Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 15

June 06, 2024

Hello, and welcome to Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 15!

In this issue of Austin Pickleball Update, we’re diving into the incredibly interesting world of pickleball statistics, highlighting a stellar new pickleball club location and a few national collegiate champions, and providing (as always) a huge tournament and event update.

In this issue of APU you will find:

  • Pickleball Statistics - An Interview with Real Clear Stats

  • Community News - New Club Location Opening, UT Pickleball National Champions, and JOOLA Gen3 Paddle Bans

  • Texas Ranchers Roundup - Heading to the Nation's Capital

  • Tournaments, Leagues, Clinics, and Community Events

If you’re looking for places to play pickleball in Austin, check out our Austin Pickleball Courts and Clubs page here. 

Interested in advertising with APU and reaching our engaged community of 1,700+ pickleball players in Austin? Reply to this email or DM us on Instagram and we’ll be in touch.

Let’s dink on in!

Tournament of the Week - Courtside Cares Fundraiser Pickleball Tournament

Presented by B.I.G. Love, this round robin, single elimination, fundraiser tournament takes place at Austin Pickle Ranch on Saturday June 15th. Two skill brackets, high and low, have prizes for the top 3 finishing teams. All proceeds go towards easing the childhood cancer journey for patients and their families through personalized care. Learn more and register here.

Pickleball Statistics - An Interview with Real Clear Stats

Did you know that in 2023 at the pro level, there is virtually no difference in average game length between Rally (MLP) and Traditional (PPA) scoring? Both produce games of just over 40 rallies when played by top pros.

This stat shocked us, as we would have been in the camp that stated (incorrectly) rally games were faster and less fun to play. But how does one come to such earth-shattering pickleball conclusions? Statistics, my dear Watson. 

Austin Pickleball Update had the opportunity to connect with Ben, CEO and Founder of Real Clear Stats. The company prides itself on bringing comprehensive live stats to pickleball. They love data, they love clarity, and of course, they love pickleball!

Check out our interview with Ben below, where you’re likely to learn a thing or two about pickleball, all backed by cold hard data. 

Overview of your mission and how you are trying to affect pickleball.

We believe that Pickleball has created a crucial new "third space" in society that makes the world a better place in addition to helping folks stay active and have solid recreational fun. We seek to elevate the sport and help the world to take it more seriously by exposing the complexities inherent in the sport—especially at the pro level.

What stats do you pay attention to?

Player Impact+ is probably the best overall individual stat that we track. However our detailed firefight data is also quite fascinating as we quantify the effectiveness of each player's speedups, counters, and overall firefight ability. 

Another stat that I think is super important is our 3rd Shot Success stat, where we track what percentage of the time a pair of players are able to arrive at the kitchen line when a given individual is the one hitting the 3rd shot. We also break this stat down by 3rd shot type (drop/drive/lob).

Give us an example of something you learned from reviewing pickleball stats that would surprise the average player.

I think it would really surprise the average player how unbelievably consistent players are at the pro level. On average they only commit errors on seven percent of their shots. The most consistent players commit just one error every 20 hits (5% error rate). Even on 3rd shots—arguably one of the most difficult shots in the sport—pros are around this same level of consistency in regard to minimizing errors.

MLP scoring system breakdowns

Why did you start Real Clear Stats?

I love data and pickleball. We had the opportunity to serve Major League Pickleball by scoring 61 games live in real time at MLP Columbus in October 2022, and we've tracked every hit at MLP events since then. 

As we've continued to add new stats and statistical concepts to the sport, we realize that we are helping to create the statistical language of our beloved sport. We'd ultimately love to see our live stats capabilities used on pro pickleball broadcasts and help drive viewership growth and elevate the profile of pickleball in general—it really is a chess match out there, not checkers!

How do you work with pro teams? What teams have you worked with?

We've worked with nine of the 22 MLP teams including the Orlando Squeeze, SoCal Hard Eights, Chicago Slice, Texas Ranchers, St. Louis Shock, and Columbus Sliders to name a few.

With MLP Atlanta on the books and the 2024 season officially underway, can you share which teams you're working with currently? 

