😏 Sorry Not Sorry — the net-cord “apology” I refuse to participate in
🧘‍♀️ Reset Zen — slow it down, Donigan wisdom, and why resets matter
🔮 The Next Ben Johns? — the 14-year-old phenom catching the GOAT’s eye
🎥 PPA Firefight + Choke-Up Update — elite rally magic + grip up for the win
🎨 Hybrid Forehand Divebomber — the shape-the-ball tutorial you need to see

Let’s get to it!

This time of year, it’s SO hard to stay in control of your health.

Holiday travel (and meals!), big family gatherings, dark and cold days, it’s easy to skip that workout, sleep in later than you should, or have just one more cookie.

That’s why you need a daily health habit that’s easy to stick with.

Meet AG1: With just one quick scoop every morning, you’ll get over 75 ingredients that help support your immune health, gut health, energy, and close nutrient gaps in your diet.

Right now is the best time to get started - with every new subscription, they are giving away $126 in free gifts for the holidays.

Give AG1 a try today and take control of your health this holiday season.

Give AG1 a try today

Why do people always apologize when their ball hits the net and goes over and wins?

Apparently, it’s a “good sportsmanship gesture,” passed down from tennis, meant to acknowledge:

Cute.
Historical.
Respectful.

…but also? No. Absolutely not.

First of all, there is skill involved.
If you put real topspin on your dinks, drives, and roll volleys, your chances of the ball still clearing after kissing the tape go way up.

That’s not an accident.
That’s not a fluke.
That’s not “oops, sorry!”

That’s physics.
That’s mechanics.
That’s intention.

And I’ll say it plainly:
I don’t apologize for net cord winners.

My go-to lines?

“Woohoo, lucky me!”
OR
“Sweet — I’ve been practicing that shot.”

Ask any of my friends — I get more net-cord dribblers than the average human.

I like to think the universe rewards a grateful acknowledger rather than someone who apologizes and self-deprecates.

But the pickleball world still insists on the ritual “Sorry!”

Which… is wild.

Are we really apologizing for winning a point?
For putting enough spin on the ball that even the tape wants to help us out?

Couldn’t be me.

Leo toast. Sorry… not sorry.

Now I’m curious — and I need your take:

I found a great reset drill— I love how Shea Underwood has his drill partner stand in the middle of the kitchen to tighten the target. I’m definitely going to practice this.

This tutorial jumped out at me because earlier this week I was playing with some of my favorite humans (yes, Donigans, that’s you), and Jon hit me with the best reminder:

Slow it down.
Make them dink.
Make them crack.

And he was right.

The better players get, the more they dink.
The more they wait.
The more they force the other team to implode first.

Once we slowed the bangers down to our tempo?

Magic.

They popped balls up like popcorn, and we put them away like surgeons.
Full puppet-master mode — and honestly, the most fun I’ve had all week.

Then the next day, we played again, and with the same intention….slow it down.
Drops.
Resets.
Dinking.
Strategy.
Patience.

And here’s what I realized:

I love fast hands.
I love firefights.
I love cracking winners.

But I don’t want to be stuck in that gear.

I want to be able to slip effortlessly between styles — speed one ball, slow the next, change the pace like it’s a volume knob.
Because when you can choose your tempo, the game becomes chess.
When you can’t, it becomes whack-a-mole.

And honestly?
It drives me absolutely nuts when a partner keeps speeding things up when they’re off balance, out of position, or — my favorite — right into someone’s forehand.

Why.
Are.
We.
Doing.
That?

In my (correct) opinion, it’s the ultimate sign of an inexperienced, insecure player:
the impulsive speed-up, the “I must attack now,” the emotional flinch.

But when you start playing with actual awareness — when you really understand the purpose behind each shot — the controlled game is beautiful.
Measured.
Deadly.

That’s why Shea’s reset tutorial made it into this week’s FDF.
I’m simply reminding myself to slow it down…block, soften, and reset the ball on command isn’t just a skill… it’s an identity upgrade.

I want to master both worlds:
The patient dinker and the ruthless attacker.

Have you heard of Tama Shimabukuro — a 14-year-old from Honolulu who moves like a glitch in the matrix and tracks balls that should be labeled “unreachable.”

If you haven’t seen him play, check out this quick clip:

Someone asked Ben Johns recently:
“Does the next Ben Johns exist?”

He replied:

“I believe he does — and his name is Tama Shimabukuro.”

When the greatest player in pickleball points at a teenager and basically stamps “future GOAT” on his forehead?
You pay attention.

And Tama isn’t just a backyard prodigy.
He’s already:

He picked up pickleball in 2023 — let me repeat that — 2023 — after being a skateboarder/surfer kid.

Now, two years later, he’s already in pro draws and catching the attention of literally the best player alive.

So I’m sharing the reel because:
This might be the kid we’re all talking about five years from now.
Or sooner.

Go watch the clip.
Remember the name.
And start mentally preparing for the day you casually tell someone:

“Oh yeah, I knew about Tama before he was Tama.”

Speaking of Ben Johns…
Did you see this PPA rally floating around this week?

Ben Johns + Analeigh Waters
vs.
Hayden Patriquin + Anna Bright

It’s one of those points where you know you’re watching peak pickleball.

Fast hands.
Perfect anticipation.
Ridiculous court coverage.
No panic.
Just four monsters of the game solving problems at 100 mph.

It’s worth a watch:

AND, I couldn’t help but notice how much both Ben and Hayden choke up on their paddles.

Like… EXACTLY the grip change I’ve been experimenting with all week.

And let me report back:
I’m obsessed.

My resets?
Insane.

My control?
Silky.

My placement?
Fire.

Yes, I’ve lost a tiny bit of reach, but I can still extend the paddle in my hand when I need to stretch for one.

Yes, maybe I get slightly less “whip” on full drives — but the shape I’m getting on the ball is better, cleaner, and more intentional.

Anyway, the rally clip is pure pickleball art.
Go watch it.

Watch the hands, the speed, the patience… and yes, watch those beautifully choked-up grips.

If you missed last week’s edition about why many pros choke up on the paddle (and why I’m now following suit), you can check it out here.

Okay… this tutorial is WILD.

It instantly reminded me of the same hybrid foredrive Frank Solana taught me in Croatia (if you missed that tutorial, here’s the link).

Deadly then.
Deadly now.

But this coaching session?

Next level.

The mini-paddle drill forces the player to feel what it’s like to actually shape the ball — that magical brush-up-on-the-outside motion that loads the shot with topspin and makes it divebomb over the net at an absurd angle. It’s the special sauce, visualized.

The comments on the reel cracked me up:

Same.

Because here’s the thing I realized this week:

Choking up on the paddle makes this hybrid forehand even easier.

Shorter lever → more control → better shape → more topspin → filthier angles.

Seriously — go watch the tutorial.
Something about seeing the student use the mini-paddle makes the mechanics really click.

Then try it in your next game and report back.

If you break any ankles (figuratively), I want to hear about it.

If you picked up something new —
a cleaner reset, a choked-up grip, or just the confidence to stop apologizing for net-cord winners — forward this to a partner who deserves a little extra sauce in their game.

If this was forwarded to you, hit subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s drop —

Until next week…
May your resets stay zen, your net-cords dribble perfectly, and your partners avoid speeding up straight into someone’s forehand.

—Janelle

P.S. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving — and I’m extra grateful for you! Thanks for being a Five Dink Friday reader.