Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 7

Hello, and welcome to Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 7!

In this issue of Austin Pickleball Update, we’ll be covering an Austin pickleball hot spot, Pan Am Park, talking about open vs closed serve stances, diving deep into a national pickleball franchise coming to Austin, and providing another huge tournament and event update.

In this issue of APU you will find:

• Play Pickleball in Austin - Pan American Park

• Open Stance vs Closed Stance Serving

• Community News - National Pickleball Franchise Coming to Austin

• Upcoming Tournaments and Events

• Austin Pickleball Update Social Groups

If you have any Austin pickleball news or tips about clubs, courts, or new locations openings, please reach out and let us know. Reply to this email or DM us on Instagram. 

Tournament of the Week

Millbrook Winter Classic, taking place this weekend! Come play pickleball at one of Austin's most exclusive court spaces. Read more in our tournament update below.

Play Pickleball in Austin - Pan American Park

Pan American Park, or Pan Am for short, is a park in East Austin that is a pickleball hub in the city. The Pan Am courts are located at 311 Chicon St, on the left side of the park.

Right off the bat, one of the great things about Pan Am is that there is a parking lot right next to the courts, so arriving and getting to the playing area is a breeze. The other awesome aspect of Pan Am is the community that plays there. 

Pan Am can definitely be described as a “vibe”, as the energy and people there are all welcoming, friendly, and awesome to play with. Check out APU’s Instagram Reel here to get a quick look at what a typical Sunday looks like at Pan Am. Weekends are the busiest time at Pan Am, but also a great crowd if you’re looking to socialize with other pickleball players in Austin.

Pan Am has a total of six pickleball courts available to play on. Three of the courts have permanent nets, and the remaining three court spaces have pop-up nets.

The court lines at Pan Am are all painted on and fantastic, however the court surfaces themselves are somewhat smooth. This isn’t necessarily a negative, however it is important to know that they are not your standard tennis court surface that some players may be used to, or what you would find at a court like SARC. Additionally, if the courts are ever wet or covered in leaves you’ll want to exercise extreme caution lest you slip and end up with a nasty injury. 

How to Play Pickleball at Pan Am Park

Of the six six total courts to play on at Pan Am, the three courts with the permanent nets to the left of the entrance are the King’s/Challenger Courts, while the three courts to the right with the popup nets are known as friendly/recreational courts. 

All games at Pan Am are standard pickleball rules and played to 11 points, win by 2. In the event Pan Am gets insanely busy games may switch to rally scoring to speed up the matches, however this rarely happens. 

There is a queue system for courts at Pan Am, where players put paddles down to the left of the entrance on the marked squares for courts they are interested in playing. There are squares for kings, advanced (not used), and friendly courts. See an image below for what this looks like. 

If you recall our overview of SARC in APU Volume 3, King’s/Challenger Courts are spaces where the losing team rotates off and the winning team of the match stays on the court to play the next duo to come on. 

With three King's courts in rotation, things move quickly at Pan Am if you’re waiting to play a competitive game, as whoever is at the front of the line will go to whichever King’s court becomes available next.

The remaining three friendly/recreational courts rotate fully after each game, so when a game finishes everyone cycles off and the next four paddles on the queue come on to play their game regardless of who won. 

There are a few other important notes to keep in mind when looking to play at Pan Am. A soccer league takes over the right half of the courts (the friendly/recreational side) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from around 6:30/7pm until 9:30/10pm. 

When this happens only the left three courts are available for use, and during this time the front two courts remain King’s/Challenger courts and the furthest court becomes the only Friendly/Recreational court.

Additionally, a roller derby league occupies all six of the court spaces at Pan AM on Tuesday and Thursday from 7-10pm, so there is no pickleball available during these times. 

When the Pan Am courts are occupied, Rosewood Neighborhood Park is a great alternative spot to pickle as it is located less than 2 miles from Pan Am. Stay tuned for a future volume of APU when we cover how to play pickleball at Rosewood Neighborhood Park.

To close out, Pan Am is a fantastic location to play pickleball in Austin. The vibe, people, and numerous available courts with structured and quick rotations ensures anyone who shows up to play pickleball will have a great experience. 

Austin Pickleball Update wants to give a special shout out to community member Kyle Riedl for helping out with information for our Pan Am overview above. You are a rockstar, gentleman, and a scholar, Kyle. Thank you!

Looking for other courts to play at in Austin? Check out the ATX Courts page on our website for more information.

Tired and Sore from Lots of Pickleball?