We worked with five teams for the 2024 draft. We are collecting the data from the first event, but haven't yet offered it to teams. We will be offering it to teams in the coming weeks and looking for subscriptions from teams and players that are interested in leveraging the data for competitive advantages as well as team improvements. 

RCS MLP Atlanta standings by points per match

What was it like in the Texas Ranchers War Room on MLP draft day and anything else you can share about being involved with decisions for the draft?

It was a delight to be involved with the Texas Ranchers organization. In addition to purchasing the intricate MLP data we had collected, they hired us to help them as they prepared and executed the draft. They wisely also hired Ryan Dawidjan, who was already familiar with our data, but also has knowledge of SO many players in the pro landscape. 

Using data as a foundation, the draft team, under Ryan's leadership, was able to identify the best balance of players who were incredibly good today along with players who still have room to grow and are getting better fast. I was delighted to be a part of the draft squad and did everything I could to help the team have a successful day. Absolutely thrilled with the team we drafted looking at these next three seasons!

Teams that work with RCS win more

Are there any stats or things you can share from the 2024 season so far that may be similar/different from the 2023 data? Any surprises so far in the 2024 season?

The biggest change for 2024 is the new scoring system (True Rally scoring to 25 for MLP Atlanta). We published a bunch of detailed stats on all three scoring systems from the past couple years, and engaged pro pickleball fans to consider the actual data and what scoring system they think will be best to help the sport grow, be most entertaining, as well as fair and consistent. One big difference is that games have been lengthened by 14% (39.5 rallies per game in late 2023, 45 rallies per game at MLP Atlanta).

As of this week, MLP has kept the new winning score of 25, but is no longer playing True Rally—they are going back to a Win-On-Serve model. We expect this will increase average game length even more to about 46 rallies per game, and produce about 50% more 2-point games. Despite this shift, we still believe that True Rally is the sport's best destination long-term.

RCS user poll on which scoring system people thought was best

As the season unfolds and we gather the aggregated data from multiple events, it'll be interesting to see how a lot of the new players to Premier Level fare. Many people think the quality of players in Premier vs Challenger is dramatically different, but several new players to Premier—even new to MLP—appeared to play very well in Atlanta! 

The data may tell a different story, but we will see. Perhaps these players will take a long time to compete with the best in the world or perhaps the highest levels of pro pickleball are more of a clique than we think, and new lower-level players—given a fair shot and equal opportunity to face the best players in the world—perhaps they can learn fast and challenge them. It'll be fun to watch this as the season unfolds.

How do you see pickleball changing and growing in the next 5 years at the pro level, and at the rec level?

At the pro level, we are seeing some incredible athletes begin to innovate and challenge the best players with how the game "ought" to be played. As paddle technology stabilizes in 2025, expect to see the best players be those who are developing ALL the skills (two-hand backhand for dinking & attacking, for example) and bringing new concepts and strategies. It will be fun to watch the sport evolve as it doubles/triples/quadruples in popularity.

Rec players are also getting a lot better. A 4.0 player in 2024 is significantly better than a 4.0 player would've been in 2020. Look for rec play and tournaments to become more granularly focused (4.0-4.25, for example) as numbers of players continue to expand. Also, look for awareness of game strategy and an understanding of pickleball stats to make rec play more and more of a mind game, rather than just about power or unforced error avoidance.

Make sure to use Rally scoring for your "one more game"

What do you love most about Pickleball in Austin?

Austin is a diverse city, and pickleball does not discriminate. I love that I have met so many amazing and diverse people—older/younger, women/men/etc, athletes/non-athletes, wealthy/not-so-wealthy. These people have enriched my life and many have become close friends in just a couple years.

How do you see pickleball changing and growing in Austin?

There are an incredible amount of court projects, buildings, and clubs in-the-works. The die-hard players from public courts today, will begin paying for memberships at clubs with indoor/outdoor courts, and the lessened pressure at public courts will usher in a whole new band of pickleball loyalists. 

If it hasn't happened already, everyone in Austin will at least know someone from the pickleball community, and that can only be good news for our city if we are less isolated from each other, and have more opportunity to know and understand each other.

Anything else you’d like to share with the Austin Pickleball Update audience?

