is sneaky effective

4️⃣ Volleys
• Volley dinks take time away
• Aim feet or right shoulder
• Bias backhand in hands battles
• Reset when chaos starts

I’ll be honest.

When I see “footwork tutorial,” I’m tempted to scroll.

But this one? I’m glad I didn’t.

After playing skinny singles with Lance this week in New Zealand (we had a court to ourselves for two hours 🙌), I realized something:

My kitchen control felt dialed.

Not more powerful.
More precise.

And it was 100% because of my footwork.

This video with Jordan focuses on something foundational but huge:

Get there early.
Get around the ball.
Then regulate your swing.

That combo = control.

What Stood Out to Me

1️⃣ Shuffle, don’t jump
Efficient lateral movement. Smooth, not herky-jerky. Head level.

2️⃣ Wide stance matters
Too narrow and you’re unstable. Wider base = better balance = cleaner contact.

3️⃣ Move past the ball
Most players stop at the ball.
He teaches getting your outside foot past it so contact happens in front of you — not stretched.

4️⃣ Create space = create time
If you feel rushed, it’s usually footwork.
Move laterally and slightly back to let the ball reach its apex instead of short-hopping everything.

This one hit me.

The difference between rushed and composed?
Often just two extra shuffle steps.

5️⃣ Control placement with swing speed + swing size
Big takeaway:
• Slower swing = shorter ball
• Shorter backswing = more control
• Same mechanics, just calibrated

That explained exactly what I was feeling this week.
It wasn’t power.
It was precision.

⸻

You don’t have to watch the whole thing (it’s long).
But even skimming it or reading the notes will sharpen your awareness.

Because when your feet are right…
everything else feels easier.

And honestly?

That’s a weapon.

I came across a quick reel breaking down different serve grips — from choking up on the handle to sliding your pinky all the way to the bottom.

And I’ve actually been experimenting with this for a while.

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

When I’m serving from the baseline, I slide my hand all the way to the end of the handle. More paddle extension = more leverage = noticeably more power. I’ve been able to generate heavier serves and force more errors — especially in skinny singles against Lance this week.

But when I’m up at the kitchen?

I choke way up.

Think Hayden Patriquin-style fast hands.

That choked-up grip gives me:
• quicker reactions
• better resets
• more control
• cleaner placement

I’ve written about this before, but I’m still fully on the split-grip strategy depending on where I am on the court.

Baseline = length + leverage.
Kitchen = compact + quick.

If you want a quick visual of the different grip options, the reel is worth 30 seconds.

Sometimes small adjustments = free points. 🏓✨

Okay… we found the advanced players. 😏

Lance met Clayton at open play earlier in the week, and they coordinated a day of higher-level play.

And I’ll say this:

They play just like the good players back home.

Smart.
Competitive.
Creative.
And an absolute jolly good time (the accents alone were worth it).

Indoor Courts: Update

I’ll admit… I’ve been hard on indoor gym floors.

But when you’re playing with good players?
It’s still a blast.

The only adjustment was the ball. When it’s hit fast and flat indoors, it almost dies — like it has backspin even when it doesn’t. It skips low and forces you to really get underneath and lift.

And yes — the lines are still chaos.
Between the glare off the shiny wood and my glasses catching the light, it forced me to focus hard.

But honestly? On a rainy Wanaka day, having indoor courts felt like a gift.

⸻

As if that wasn’t enough, we also found a private outdoor court.

A kind gentleman let us come play on his cement court — wouldn’t even let us pay him.

Just waved it off.

The setting?
Ridiculous.

Ducks.
A pond.
A tire swing.
Mountains.
And a statue of a guy in a Hawaiian shirt holding a pickleball paddle standing guard like a patron saint of rec play.

We played skinny singles in what might be one of the most idyllic pickleball settings I’ve ever seen.

Absolutely surreal.

⸻

All in all, I squeezed in three solid sessions here in New Zealand — about six hours total.

Which might be the least I’ve played in a long time… and I’m still completely tickled I got to play at all.

Pickleball finds you.
Even on the other side of the world.

And I’m genuinely a little sad to be leaving this place in a few days.

New Zealand, you’ve been very, very good to us. 🏓✨ BUT, I can’t tell you how stoked I am to be making it home in time to play in my Monday and Wednesday morning league. It’s been over a month since I’ve played with my homies, and I miss them mucho!

If this had you watching rallies a little more patiently, targeting weaknesses more intentionally, or finally paying attention to your footwork — send this to a partner who appreciates both strategy and spice.

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 resets stay calm, your pop-ups get punished properly, your feet get you there early, and your pickleball adventures keep finding you — even on the other side of the world.

— Janelle 🏓✨

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day! 💘

I know it’s not quite Valentine’s Day for you yet…
but it is for me — I’m living in the future over here in New Zealand.

Wherever you are on the timeline, I hope your day includes:
🌹 roses
🍫 chocolates
💋 good lovin’
and of course… a little pickleball. 🏓

Because nothing says romance like a well-placed dink.