Get the edge on the pickleball court with Dr. Thomas Kolenda (DC, FASA, FICPA) of Kolenda Chiropractic in Austin, TX. If you're experiencing soreness or pain after a challenging pickleball session, don't let it hold you back. Take advantage of Dr. Kolenda's expertise and schedule an appointment today. 1-512-231-9002, [email protected], kolendachiropractic.com.

Interested in sponsoring an issue of APU and reaching our engaged community of 800+ pickleball players in Austin? Reply to this email or DM us on Instagram and we’ll be in touch.

Pickleball Strategy 101 - Open Stance vs Closed Stance Serves

We’ve been talking a lot about serving in our recent issues of APU, and that is because focusing and improving all aspects related to the serve is crucial for leveling up your pickleball game. 

Today, we’re going to be diving into open stance vs closed stance serving. Whether you prefer an open stance or a closed stance, understanding the pros and cons of each can help you make an informed decision about which technique suits you best.

An open stance refers to the position of the server's feet during the serve. In an open stance, the server's feet are positioned parallel to the baseline, and power and speed is generated from hip and core rotation.

A closed stance serve, like an open stance, also refers to the position of the server’s feet. In this case, however, the server's feet are positioned perpendicular to the baseline, with the front foot closer to the centerline and the back foot behind. In a closed stance, power and speed is generated from a weight transfer from the back to front foot, combined with the forward movement of the hips and core. 

Whether you’re using an open stance or a closed stance, the contact point is typically in front of the server's body, slightly to the right (for right-handed players) or left (for left-handed players). This positioning allows for a more natural swing path and optimal contact with the ball.

Pros of the open stance are that it offers a natural and balanced position, making it easier to generate power and spin. It also sets you up well for the third shot after the serve, because you are already squared and in an open stance for the point.

Cons of the open stance are that it requires a strong core and lower body stability. Additionally, it may take time to adjust to the open stance if you are accustomed to a closed stance or coming from a tennis background.

Pros of the closed stance are that it is a more traditional approach and can feel more natural, especially if you have a background in golf, baseball, or tennis. A closed stance allows you to generate power by driving through the ball with your hips and core, and is generally easier to learn while providing good stability.

The downside of a closed stance is that it may not provide the same level of spin as the open stance. Additionally, it requires a strong leg base and effective weight transfer to maximize power. If you rely too much on arm strength, you may struggle to achieve optimal results with a closed stance.

To see open stance and closed stance serves in action, as well as to get some other great serving tips, check out the YouTube video 2024’s Best New Pickleball Serve from Briones Pickleball. 

It is important to note, you’re seeing a lot of pros switch from a closed stance to an open stance in pickleball due to the new service rules in 2024 which require balls to be dropped from hip height.

As our friends over at The Dink noted, “more and more pros are adopting the open stance serve because of the new service rule in play at PPA pro events that requires the ball to be dropped from hip height.”

I have recently switched from a closed stance to an open stance serve, and found it beneficial for my pickleball game. While I still (occasionally) hit serves long, I have been faulting far fewer serves into my side of the net. Additionally, I still feel ease in hitting serves deep with enough power to still score some aces every now and then. 

Do you serve open stance or closed stance? Have you changed your serve stances recently? Hit reply and let us know!

Community News - Pickleball Kingdom is Coming to Austin

As any reader of this newsletter is aware, pickleball courts, specifically quality pickleball courts, are in dire need here in Austin. When I think about what makes a quality court, I think about court surfaces, permanent nets, climate controlled/indoors, lighted, easily accessible/reservable, and ideally located within 20 minutes of downtown Austin. 

There have been a number of clubs that have opened up over the past few months to meet this demand. I’m talking about places like Austin Pickle Ranch, Urban Pickleball Club, Eastside Paddle Club, and Other Racquet Social Club, among others. Most of these clubs have been started and operated by people who are local to Austin already. 

There’s clearly a market for pickleball courts and clubs in Austin, and by the end of 2024 I expect there to be another 10-20 locations opening up of various size, quality, and offering. 

Well, I can now confirm that national pickleball players have recognized and are making plans to come to Austin. In a recent press release, Pickleball Kingdom announced that it has selected a local franchisee and will be opening two locations in Austin. Doing a little digging, I was able to find out that their first location has plans to launch in “North Austin or the northern suburbs by the end of 2024” and that their second location will open “in mid to late 2025”.