We recently released our 2023 MLP Stats Awards for many top statistical categories on our Instagram and X pages, so those are worth checking out! You can think of this data like a report on the individual stat leaders for the 2023 season.

Check out the Instagram page for RCS to dive into the data

If there are some folks out there interested in becoming a certified Real Clear Stats scorer, they can fill out our Scorer Interest Form!

And that’s a statistical wrap! Thank you to Ben and Real Clear Stats for providing an insightful and engaging look into the world of pickleball data.

Interested in learning more about pickleball statistics and engaging with Real Clear Stats? Check out their Instagram and X pages, where they regularly share updates or news on their vision to celebrate outstanding pro performances, elevate pickleball, make broadcasts more gripping, and accelerate the growth of the sport we all love, pickleball!

Community News

Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lane Grand Opening

Austin Pickle Ranch has officially opened their new location in North Austin, located at 11000 N Interstate Hwy 35 Building B.

With 16 brand new indoor courts, this is literally and figuratively the biggest pickleball facility opening of 2024 in Austin.

Welcome to Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lane

APU was on site for the official opening of Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lane last Thursday, May 30, and we are happy to share that this new location sets the standard for pickleball in Austin. 

It has all of the amenities you’d expect from a stellar pickleball experience, including playing surfaces, ample courts for open play, and incredible sound dampening technology. They even have a court certified by Johns Design aka Ben and Collins Johns. 🤯

This court is Johns Bros certified

Check out Austin Pickleball Update’s Instagram Reel here for a look at the new space!

And stay tuned to Austin Pickleball Update for more news and information around the new Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lane location!

UT Players are National Collegiate Champions

Shout out to Longhorn Pickleball Club members Jack Munro and Timmy Manzano, who represented the University of Texas at the DUPR Collegiate Individual National Championship and won first place in Men's Doubles.

We're here for this national champion swagger

Jack wasn't finished with just one championship, as he also took home first place for UT in Men's Singles.

Congratulations, Timmy and Jack!

USA Pickleball Bans JOOLA Gen3 Paddles

While this isn't technically Austin related news, it's huge pickleball news that we're sure it affects many players here in Austin.

USA Pickleball, the governing body that regulates and certifies pickleball paddles, announced this week that they would not be certifying JOOLA's Gen3 paddles after de-listing them in mid May.  

These paddles are no longer certified for professional or USAP tournament play.

You can read the announcement and see the full timeline breakdown here from The Dink. This means that pro players on the APP Tour, PPA Tour, and MLP will not be playing with JOOLA Gen3 paddles for the foreseeable future.

If you're playing in a USA Pickleball sanctioned tournament, then these paddles are also banned. If the tournament is not sanctioned, check with your tournament director whether the paddle is allowed or not.

Texas Ranchers Roundup - Heading to the Nation's Capital

Austin's Major League Pickleball team, the Texas Ranchers, are heading to MLP Washington D.C. next weekend from June 14-16. Their tourney schedule is as follows:

  • Friday June 14, 10am EST - match vs Utah Black Diamonds

  • Friday June 14, 6pm EST - match vs D.C. Pickleball Team

  • Saturday June 15, 4pm EST - match vs Seattle Pioneers

  • Sunday June 16, 2pm EST - match vs New York Hustlers

  • Sunday June 16, 6:30pm EST - rivalry rematch vs Dallas Flash Pickleball

A local watch party will take place on June 14 from 4-7pm at Skinny's Off Track Bar.

Let's go Ranchers! Good luck to America's Pickleball Team next weekend in America's Capital!

Upcoming Tournaments, Leagues, Clinics, and Community Events

Community Clinics

Leslie Roberts, CPT, CES, FRCms, and PPR certified coach is running a Hip Mobility for Athletes clinic on Friday June 7 from 9-10:10am in South Austin. This session is geared towards injury reduction and perfect for anyone experiencing low back/knee pain or those who want to prevent future issues. $35 per person, contact [email protected] to register.

Local pros Zane Navratil and Jack Munro are running a 3.5-4.0 clinic at Austin Pickle Ranch on Monday, June 10 from 6-8pm. Areas covered include effective dinking, partner communication, choosing which balls to attack, and more. Great opportunity to learn locally from some of the game's best. $140 per person. Register here.

