This week in Five Dink Friday:

šŸ˜‚ Priorities — protecting the paddles at all costs
šŸ The Snake Speed-Up — disguise, deceive, destroy
šŸŽÆ The Inside-Out Overhead — your new favorite putaway
šŸ’Ŗ Elbow Pain? Send This — keep your crew on the court
🌓 Pickleball in Vegas — Sunset Park after dark

Let’s get to it!

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#1 šŸ˜‚ Priorities

This one made me laugh.

And then…

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:

I’ve got $1,000 worth of Boomsticks just sitting in there.

Three of them.

All in their bright red covers.

Just casually screaming:

ā€œHey… come steal me.ā€

āø»

Needless to say…

that bag came INSIDE the court
and never left my sight šŸ˜…

#2 šŸ The Snake Speed-Up (Disrespectfully Effective)

I’ve written about this shot before…

But this might be the cleanest tutorial I’ve seen on how to actually pull it off.

A soft, innocent-looking backhand slice dink…

that suddenly turns into a last-second speed-up down the line.

šŸŽÆ The 3-Step Deception

Here’s the magic:

1ļøāƒ£ Show the backhand slice dink
Sell it like you’re being a good, patient citizen.

2ļøāƒ£ Change the paddle face late
This is the key. The disguise lives here.

3ļøāƒ£ Speed it up
Quick. Compact. Downward.

Instagram post

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 too…

join me….

And do let me know when you catch your first victim.

#3 šŸŽÆ The Inside-Out Overhead (Your New Favorite Putaway)

Speaking of deceptive shots…

I just found another one I plan to drill this week.

The inside-out overhead.

Instagram post

I need some new shots in my arsenal, as the peeps I’m playing against are superb at resetting and reading the court.

Which means:

āž”ļø Clean winners are harder
āž”ļø Placement matters more
āž”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. . .

I’ll be insufferable at the kitchen.

You coming with me? šŸ˜

#4 šŸ’Ŗ Elbow Pain? Send This

If you’ve got tennis elbow…
or you know someone who does (and we all do)—

send them this.

Instagram post

I’ve 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»

We’ve got a duty to keep ourselves (and our besties) on the court.

Give it a whirl.

Let me know how it goes.

And yeah…

thank me later šŸ˜

#5 🌓 Pickleball in Vegas? Yes Please.

I was in Las Vegas this week for a work—speaking, filming, doing all the things…

But obviously…

we packed the paddles šŸ˜

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?

šŸ”„ Game on.

They’ve got four challenge courts, and the level was legit.
We’re talking competitive games, great energy, and players from everywhere.

We met people from Vancouver and Park City.

All with the same idea:

ā€œLet’s go somewhere warm and play pickleball.ā€

If you’re heading to Vegas…

pack your paddles.

And head to Sunset Park at night for some competitive play.

āø»

Let me know if you’ve played Sunset Park
(or if this just made your travel list šŸ‘€)

šŸ’„ That’s a wrap for this week’s Five Dink Friday!

If this week’s edition made you:

• want to add a little deception to your game
• head to Sunset Park
• or start drilling something new

…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…

Stay sneaky.
Stay sharp.

And go cause a little chaos at the kitchen šŸ˜

See you on the courts.

— Janelle šŸ“āœØ

šŸ„’ P.S. I’m playing in my first-ever Moneyball this week 😳

I’m equal parts excited and slightly terrified.

I’ve never played pickleball with actual money on the line before…

It’s only $20, and I’m not even sure what you win—but suddenly it feels VERY serious.

I’m playing with Scott (who is very good… thank goodness), and we’ve only played together a couple of times.

So naturally, my main goal is:

Do not be the weak link.

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