This week in Five Dink Friday:
š Priorities ā protecting the paddles at all costs
š The Snake Speed-Up ā disguise, deceive, destroy
šÆ The Inside-Out Overhead ā your new favorite putaway
šŖ Elbow Pain? Send This ā keep your crew on the court
š“ Pickleball in Vegas ā Sunset Park after dark
Letās get to it!
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#1 š Priorities

This one made me laugh.
And thenā¦
I found myself being weirdly cautious about my own pickleball bag this week as we headed to the park.
I set it down and realized:
Iāve got $1,000 worth of Boomsticks just sitting in there.
Three of them.
All in their bright red covers.
Just casually screaming:
āHey⦠come steal me.ā
āø»
Needless to sayā¦
that bag came INSIDE the court
and never left my sight š
#2 š The Snake Speed-Up (Disrespectfully Effective)
Iāve written about this shot beforeā¦
But this might be the cleanest tutorial Iāve seen on how to actually pull it off.
A soft, innocent-looking backhand slice dinkā¦
that suddenly turns into a last-second speed-up down the line.
šÆ The 3-Step Deception
Hereās the magic:
1ļøā£ Show the backhand slice dink
Sell it like youāre being a good, patient citizen.
2ļøā£ Change the paddle face late
This is the key. The disguise lives here.
3ļøā£ Speed it up
Quick. Compact. Downward.
I am actually going to drill this shot this time (instead of simply writing about it).
If you want to add a little chaos to your soft game tooā¦
join meā¦.
And do let me know when you catch your first victim.
#3 šÆ The Inside-Out Overhead (Your New Favorite Putaway)
Speaking of deceptive shotsā¦
I just found another one I plan to drill this week.
The inside-out overhead.
I need some new shots in my arsenal, as the peeps Iām playing against are superb at resetting and reading the court.
Which means:
ā”ļø Clean winners are harder
ā”ļø Placement matters more
ā”ļø And deception becomes crucial
āø»
If I can continue to perfect my fake overhead short shot, and add in the snakey speedup, and this inside-out overhead putaway. . .
Iāll be insufferable at the kitchen.
You coming with me? š
#4 šŖ Elbow Pain? Send This
If youāve got tennis elbowā¦
or you know someone who does (and we all do)ā
send them this.
Iāve already sent it to a few friends who are dealing with it right now.
These are simple exercises people swear by to get rid of pain and actually fix the issue.
āø»
Weāve got a duty to keep ourselves (and our besties) on the court.
Give it a whirl.
Let me know how it goes.
And yeahā¦
thank me later š
#5 š“ Pickleball in Vegas? Yes Please.
I was in Las Vegas this week for a workāspeaking, filming, doing all the thingsā¦
But obviouslyā¦
we packed the paddles š

Lance and I found Sunset Park (about 20 minutes off the strip), with 18 beautiful courts.
During the day?
A little hit or miss.
But at night?
š„ Game on.
Theyāve got four challenge courts, and the level was legit.
Weāre talking competitive games, great energy, and players from everywhere.
We met people from Vancouver and Park City.
All with the same idea:
āLetās go somewhere warm and play pickleball.ā
If youāre heading to Vegasā¦
pack your paddles.
And head to Sunset Park at night for some competitive play.
āø»
Let me know if youāve played Sunset Park
(or if this just made your travel list š)
š„ Thatās a wrap for this weekās Five Dink Friday!
If this weekās edition made you:
⢠want to add a little deception to your game
⢠head to Sunset Park
⢠or start drilling something new
ā¦then my work here is done.
If this landed in your inbox via a friend, hit subscribe so you donāt miss next weekās drop.
Until next weekā¦
Stay sneaky.
Stay sharp.
And go cause a little chaos at the kitchen š
See you on the courts.
ā Janelle šāØ
š„ P.S. Iām playing in my first-ever Moneyball this week š³
Iām equal parts excited and slightly terrified.
Iāve never played pickleball with actual money on the line beforeā¦
Itās only $20, and Iām not even sure what you winābut suddenly it feels VERY serious.
Iām playing with Scott (who is very good⦠thank goodness), and weāve only played together a couple of times.
So naturally, my main goal is:
Do not be the weak link.