While the release talks about opening locations in “Austin”, I’m slightly deterred by the “North Austin/northern suburbs” language I found. I’m sure land and space are much cheaper and more plentiful up north, but if this ends up being somewhere like Pflugerville, Cedar Park, or Georgetown, then it matters much less for pickleball players in the city of Austin. While this would be great for anyone up north around the Domain area, anyone in downtown or who lives in South Austin isn’t likely to make a 30+ minute one-way trip to play, regardless of how great the facility is. 

That said, Pickleball Kingdom looks like it sets the bar for what an amazing pickleball facility should be. I’m talking indoor climate controlled, 10+ courts, fencing around each court, permanent nets, paddle rental/demos, a reasonably priced high-value membership program, the works. It really looks like they sat down and said “what do we need to do to create the best pickleball facility for players?”, and then they went and did that. 

You can see this thinking in the genesis story for Pickleball Kingdom. From their website, “Have you ever said or thought, “I love everything about pickleball! Well, except the sun, the wind, the rain, the heat, the cold, and the waiting?” Chances are you have, and so did our founder, Ace Rodrigues. And that was how the idea for Pickleball Kingdom got started. He loved the sport, especially the spirit of it, but wanted to eliminate the downsides of playing outdoors. Since no ball in any sport is more affected by the wind, it just makes sense to play indoors.” Anyone who has played pickleball for more than a month, especially in Austin, has definitely had the same experience Ace mention’s above.

In the image below you can see their floor plan, which includes 15(!) courts at the facility. 

There is currently one Pickleball Kingdom facility open today in Chandler, Arizona. Membership plans at this location start at $85/month and go up to $190/month, and the list of perks for each is staggering. Memberships include all the things you’d expect, like no court/players/drop-in fees, advanced reservations, and other benefits. Additionally, the website mentions that each club will offer advanced training and coaching sessions for all skill levels, regular tournaments and leagues to foster competitive play, a pro shop stocked with the latest pickleball gear and apparel, lounge areas for relaxation and socializing, healthy snack bars to keep players energized, as well as community and engagement.

Even though Pickleball Kingdom only has one location in operation today, they are clearly in this for the long-haul and are looking to become a national pickleball brand with a consistent product and experience wherever you play. If you look at their planned expansion map below, there are two locations under construction, 18 locations coming soon, and 8 areas with multiple locations awarded to new franchisees.

If Pickleball Kingdom can deliver on the experience they provide at their current location, at the same price point, AND be located within 20 minutes of downtown Austin, then I believe they will set the standard for pickleball facilities in our city. 

Stay tuned to Austin Pickleball Update for future news and updates around Pickleball Kingdom, and other courts and clubs, coming to Austin!

Upcoming Events

APU DUPR Events

Interested in organized DUPR events to get rated or get your rating up? Fill out our interest form here and join the Austin Pickleball Update DUPR Club here, and we’ll reach out with information around DUPR events taking place. 

APU Paddle Demo Events

If you’re interested in checking out and demoing some of the latest, high-end pickleball paddles, we’ll be running paddle demo events at the below locations and times:

• Urban Pickleball Club - Thursday 2/22 - 5-7pm - private member event

• Austin Pickle Ranch - Wednesday 3/6 - 4:30-6:30pm - book a court here

Check out our website here to see the paddles available at our paddle demo events, and to learn about our Austin paddle rental program.

Austin Area Pickleball Tournaments

9 Upcoming Tournaments in this week's post! To receive ALL tournament information and updates subscribe to Austin Pickleball Update and get the information straight to your inbox!

Austin Pickleball Update Social Groups

Follow Austin Pickleball Update on Instagram for pickleball content and local news, join our Facebook group to learn about upcoming demo days and events, or join and use our 250+ person WhatsApp group to find Austin players to play pickleball with.

Share Austin Pickleball Update

Know someone who plays pickleball in Austin? Please forward and share this newsletter with them so that they stay updated around everything pickleball in Austin! 

Previous volumes of Austin Pickleball Update:

• Volume 6 - February 1, 2024

• Volume 5 - January 18, 2024

• Volume 4 - January 4, 2024

• Volume 3 - December 21, 2023

• Volume 2 - December 8, 2023

• Volume 1 - November 24, 2023

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.

Interested in becoming an APU sponsor or partner? Reply to this email or message [email protected] and let us know!

Look out for Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 8 on our leap year day, Thursday, February 29, 2024!

See you on the courts!✌️

Phillip & Kylee Klugman - Austin Pickleball Update

P.S. Gong Xi Fa Cai, happy Lunar New Year, to those celebrating! Wishing everyone a prosperous year of the Dragon!