Local Austin coach Amy Yarbrough is running a number of clinics in the coming weeks, including pickleball fundamentals, a pickleball camp, coached playing, and more. Learn more and register here. 

The Dynamite Clinic, hosted at Heights Athletic Club, takes place June 18-20 for $299. Join Dave and Tracy Wilcox in this 3-day clinic for Novice/Intermediate and Intermediate/Advanced players! Learn more and register here. 

Community Events

Austin Tennis & Pickleball Center is hosting a Mixed Mixer Social event on June 22. This event provides a great opportunity to meet players and find new mixed partners, and includes 2 hours of play. Learn more and register here.

Waterloo Pickleball is hosting kids pickleball summer camps, starting the week of June 10th and running continually each week through the week of July 22nd. Learn more and register here.

Austin Pickleball Leagues

Vet's Park Coed Ladder League - June 17-August 12, 2024

  • Location - Vets Park Pickleball Courts, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Ladder league taking place on Monday from 6-9am each week, with matches recorded in DUPR. Attendees will be assigned a group of 4 players each week, and play 3 games in scramble format, with seeing based on DUPR ranking.

  • Price - $40

  • Location - The Millbrook Estate, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Millbrook Pickleball Club is hosting its 2nd annual summer league that is available for the general public to register. The league will run for 6 consecutive weeks every Wednesday at a designated scheduled time from 6-10p.m. They will be accepting the first 30 teams that have a DUPR rating of 3.5+ only on a first come first serve basis.

  • Price - $500 per team

Women’s Day League DUPR 3.0+ - June 18-July 23, 2024

  • Location - Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lane

  • Overview - Introducing the Pickle Ranch’s Women’s Day League DUPR for players 3.0+. This 6 week league runs from 10am-11:30am each Tuesday. Players will be paired up with new partners each week based on previous weeks performance. Game to 21 with rally scoring. 

  • Price - $60 members / $80 non-members

Honcho Pickleball Summer Leagues - July 15-September 9, 2024

  • Location - Austin Tennis Center, Austin, TX

  • Overview - One of the longest running pickleball leagues in Austin that is 100% volunteer run. Three different Ladder League include Sunday Co-Ed Green League (3.0-4.0), Monday Women’s Purple League (3.0-4.0), and Tuesday Co-Ed Gold League (4.0+). Waitlist for multiple leagues. 

  • Price - $45/month

Austin Area Pickleball Tournaments

  • Location - Dreamland, Dripping Springs, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tourney with singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles events. 2.5-5.0 skill brackets with age brackets. 5 game minimum.

  • Price - $75 for first event, $45 for second event

Pickleball Power Play - June 13-15, 2024

  • Location - Lost Pines Pickleball, Bastrop, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tournament with mixed and gender doubles. Skill brackets run 2.5-4.5 with age divisions for over/under 50 y/o. 10 game minimum.

  • Price - $45

  • Location - Austin Pickle Ranch, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Charity fundraiser tournament with round robin, single elimination format. All proceeds will go towards helping children with cancer diagnosis or a blood disorders. 

  • Price - $100 per team

Dink Minor Leagues - June 22-23, 2024

  • Location - Waterloo Pickleball, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tournament with beginner and intermediate skill brackets and a single elimination playoff. You can register with a partner or be paired with one. 4 game minimum.

  • Price - $60

  • Location - Waterloo Pickleball, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tournament with beginner and intermediate skill brackets and a single elimination playoff. You can register with a partner or be paired with one. 4 game minimum.

  • Price - $60

  • Location - Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lane, Austin, TX

  • Overview - The Dink & OluKai are teaming up to bring you "Aloha Pickleball", an exclusive round-robin tournament and party with numerous contests, raffles, and giveaways. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced brackets with men’s, women’s, and gender doubles events. 2 pools of 4 teams per division, 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $70

002 Pickleland Indoor Open - July 27-27, 2024

  • Location - Pickleland, Pflugerville, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tourney with mixed doubles and gender doubles events. 3.0-4.5+ skill brackets depending on event. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $65

The Austin Amateur Open - September 21-22, 2024

  • Location - Dreamland, Dripping Springs, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tournament with singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles. 2.5-5.0 skill brackets with age breakdowns. 5 game minimum.

  • Price - $75

The Kitchen Open - September 26-29, 2024

  • Location - Polo Tennis And Fitness Club, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Gender and mixed doubles only tourney with 3.0-4.5 skill brackets and under/over 40 age brackets. Also includes open division with $25,000 price for first. 12 game minimum

  • Price - TBD

  • Location - Austin Tennis Center, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tournament with men’s, women’s, mixed, and generational doubles events. Generational doubles must have at least one 50+ year old player. 3.0-4.0+ skill brackets, 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $45

  • Location - Austin Tennis Center, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round robin family pickleball tournament with boy’s/men's doubles, girl’s/women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Parent/adult child events for 16+ years old and parent/child events for children 18 and under. Tournament encourages you to play with your parent (biological/adopted/chosen) or your significant other's parent for events. 2.5-5.0 skill brackets. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $50

002 Dink and Slam Pickleball Jam - October 18-20, 2024

  • Location - Horseshoe Bay Resort, Horseshoe Bay, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tournament with singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles events. 3.0-5.0 skill brackets and 19+, 35+, and 50+ age brackets. Also includes 5.5 open division with cash prizes. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $50

National Deaf PB Tournament 2024 - November 7-10, 2024

  • Location - Dreamland, Dripping Springs, TX

  • Overview - Fourth annual National Deaf Pickleball Tournament for deaf players only. Featuring singles, scramble doubles, mixed doubles and gender doubles with 3.0-4.5+ skill brackets and various age brackets. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $80

Austin Real Estate Perfect for Pickleball

The one and only Vince Mathon, picture right

Looking to buy or sell property in Austin? Look no further than Vince Mathon, Austin, TX Realtor®, Founding Partner of Revel Property Group, and pickleball player. Vince is your go-to expert for a personalized, professional, and uncomplicated real estate experience, especially if you want to know the best pickleball properties in Austin. If you're looking to buy or sell a home/land, discuss investment opportunities, or lease an apartment/house, text or call Vince at 737-267-5585. Learn more at www.vincemathonATX.com.

Master Your Dinks with The Dink Master

Did you know that 15 minutes of wall drilling is roughly equivalent to the amount of touches you would get in 2-3 hours of doubles play?

More touches = more improvement

The Dink Master is the #1 training aid in pickleball, designed to help you practice your dinks, volleys, and shot accuracy. With the Dink Master, you can control what types of shots you work on while getting in thousands more reps when compared to a normal game. The Dink Master helps you improve your coordination, muscle memory, and overall gameplay on your own time. Use code “APU” when ordering your Dink Master today for 30% off and free shipping.

A Private Pickleball Oasis on the East Side

The backyard court of your pickleball dreams

Nestled in a prime corner lot, East 12th Pickleball provides the perfect blend of accessibility and privacy, making it an ideal spot for anyone seeking a great pickleball game. Whether you’re new to pickleball and looking to enjoy time with friends or an advanced player wanting to improve your game with a coach, East 12th Pickleball offers the perfect setting for all of your pickleball court needs. Check out the @east12thpickleball Instagram for more information. 

Paddle Discount Codes

Get your CRBN at a discount

Use code “APU” and get a 10% discount on all paddles and gear purchased from CRBN and Six Zero pickleball. This includes the CRBN 1x, 2x, and 3x paddles and the Six Zero Ruby and Double Black Diamond paddles.

Austin Pickleball Update Social Groups

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Share Austin Pickleball Update

Please forward and share this newsletter with your local pickleball friends so that they stay updated around everything pickleball in Austin! 

If you’re looking for places to play pickleball in Austin, check out our Austin Pickleball Courts and Clubs page here. 

Previous volumes of Austin Pickleball Update:

If you have any Austin pickleball news, tips, or topics that we should cover or may have missed, please reach out! We're always grateful to hear from our readers.

Look out for Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 16 on Thursday, June 20, 2024!

See you on the courts!✌️

Phillip & Kylee Klugman - Austin Pickleball Update

Thank you for being a part of APU!